It is a little-known fact that "eye of newt" is merely a nickname for mustard seeds. Most things from years of lore were obfuscated in such a way that it makes the instructions seem interestingly vague. Like, how would you get a newt eye, would you bawl it out? And why would it have some magic quality. This is where science comes into the picture again. Mustard seeds (eye of newt) have a bunch of mustard oil in them, which has a lot of oleic acid in them, which can contribute a lot to certain chemical reactions due to its low pH level. The oleic acid in this particular magic spell adds the needed hydrogen for the reaction to occur.
Most magic has some sort of tie in with science and chemistry of sorts. Unfortunately, the very existence of the word "magic" is a concern for some people who see that word and think mirthful miracles rather than an abuse of the mechanics of reality. Most of your father's high-level magic spells come from that very important book from earlier. You suppose that all magic spells are in that book because that book is a blueprint of the multiverse.