“We can turn this viewpoint on its head: if chemistry possesses aesthetic qualities, then taking a sensual pleasure in the world around us can draw us to chemistry. All it needs is a curiosity and receptivity to the sensations that surround us. Why is this material transparent and stretchy, that one stiff and reflective? Where do these colors come from? What is that smell that arises each time it rains? Why is my coffee bitter, and why do I like it? Soon enough, questions like these become questions about chemistry—which is to say, about what substances are made of, how their atoms and molecules are arranged, how they interact and react with one another. They are questions about the fine-grained texture of things.”

—The Beauty of Chemistry, Philip Ball with Wenting Zhu & Yan Liang

* materials properties *