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Part of it is I've been reading about the Victorian Age and wanted to know more about the problems that they obviously had with chemicals in their environment and in the foods and medications. Apparently phosphorus was a huge part of the problem. If you've read Dickens or some of the other writers from that period, you know a little bit about children working in bad situations. Apparently, the matchmaking industry which was big at this point made a point of using children and teens and young women, who of course, suffered the dire consequences of working with phosphorus fossy or phossy jaw.
This book was chock full of research. The book talks about how phosphorus was originally obtained through use of urine. It wasn't until the late 's that a process was found to abstract phosphorus from minerals.
Phosphorus is a very important mineral for human beings. We need it for our bones, but as with most things in the body Too much of even a good thing is going to end up badly. This book covers all of the dangers of phosphorus, almost too much so. The research is phenomenal, as is the story I noticed several places where the author was repeating himself, maybe to draw attention to the facts The book is quite long anyway, so there was no need to make it longer.
Of course, knowing man's propensity to use anything new they find for weapons, someone got the smart idea of using phosphorus in weapons. This is covered well in the book. The firebombing of Germany was enough to make me cringe. I hope people remember there were atrocities on both sides. I've read plenty on the wrongs of Germany during WWII but that particular chapter of war history on our part is horrendous. Terrific book, very worth reading.
What's not to look forward to? This book starts out interestingly enough. It recounts the early years after the discovery of phosphorus where the personalities of the pioneers of chemistry effect the progress of this element from the secretively made subject of parlor tricks literally to a mass produced necessity. It moves through the dark parts of the history as a weapon of murder both individually and for large groups. Finally, it recounts the redemption of phosphorus to its now required place in modern agriculture.
The history is amazing, the chemistry interesting if you are into it ; where this book fails in my opinion is its missed opportunities. These stories could have served as a vehicle to talk about the properties of the element as they were first understood. Instead, they became a footnote. The author spent most of a chapter describing and debunking spontaneous human combustion I think I counted four times he said it couldn't happen even as he described it happening but ignored the effects of phosphorus based fertilizers drying as a combustible material on certain farmers clothing again interesting stories left behind.
On the whole, not a book to be rejected out of hand, especially if you are interested in chemistry; however not a must-read at least in the US release. Mar 30, Janta rated it it was ok Shelves: nonfiction-history , did-not-finish , reading-challenge , nonfiction-science.
I love microhistories, and I thought this sounded like a really interesting one. It started off okay, but increasingly became a slog for me. The book is arranged loosely by subject, rather than being a straightforward chronological history. I found this approach kind of off-putting. There were frequent mentions of a topic, only to be told parenthetically that we'd hear more about it in a later chapter.
To me, that broke the narrative flow somewhat, and I found myself irritated that the topic h I love microhistories, and I thought this sounded like a really interesting one. To me, that broke the narrative flow somewhat, and I found myself irritated that the topic had been mentioned so briefly.
There were also numerous anecdotes, especially in the chapter about phosphorus as a poison, that as presented e. I don't know if it was due to the source material or what. Just wasn't my thing after all, I guess. Jan 30, MD rated it liked it Shelves: nonfiction. I had put this on my to-read list because I'd read a glowing review of it. Overall, yes it was interesting. However I agree with other readers who say it contained a bit more detail than a general audience is likely to appreciate, and I have to admit that I skimmed through or maybe skipped would be more accurate a paragraph or even a page or two now and then when the author got too technical.
I found the information about matches really interesting because it explained why some matches won't l I had put this on my to-read list because I'd read a glowing review of it. I found the information about matches really interesting because it explained why some matches won't light except on their strike pad and maybe not even on that if it's too worn.
I also found it interesting to read about nerve gasses since I'd heard about sarin in the news. Probably the most interesting to me was learning about phosphate detergents and why they are linked to environmental problems and that phosphorus is the limiting factor of life on earth. Apr 01, Cindy rated it really liked it Recommends it for: students, science fans. Shelves: non-fiction , science , Thoughts on [The 13th Element] - I read [Molecules at an Exhibition] by this author and really enjoyed it, so when I found this one in the chemistry section at the library, I thought it looked interesting.
I was right. This is all about the element phosphorus - its discovery, its uses, hazards, and history. Not just for scientists, it was an entertaining and easy read. A few times the chemistry got a little technical for me, so I just skimmed ahead for a bit. But I can recommend it to those with Thoughts on [The 13th Element] - I read [Molecules at an Exhibition] by this author and really enjoyed it, so when I found this one in the chemistry section at the library, I thought it looked interesting.
But I can recommend it to those with an interest in science. Oct 07, Lambeam rated it liked it. This book is difficult for me to rate. If I had even a vague familiarity with the periodic table I am sure I would have enjoyed it more. As it is, the book answered far more questions about phosporus than I would even have come up with on my own.
There were a few intriguing chapters discussing phosphorus' use as a poisen, as a weapon or as a pollutant. But the chapter that would win the icky science award discusses whether or not phosphorus contributes to the spontaneous combustion of corpses.
This is, in essence, the biography of phosphorus. Who would have thought to write a history of an element? And who would have expected it to be so compelling? I guess similarly interesting books could be put together about silver and gold, but phosphorus' history — particularly with the fascination that alchemists had for it — makes for a very interesting read that teaches you as much about mankind as it does about this dangerous element.
Feb 26, Kathleen rated it really liked it Shelves: read-in , history , math-science , non-fiction. From its discovery by alchemists through the matchgirl strikes of the nineteenth century up to our modern nutritional and environmental problems with the element, Emsley guides this tour of the history of phosphorous with a conversational wit. He writes at the perfect level for pop-science nonfiction: just enough technical information to make a point, not enough to bore.
Plus, he ends with a chapter on spontaneous human combustion. It's always fun when an author goes out with a bang. Jul 03, Robin rated it liked it Shelves: i-own-a-copy , obscure , non-fiction , random-finds , history. Very interesting book about how phosphorus played a role in human development, in our history, and in our understanding of natural chemical processes. The first few chapters are a breeze, but then some sections are dry recitations of facts. I would recommend this to any chemistry or science nerd who doesn't mind a bit of dry reading for the sake of some interesting knowledge.
I certainly enjoyed it. Jan 27, Gayla Bassham rated it really liked it Shelves: reads. Everything you ever wanted to know about phosphorus.
Possibly a great deal of information you didn't particularly need about phosphorus. Lots of it is interesting I particularly enjoyed the history of phosphorus-match-making--who knew?
My big problem with this book is that there isn't a narrative flow--the chapters feel isolated, so you don't really feel inclined to keep reading. A really gripping book with very little chemistry, especially compared to his other books.
Tells the history of phosphorus and some of its derivatives. Emsley tries to use scientific notation whenever possible, so get used to reading the textual name and learning the chemical formula too. Most of the book is historical, however, so that helps lessen the amount of hard chemistry and the stories behind the discoverers of phosphorus are pretty interesting.
Definitely worth reading. The game picks one of the players to be Jason at random, and the others are teenagers being hunted down by him. Jason has supernatural abilities, and these grow as you keep playing. You can unlock cool features and abilities the more you play.
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