Explores 250 of the most significant and interesting chemistry milestones from c. 500,000 BCE to 2030. Chronologically organized, the entries each consist of a short summary and an image. The book presents an array of discoveries, theories, and technological applications as it traces the evolution of chemistry.

c. 500,000 BCE: crystals -- c. 3300 BCE: bronze -- c. 2800 BCE: soap -- c. 126: Roman concrete -- c. 200: porcelain -- c. 672: Greek fire -- c. 1280: fractional distillation -- 1538: toxicology -- 1540: diethyl ether -- 1789: conservation of mass -- 1791: titanium -- 1792: ytterby -- 1804: morphine -- 1805: electroplating -- 1819: caffeine -- 1834: ideal gas law -- 1842: phosphate fertilizer -- 1860: oxidation states -- 1861: Erlenmeyer flask -- 1887: cyanide gold extraction -- 1915: chemical warfare -- 1932: vitamin C -- 1937: cellular respiration -- 1945: penicillin -- 1951: alpha-helix and beta-sheet -- 1951: ferrocene -- 1953: DNA's structure -- 1964: Kevlar -- 1969: Gore-Tex -- 1976: PET imaging -- 1983: polymerase chain reaction -- 1984: electrospray LC/MS -- 1984: AZT and antiretrovirals -- 1984: Bhopal disaster -- 2001: click triazoles -- 2004: graphene -- 2006: flow chemistry -- 2013: single-molecule images -- 2025: hydrogen storage -- 2030: artificial photosynthesis.