''The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments'' is a children's chemistry book written in 1960 by Robert Brent and illustrated by Harry Lazarus and published by

Western Publishing Western Publishing, also known as Western Printing and Lithographing Company, was a Racine, Wisconsin, firm responsible for publishing the Little Golden Books. Its Golden Books Family Entertainment division also produced children's books and ...

as part of their

Golden Books *Western Publishing (1907−2001) — , magazines, and {{C, Children's book publishers, children's books publisher, formerly based in Racine, Wisconsin Racine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. It is ...

series. A decade after the book's publication, concerns were raised over the safety of the reactions described, which frequently used or generated toxic or corrosive substances. For example, one experiment generated toxic

chlorine Chlorine is a chemical element with the symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The second-lightest of the halogens, it appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate between them. Chlorine i ...

gas, and another used carbon tetrachloride, a potent

hepatotoxin A hepatotoxin ('' Gr., hepato = liver'') is a toxic chemical substance that damages the liver. It can be a side-effect, but hepatotoxins are also found naturally, such as microcystins and pyrrolizidine alkaloids, or in laboratory environments, su ...

. The book was also believed to be a source of inspiration to

David Hahn David Charles Hahn (October 30, 1976 – September 27, 2016), sometimes called the "Radioactive Boy Scout" or the "Nuclear Boy Scout", was an American nuclear radiation enthusiast who built a homemade neutron source at the age of seventeen. A ...

, nicknamed "the Radioactive Boy Scout" by the media, who attempted to construct a nuclear reactor in his mother's shed, although the book does not include any nuclear reactions. Due to safety concerns, the book was eventually pulled from library shelves. It is now quite rare, and as of February 2023 OCLC lists only 103 copies of this book in libraries worldwide. https://www.worldcat.org/title/1157339 However, privately-owned copies are routinely put up for sale online.

Printing history

The first edition was printed in 1960. A second printing was made in 1962 and a revised edition was printed in 1963.

Printing history

References

Further reading