The Alchemy of Air: A Jewish Genius, a Doomed Tycoon, and the Scientific Discovery That Fed the World but Fueled the Rise of Hitler
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.30 (986 Votes) |
| Asin | : | B0046Y0BP0 |
| Format Type | : | |
| Number of Pages | : | 261 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-06-29 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
A sweeping history of tragic genius, cutting-edge science, and the discovery that changed billions of lives - including your own. A call went out to the world's scientists to find a solution. Today we face the other unintended consequences of their discovery - massive nitrogen pollution and a growing pandemic of obesity. Their invention continues to feed us today; without it, more than two billion people would starve. At the dawn of the 20th century, humanity was facing global disaster. The Alchemy of Air is the extraordinary, previously untold story of two master scientists who saved the world only to lose everything and of the unforseen results of a discovery that continue to shape our lives in the most fundamental and dramatic of ways.. The Haber-Bosch process was also used to make the gunpowder
Greatly important slice of history! This was a very good read - Greatly important slice of history! DaveF This was a very good read - 4.5 stars. Author Thomas Hager is engaging, clear, and he held my interest. The subjects - renowned German chemists (and Nobel laureates) Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch developed what could be argued as the most important chemical process in human history - Nitrogen Fixation via the Haber-Bosch process. Nitrogen fixation - creating ammonia essentially from air (nitrogen and hydrogen) allowed for the production of both fertilizer and high explosives. World. .5 stars. Author Thomas Hager is engaging, clear, and he held my interest. The subjects - renowned German chemists (and Nobel laureates) Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch developed what could be argued as the most important chemical process in human history - Nitrogen Fixation via the Haber-Bosch process. Nitrogen fixation - creating ammonia essentially from air (nitrogen and hydrogen) allowed for the production of both fertilizer and high explosives. World. "Great story but needs better editing" according to machogaucho. This was an extremely interesting story and well worth the read; I learned a great deal about the dramatic influence that science and industrialization had on geopolitics during the 20th century. I have to also mention, however, that the author didn't seem to balance the arc of story very well. The balance between the lives of the principal characters and their scientific context started to unravel about two-thirds the way through the book and the sundry elements the author had . "A must read for those who wish to understand the effects of science and engineering on modern history." according to David A. Rennels. This book is a history of the Haber-Bosch process for converting hydrogen and nitrogen gas into nitrates, which is estimated to take 1% of the world’s energy. Without its fertilizers, a couple of billion people probably would have starved to death. Without its explosives Germany could not have completed WW1 or carried out WW2. Hager discusses the history of the use of nitrates for explosives and fertilizer - starting with mining of bird droppings and other natural deposits