While the Industrial Revolution focused on big projects -- steel mills, coal mines and oil fields -- the molecular age focuses on manipulating the microscopic. By gaining fine-grained control over matter, scientists have cured diseases, invented new clothing material such as nylon, and transformed the way information is produced and stored.

Like many scientists, K.C. Nicolaou worries about the general public's lack of knowledge of this story, and that this lack might prevent young people from considering a career in science.

Nicolaou, chairman of the chemistry department at the Scripps Research Institute and a professor at UC San Diego's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, was so motivated that he and a former student, Tamsyn Montagnon, wrote a book, "Molecules That Changed The World," about their favorite subject.

Published earlier this year, the book describes the stories of such drugs as aspirin that we take for granted now, but were hailed as providing major benefits to humankind when discovered.

Intended as a coffee-table book accessible to the average literate person, "Molecules That Changed The World" is now going into its second printing, said a pleased Nicolaou. It's available on Amazon.com.

"I try to connect science and society in general so people can appreciate what scientists are doing, and amplify the importance of it to our economy, our society," he said.

"Our civilization is based on science and technology. If we neglect that, we will lose in the end. With the financial crisis we have, it's a reminder we need to invest more in science and technology. That's the only way we're going to rebuild our economy on a solid foundation."

Nicolaou and his group -- at www.scripps.edu/chem/nicolaou -- has played a significant part in this story. They have a special talent for synthesizing difficult-to-make molecules.

In 1994, the Nicolaou group published a much-commented-upon paper describing the total synthesis of Taxol, a drug used to fight cancer. It's made naturally by a rare tree, the Pacific yew. Among his many other accomplishments, Nicolaou won the 2002 Tetrahedron Prize for creativity in organic chemistry.

As an example of how discoveries in chemistry changed society, Nicolaou, a native of Cyprus, points to the discovery and use of antibiotics such as penicillin, which coincided with World War II.

"Before World War II, the average life span in Europe was less than 50 years," Nicolaou said. "This was mainly because of bacterial infections. They didn't have the antibiotics that we have today."

Today, the life expectancy at birth in developed countries is nearly double what it was before the use of antibiotics.

"It's all because of science that we made this progress," Nicolaou said. "I'm trying to reach as many students as possible. As a professor, I teach at UCSD, I teach at Scripps, but it's a limited impact. So by writing a book like this, I was hoping, and I was correct judging from the response, to reach people and stimulate them and excite them about science."

Contact staff writer Bradley J. Fikes at (760) 739-6641 or bfikes@nctimes.com.