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Alchemy of Air : A Jewish Genius, a Doomed Tycoon, and the Scientific Discovery
US $14.00
ApproximatelyAU $21.46
Condition:
Very good
A book that does not look new and has been read but is in excellent condition. No obvious damage to the cover, with the dust jacket (if applicable) included for hard covers. No missing or damaged pages, no creases or tears, and no underlining/highlighting of text or writing in the margins. May be very minimal identifying marks on the inside cover. Very minimal wear and tear. See the seller’s listing for full details and description of any imperfections.
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Postage:
US $5.22 (approx. AU $8.00) USPS Media MailTM.
Located in: Warwick, Rhode Island, United States
Delivery:
Estimated between Wed, 13 Aug and Wed, 20 Aug to 94104
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30-day returns. Buyer pays for return postage. If you use an eBay postage label, it will be deducted from your refund amount.
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eBay item number:316576036355
Item specifics
- Condition
- ISBN
- 9780307351791
About this product
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Crown Publishing Group, T.H.E.
ISBN-10
0307351793
ISBN-13
9780307351791
eBay Product ID (ePID)
72932711
Product Key Features
Book Title
Alchemy of Air : A Jewish Genius, a Doomed Tycoon, and the Scientific Discovery That Fed the World but Fueled the Rise of Hitler
Number of Pages
336 Pages
Language
English
Topic
Materials Science / General, Military / Biological & Chemical Warfare, General, History, Chemistry / General, Science & Technology
Publication Year
2009
Genre
Technology & Engineering, Science, Biography & Autobiography, History
Format
Trade Paperback
Dimensions
Item Height
0.7 in
Item Weight
8.7 Oz
Item Length
8 in
Item Width
5.2 in
Additional Product Features
Intended Audience
Trade
Reviews
Named one of the Best Books of 2008 byKirkus Reviews "Make[s] the scientific process as suspenseful as a good whodunit." -Oregonian "[A] smooth, well-researched book that reads like a fast-paced novel." -News & Observer (Raleigh) "This scientific adventure spans two world wars and every cell in your body." -Discovermagazine "Haber and Bosch are fascinating if troubled personalities, brought by Hager compellingly to life." -Washington Post Book World "[A] gripping account of the partnership between two Nobel Prize winners whose efforts to save the world had tragic consequences we're still sifting through today." -Plentymagazine "You will certainly find [Hager's] story of [Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch] and their discover to be enlightening and entertaining….I know of few other books that provide the general reader with a better portrait of chemistry as the most useful of sciences, and I intend to recommend it to scientists and non-scientists alike." -The Journal of Chemical Education "Many discoveries and inventions are touted as history-changing. But as Thomas Hager admirably proves in his new book,The Alchemy of Air, Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch not only changed history, they made much of recent human history possible. As Hager solemnly notes in his introduction, 'the discovery described in this book is keeping alive nearly half the people on earth.' ….As with almost all technological advancement, however, there is a downside. The synthetic Haber-Bosch nitrogen, which now makes up about half the nitrogen in every human body, also fueled the weapons of the world wars and created a nitrogen-rich environment that is having a huge impact on Earth, from lush vegetative growth to dead zones in the oceans. Thanks to two visionary and troubled scientists, we are all now, in Hager's words, 'creatures of the air,' dependent for our very existence on a process whose consequences we don't completely understand." -BookPage A fast-paced account of the early-20th-century quest to develop synthetic fertilizer. Today hundreds of factories convert atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia in order to manufacture the artificial fertilizers that make modern-day agricultural yields possible. They are based on the technological advance known as the Haber-Bosch process, developed prior to World War I by the German chemists and Nobel laureates Fritz Haber (18681934) and Carl Bosch (18741940). Hager (The Demon Under the Microscope: From Battlefield Hospitals to Nazi Labs, One Doctor's Heroic Search for the World's First Miracle Drug, 2006, etc.) offers a superb narrative of these brilliant men and their scientific discovery. Around the turn of the century, the world faced a shortage of the fixed nitrogen needed to provide food for a growing population. Hager sets the stage by describing the world's reliance in the 19th century on nitrates from Peru and Chile that could be used as natural fertilizer or to make gunpowder, and finds plenty of human drama in the battles to control the lucrative international trade. Determined to help end Germany's dependence on South American nitrates, Bosch and Haber worked at the German chemical company BASF to find a way to convert nitrogen into ammonia. Bosch developed the process, and Haber designed bigger industrial plants. By 1944, the Haber-Bosch factory at Leuna-a primary target for U.S. bombers-occupied three square miles and employed 35,000 workers. The author not only illuminates the scientists' complex work, but, Named one of the Best Books of 2008 byKirkus Reviews "Haber and Bosch are fascinating if troubled personalities, brought by Hager compellingly to life." -Washington Post Book World "[A] gripping account of the partnership between two Nobel Prize winners whose efforts to save the world had tragic consequences we're still sifting through today." -Plentymagazine "You will certainly find [Hager's] story of [Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch] and their discover to be enlightening and entertaining….I know of few other books that provide the general reader with a better portrait of chemistry as the most useful of sciences, and I intend to recommend it to scientists and non-scientists alike." -The Journal of Chemical Education "Many discoveries and inventions are touted as history-changing. But as Thomas Hager admirably proves in his new book,The Alchemy of Air, Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch not only changed history, they made much of recent human history possible. As Hager solemnly notes in his introduction, 'the discovery described in this book is keeping alive nearly half the people on earth.' ….As with almost all technological advancement, however, there is a downside. The synthetic Haber-Bosch nitrogen, which now makes up about half the nitrogen in every human body, also fueled the weapons of the world wars and created a nitrogen-rich environment that is having a huge impact on Earth, from lush vegetative growth to dead zones in the oceans. Thanks to two visionary and troubled scientists, we are all now, in Hager's words, 'creatures of the air,' dependent for our very existence on a process whose consequences we don't completely understand." -BookPage A fast-paced account of the early-20th-century quest to develop synthetic fertilizer. Today hundreds of factories convert atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia in order to manufacture the artificial fertilizers that make modern-day agricultural yields possible. They are based on the technological advance known as the Haber-Bosch process, developed prior to World War I by the German chemists and Nobel laureates Fritz Haber (18681934) and Carl Bosch (18741940). Hager (The Demon Under the Microscope: From Battlefield Hospitals to Nazi Labs, One Doctor's Heroic Search for the World's First Miracle Drug, 2006, etc.) offers a superb narrative of these brilliant men and their scientific discovery. Around the turn of the century, the world faced a shortage of the fixed nitrogen needed to provide food for a growing population. Hager sets the stage by describing the world's reliance in the 19th century on nitrates from Peru and Chile that could be used as natural fertilizer or to make gunpowder, and finds plenty of human drama in the battles to control the lucrative international trade. Determined to help end Germany's dependence on South American nitrates, Bosch and Haber worked at the German chemical company BASF to find a way to convert nitrogen into ammonia. Bosch developed the process, and Haber designed bigger industrial plants. By 1944, the Haber-Bosch factory at Leuna-a primary target for U.S. bombers-occupied three square miles and employed 35,000 workers. The author not only illuminates the scientists' complex work, but also digs into their personal lives. Bosch, a melancholic with a huge villa in Heidelberg, asked Hitler to spare Jewish scientists for the sake of German chemistry and physics (the Fuhrer replied: "Then we'll just have to work 100 years without physics and chemistry!"). Haber, a Jew, developed the chlorine gas used in World War I, sought a way to extract g
Dewey Edition
22
TitleLeading
The
Dewey Decimal
540.92/244 B
Synopsis
A sweeping history of tragic genius, cutting-edge science, and the Haber-Bosch discovery that changed billions of lives-including your own. At the dawn of the twentieth century, humanity was facing global disaster- Mass starvation was about to become a reality. A call went out to the world' s scientists to find a solution. This is the story of the two men who found it- brilliant, self-important Fritz Haber and reclusive, alcoholic Carl Bosch. Together they discovered a way to make bread out of air, built city-sized factories, and saved millions of lives. But their epochal triumph came at a price we are still paying. The Haber-Bosch process was also used to make the gunpowder and explosives that killed millions during the two world wars. Both men were vilified during their lives; both, disillusioned and disgraced, died tragically. The Alchemy of Air is the extraordinary, previously untold story of a discovery that changed the way we grow food and the way we make war-and that promises to continue shaping our lives in fundamental and dramatic ways., A sweeping history of tragic genius, cutting-edge science, and the Haber-Bosch discovery that changed billions of lives--including your own. At the dawn of the twentieth century, humanity was facing global disaster: Mass starvation was about to become a reality. A call went out to the world's scientists to find a solution. This is the story of the two men who found it: brilliant, self-important Fritz Haber and reclusive, alcoholic Carl Bosch. Together they discovered a way to make bread out of air, built city-sized factories, and saved millions of lives. But their epochal triumph came at a price we are still paying. The Haber-Bosch process was also used to make the gunpowder and explosives that killed millions during the two world wars. Both men were vilified during their lives; both, disillusioned and disgraced, died tragically. The Alchemy of Air is the extraordinary, previously untold story of a discovery that changed the way we grow food and the way we make war-and that promises to continue shaping our lives in fundamental and dramatic ways., A sweeping history of tragic genius, cutting-edge science, and the Haber-Bosch discovery that changed billions of lives--including your own. At the dawn of the twentieth century, humanity was facing global disaster: Mass starvation was about to become a reality. A call went out to the world' s scientists to find a solution. This is the story of the two men who found it: brilliant, self-important Fritz Haber and reclusive, alcoholic Carl Bosch. Together they discovered a way to make bread out of air, built city-sized factories, and saved millions of lives. But their epochal triumph came at a price we are still paying. The Haber-Bosch process was also used to make the gunpowder and explosives that killed millions during the two world wars. Both men were vilified during their lives; both, disillusioned and disgraced, died tragically. The Alchemy of Air is the extraordinary, previously untold story of a discovery that changed the way we grow food and the way we make war-and that promises to continue shaping our lives in fundamental and dramatic ways.
LC Classification Number
QD21.H26 2008
Item description from the seller
Seller feedback (178)
- y***3 (293)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseThe package arrived in a timely manner. It came packed nicely in a sturdy box. The book is as described by the seller! Its a wonderful value! I would purchase from seller again given the opportunity!Easton Press Tristam Shandy by Laurence Sterne 100 Greatest Books Collector 1980 (#315494971631)
- b***i (157)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseItem shipped quick and packaged very well. Exactly as described in original packaging. A+ seller!Kai Stainless Steel Tailoring Shears Professional Model 7300 12” Tool (#316147297829)
- h***a (407)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseAmazing condition for its age. Packaging had no protection so it got a little dented, but overall that's what the case is for.
Product ratings and reviews
Most relevant reviews
- 12 Apr, 2023
Great read great topic- billions of people are alive because of the Haber Bosch process
Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-ownedSold by: explainingfonzie
- 04 Aug, 2021
Great History Story
Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-ownedSold by: textbooks_source
- 18 Mar, 2022
good book
Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-ownedSold by: goodwillbks
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Seller feedback (178)
- y***3 (293)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseThe package arrived in a timely manner. It came packed nicely in a sturdy box. The book is as described by the seller! Its a wonderful value! I would purchase from seller again given the opportunity!Easton Press Tristam Shandy by Laurence Sterne 100 Greatest Books Collector 1980 (#315494971631)
- b***i (157)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseItem shipped quick and packaged very well. Exactly as described in original packaging. A+ seller!Kai Stainless Steel Tailoring Shears Professional Model 7300 12” Tool (#316147297829)
- h***a (407)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseAmazing condition for its age. Packaging had no protection so it got a little dented, but overall that's what the case is for.