Alchemy of Air
 |
Description
Book Introduction
Nitrogen is a great element that changed human history.
From fertilizers essential for food production to bombs that took countless lives, it involved both life and death.
However, nitrogen, which is essential for life, has the disadvantage of not being able to be used as is, even though it makes up more than 80 percent of the atmosphere.
This book is about Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch, two scientists who made one of the most important discoveries in history: converting nitrogen in the air into ammonia to make fertilizer.
At a time when the world's food supply was predicted to fail to keep pace with population growth and a great famine would occur, Haber and Bosch, after extensive research, discovered a method for making nitrogen fertilizer.
The joy of saving humanity was short-lived; during the two world wars, nitrogen was used to make poison gas and bombs.
After the war, Haber received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his method of synthesizing ammonia, but was also branded a war criminal for poison gas warfare, and he bore both honor and blame.
Bosch dedicated his life to the study of nitrogen, but he also had to witness how science, meant to benefit humanity, was exploited in politics and power.
Author Thomas Hager dramatically unfolds the lives of two scholars and their scientific discoveries, drawing on extensive and robust historical sources. He poses questions about what ethics are for scientists and the essence of science in the face of the fate of the times.
From fertilizers essential for food production to bombs that took countless lives, it involved both life and death.
However, nitrogen, which is essential for life, has the disadvantage of not being able to be used as is, even though it makes up more than 80 percent of the atmosphere.
This book is about Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch, two scientists who made one of the most important discoveries in history: converting nitrogen in the air into ammonia to make fertilizer.
At a time when the world's food supply was predicted to fail to keep pace with population growth and a great famine would occur, Haber and Bosch, after extensive research, discovered a method for making nitrogen fertilizer.
The joy of saving humanity was short-lived; during the two world wars, nitrogen was used to make poison gas and bombs.
After the war, Haber received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his method of synthesizing ammonia, but was also branded a war criminal for poison gas warfare, and he bore both honor and blame.
Bosch dedicated his life to the study of nitrogen, but he also had to witness how science, meant to benefit humanity, was exploited in politics and power.
Author Thomas Hager dramatically unfolds the lives of two scholars and their scientific discoveries, drawing on extensive and robust historical sources. He poses questions about what ethics are for scientists and the essence of science in the face of the fate of the times.
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index
Preface 7
Part 1: The End of the World
1 Chemistry Saves Humanity 17
2 Cornerstones, Interesting but Dangerous 29
3 Secure the guano 43
4 Giant Anthills in the Desert 57
5 The End of the Nitrate Era 75
Part 2: The Philosopher's Stone
6 Alchemy of Air 91
7. Mosok 105
8 Philosopher's Stone 119
9 Fateful Encounter 133
10 Air Bread 145
11 Showdown 161
12 Between Bombs and Fertilizer 173
3-part synthesis
13 Operation 'Sterilization' 191
14 Negotiation 215
15 Poison Gas and the Nobel Prize 229
16 Tragedy 239
17 Synthetic Gasoline 251
18 Challenge 265
19 The Great Depression 281
20 Destruction 291
21 Choice 309
22 The Scientific Legacy of Haber and Bosch 329
Epilogue 341
Note 345
Reference 359
Search 375
Part 1: The End of the World
1 Chemistry Saves Humanity 17
2 Cornerstones, Interesting but Dangerous 29
3 Secure the guano 43
4 Giant Anthills in the Desert 57
5 The End of the Nitrate Era 75
Part 2: The Philosopher's Stone
6 Alchemy of Air 91
7. Mosok 105
8 Philosopher's Stone 119
9 Fateful Encounter 133
10 Air Bread 145
11 Showdown 161
12 Between Bombs and Fertilizer 173
3-part synthesis
13 Operation 'Sterilization' 191
14 Negotiation 215
15 Poison Gas and the Nobel Prize 229
16 Tragedy 239
17 Synthetic Gasoline 251
18 Challenge 265
19 The Great Depression 281
20 Destruction 291
21 Choice 309
22 The Scientific Legacy of Haber and Bosch 329
Epilogue 341
Note 345
Reference 359
Search 375
Into the book
Stories about scientists often celebrate the altruistic nature of people who constantly strive for a better future for humanity.
That's actually true, and it's part of this story.
But I wanted to write a slightly different book.
I wanted to show what happens when scientific altruism collides with politics, power, money, and personal desire.
Because that is the real world of science.
--- pp.13-14
In March 1909, a year after signing the contract with BASF, Haber hit a breakthrough.
(……) Anyway, it was successful.
Haber ran out of the lab, upstairs, and down the halls to various labs, poking his head in and shouting.
“Come down and see.
“Just look at how much liquid ammonia comes out!” Those who followed watched together as the cooled ammonia dripped into the flask.
One of them recalled the scene decades later: “I still remember it vividly.
About 1cm3 of ammonia came out.
… … It was a wonderful sight.” 1cm3 is about a quarter of a teaspoon.
--- p.122
With the agreement with the government, BASF is no longer just a chemical company, but a defense contractor.
Bosch didn't like this reality very much.
The team members were also aware of this paradoxical situation.
We had been working hard to produce food for so long, but now that same technology was being used to kill people.
Bosch didn't say much about it, but he had a feeling it was happening.
A senior Bosch aide recalled Bosch describing the groundbreaking negotiations as a “dirty business.”
“This is the most exciting day of my life,” Bosch said after the deal was finalized.
--- p.179
Although Haber rushed to perfect his poison gas system, German commanders were reluctant to use it.
The overall concept was unproven.
Most officers were not happy with the gas warfare.
“I fear that we are committing something of the utmost shame to the world,” one German commander wrote to his wife, adding that the Allies would respond by “perhaps soon committing the same evil as we have.”
He continued by writing:
“War has nothing to do with chivalry anymore.
“As civilization advances, humans become more evil.” --- pp.202-203
Haber wrote his will in Cambridge.
He asked that the remains be buried next to Clara's grave in Dalem.
If anti-Jewish sentiment in Germany made that impossible, the decision about his final resting place was left to Hermann.
The only thing that was clearly stated was that he be buried with Clara.
He asked that the inscription on the tombstone be kept simple.
“He served his country in wartime and in peace as long as it permitted.”
Hermann buried Haber's remains in Switzerland.
In 1937, Hermann was finally able to bring his mother's remains from Germany.
Hermann buried his mother's remains next to Haber's.
The tombstone only had the names of the father and mother, along with the dates of birth and death.
I couldn't add anything to my father's tombstone about his service in Germany.
--- p.308
Bosch was a natural born scientist and engineer.
The results are now clear.
Hermann Bücher, a friend and fellow anti-Nazi, watched with despair as Bosch descended into depression, writing:
“For years before he died, he was obsessed with the idea that he had made Hitler’s policies possible, even though he had not wanted to.” That was an accurate description.
Bosch's life's work, his scientific discoveries and factories, his attempts to feed the world and increase the company's profits, were used to arm and fuel the Nazis.
That's actually true, and it's part of this story.
But I wanted to write a slightly different book.
I wanted to show what happens when scientific altruism collides with politics, power, money, and personal desire.
Because that is the real world of science.
--- pp.13-14
In March 1909, a year after signing the contract with BASF, Haber hit a breakthrough.
(……) Anyway, it was successful.
Haber ran out of the lab, upstairs, and down the halls to various labs, poking his head in and shouting.
“Come down and see.
“Just look at how much liquid ammonia comes out!” Those who followed watched together as the cooled ammonia dripped into the flask.
One of them recalled the scene decades later: “I still remember it vividly.
About 1cm3 of ammonia came out.
… … It was a wonderful sight.” 1cm3 is about a quarter of a teaspoon.
--- p.122
With the agreement with the government, BASF is no longer just a chemical company, but a defense contractor.
Bosch didn't like this reality very much.
The team members were also aware of this paradoxical situation.
We had been working hard to produce food for so long, but now that same technology was being used to kill people.
Bosch didn't say much about it, but he had a feeling it was happening.
A senior Bosch aide recalled Bosch describing the groundbreaking negotiations as a “dirty business.”
“This is the most exciting day of my life,” Bosch said after the deal was finalized.
--- p.179
Although Haber rushed to perfect his poison gas system, German commanders were reluctant to use it.
The overall concept was unproven.
Most officers were not happy with the gas warfare.
“I fear that we are committing something of the utmost shame to the world,” one German commander wrote to his wife, adding that the Allies would respond by “perhaps soon committing the same evil as we have.”
He continued by writing:
“War has nothing to do with chivalry anymore.
“As civilization advances, humans become more evil.” --- pp.202-203
Haber wrote his will in Cambridge.
He asked that the remains be buried next to Clara's grave in Dalem.
If anti-Jewish sentiment in Germany made that impossible, the decision about his final resting place was left to Hermann.
The only thing that was clearly stated was that he be buried with Clara.
He asked that the inscription on the tombstone be kept simple.
“He served his country in wartime and in peace as long as it permitted.”
Hermann buried Haber's remains in Switzerland.
In 1937, Hermann was finally able to bring his mother's remains from Germany.
Hermann buried his mother's remains next to Haber's.
The tombstone only had the names of the father and mother, along with the dates of birth and death.
I couldn't add anything to my father's tombstone about his service in Germany.
--- p.308
Bosch was a natural born scientist and engineer.
The results are now clear.
Hermann Bücher, a friend and fellow anti-Nazi, watched with despair as Bosch descended into depression, writing:
“For years before he died, he was obsessed with the idea that he had made Hitler’s policies possible, even though he had not wanted to.” That was an accurate description.
Bosch's life's work, his scientific discoveries and factories, his attempts to feed the world and increase the company's profits, were used to arm and fuel the Nazis.
--- p.319
Publisher's Review
The Birth of the Haber-Bosch Process
As food supplies have failed to keep pace with explosive population growth, humanity has long sought to develop fertilizers to enrich farmland.
Farmers maintained soil quality by spreading decayed plant or animal manure, which is rich in fixed nitrogen, on their fields, or by rotating crops.
At one time, thanks to fertilizers containing fixed nitrogen, such as saltpeter from South America and guano from the island of Chinja, abundant harvests were produced, but natural fertilizers disappeared, leaving behind traces of numerous wars.
At that time, on the other side of the globe, in Germany, a scientist was engrossed in researching how to convert nitrogen in the air into ammonia by reacting it with hydrogen.
It was Fritz Haber.
Meanwhile, the German dye chemical company BASF, which had achieved great success by creating artificial indigo dye at the time, was looking for a new business to lead the company as its dye business was gradually declining.
Soon after, BASF decided to enter the chemical nitrogen fertilizer market.
After much research, Haber succeeded in producing ammonia from fixed nitrogen and signed a contract with BASF, and the company's promising young chemist, Carl Bosch, was brought in to put Haber's machine into practice.
This is how the two met by fate.
Unlike other researchers, Bosch had an excellent knowledge of machinery and metals.
The two exchanged opinions in close cooperation, and Bosch pushed forward this project with BASF's full support.
After extensive experimentation, the Haber-Bosch process was completed with the success of mass production of ammonia.
As industrial applicability became increasingly important in the 20th century, the contributions of two researchers are recognized simultaneously: the first researcher who initiated the research and the second who formalized it for business.
Later, Haber and Bosch each received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Fritz Haber (1868-1934)
Haber, the 'scientist who made bread out of air', lived a life in the public eye and enjoyed the spotlight.
He was looking for something that would bring him fame, and he liked alcohol and cigarettes.
Born into a wealthy Jewish family, he converted to Christianity and dreamed of becoming a perfect German.
During the war, he did not hesitate to manufacture bombs using nitrogen for his home country, Germany.
He was a brilliant scientist, an ambitious patriot, and a mean husband to his wife.
Although he won the Nobel Prize for his research on nitrogen, he was also criticized as the 'father of poison gas warfare.'
After the war, he even experimented with extracting gold from seawater to earn money for the huge war reparations imposed on Germany under the Treaty of Versailles.
But despite his devotion to his country, he was abandoned when Hitler came to power simply because he was Jewish.
Haber left a will asking that the following words be engraved on his tombstone: “I have served my country in war and in peace, as long as it will permit,” but he lived a tragic life where even that could not be realized.
Carl Bosch (1874-1940)
A person who is always mentioned together with Fritz Haber as a Nobel Prize winner.
He joined the German chemical company BASF as a chemist.
I grew up with a lot of hands-on experience with gas and plumbing tools, and I also studied metal and mechanical engineering, so I'm good at handling machines and metals.
Although he rose to the position of CEO at BASF, he disliked discussions and meetings. Although he knew machines better than anyone, he was not very talented at understanding people, so he had a hard time relating to his employees.
He continued his nitrogen research tirelessly through thousands of repetitive experiments, and after Hitler came to power, he appeared to cooperate with the Nazis to protect the company.
Perhaps because of this, he suffered from depression in his later years and spent his time alone in the laboratory or observing the stars.
He devoted his life to nitrogen research and received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1931.
Every scientific discovery has two sides.
Giants of science, Haber and Bosch.
After inventing a machine that makes bread with air, they achieved great success as scientists and opened up new avenues of scientific research.
But with the massive injection of synthetic nitrogen into the world through the Haber-Bosch process, the ecosystem has undergone major changes.
It can come from fertilizer runoff from ranches, excessive use of fertilizer on lawns, or municipal wastewater, including domestic wastewater.
However, it is not yet known exactly whether high concentrations of nitrates are harmful to humans.
The plain truth is that nitrate pollution is wreaking havoc on the natural world, causing algal blooms, disrupting freshwater ecosystems, and even reaching the oceans.
Moreover, the Haber-Bosch process also had a negative impact on agriculture.
The easy availability of synthetic fertilizers led to the increase in large-scale monocultures, and the mass cultivation of animal feed, including corn, also made large-scale animal farming possible.
These developments allowed us to feed a greater number of people than our ancestors could have imagined, but they also degraded the soil and caused plants and animals to become vulnerable to pests and diseases.
Although humanity enjoys unprecedented abundance in history, it also suffers from obesity and side effects caused by overnutrition.
The production of synthetic fertilizers that changed our lives.
Now is the time to think about how to use it properly.
Moreover, we must not overlook the duality that all scientific discoveries bring.
Praise poured in for this book
A fast-paced, novel-like read, based on excellent research! - News & Observer
The science story is presented in a suspenseful manner, like a great mystery novel.
-Originian
A brilliant story about two scholars and their scientific discoveries.
Top-notch science writing! - Kirkus Reviews
A lively and brilliant story about Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch.
The usefulness of chemistry is persuasively described, and is recommended for both scientists and general readers.
-Jeffrey Kovac, The Journal of Chemical Education
As food supplies have failed to keep pace with explosive population growth, humanity has long sought to develop fertilizers to enrich farmland.
Farmers maintained soil quality by spreading decayed plant or animal manure, which is rich in fixed nitrogen, on their fields, or by rotating crops.
At one time, thanks to fertilizers containing fixed nitrogen, such as saltpeter from South America and guano from the island of Chinja, abundant harvests were produced, but natural fertilizers disappeared, leaving behind traces of numerous wars.
At that time, on the other side of the globe, in Germany, a scientist was engrossed in researching how to convert nitrogen in the air into ammonia by reacting it with hydrogen.
It was Fritz Haber.
Meanwhile, the German dye chemical company BASF, which had achieved great success by creating artificial indigo dye at the time, was looking for a new business to lead the company as its dye business was gradually declining.
Soon after, BASF decided to enter the chemical nitrogen fertilizer market.
After much research, Haber succeeded in producing ammonia from fixed nitrogen and signed a contract with BASF, and the company's promising young chemist, Carl Bosch, was brought in to put Haber's machine into practice.
This is how the two met by fate.
Unlike other researchers, Bosch had an excellent knowledge of machinery and metals.
The two exchanged opinions in close cooperation, and Bosch pushed forward this project with BASF's full support.
After extensive experimentation, the Haber-Bosch process was completed with the success of mass production of ammonia.
As industrial applicability became increasingly important in the 20th century, the contributions of two researchers are recognized simultaneously: the first researcher who initiated the research and the second who formalized it for business.
Later, Haber and Bosch each received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Fritz Haber (1868-1934)
Haber, the 'scientist who made bread out of air', lived a life in the public eye and enjoyed the spotlight.
He was looking for something that would bring him fame, and he liked alcohol and cigarettes.
Born into a wealthy Jewish family, he converted to Christianity and dreamed of becoming a perfect German.
During the war, he did not hesitate to manufacture bombs using nitrogen for his home country, Germany.
He was a brilliant scientist, an ambitious patriot, and a mean husband to his wife.
Although he won the Nobel Prize for his research on nitrogen, he was also criticized as the 'father of poison gas warfare.'
After the war, he even experimented with extracting gold from seawater to earn money for the huge war reparations imposed on Germany under the Treaty of Versailles.
But despite his devotion to his country, he was abandoned when Hitler came to power simply because he was Jewish.
Haber left a will asking that the following words be engraved on his tombstone: “I have served my country in war and in peace, as long as it will permit,” but he lived a tragic life where even that could not be realized.
Carl Bosch (1874-1940)
A person who is always mentioned together with Fritz Haber as a Nobel Prize winner.
He joined the German chemical company BASF as a chemist.
I grew up with a lot of hands-on experience with gas and plumbing tools, and I also studied metal and mechanical engineering, so I'm good at handling machines and metals.
Although he rose to the position of CEO at BASF, he disliked discussions and meetings. Although he knew machines better than anyone, he was not very talented at understanding people, so he had a hard time relating to his employees.
He continued his nitrogen research tirelessly through thousands of repetitive experiments, and after Hitler came to power, he appeared to cooperate with the Nazis to protect the company.
Perhaps because of this, he suffered from depression in his later years and spent his time alone in the laboratory or observing the stars.
He devoted his life to nitrogen research and received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1931.
Every scientific discovery has two sides.
Giants of science, Haber and Bosch.
After inventing a machine that makes bread with air, they achieved great success as scientists and opened up new avenues of scientific research.
But with the massive injection of synthetic nitrogen into the world through the Haber-Bosch process, the ecosystem has undergone major changes.
It can come from fertilizer runoff from ranches, excessive use of fertilizer on lawns, or municipal wastewater, including domestic wastewater.
However, it is not yet known exactly whether high concentrations of nitrates are harmful to humans.
The plain truth is that nitrate pollution is wreaking havoc on the natural world, causing algal blooms, disrupting freshwater ecosystems, and even reaching the oceans.
Moreover, the Haber-Bosch process also had a negative impact on agriculture.
The easy availability of synthetic fertilizers led to the increase in large-scale monocultures, and the mass cultivation of animal feed, including corn, also made large-scale animal farming possible.
These developments allowed us to feed a greater number of people than our ancestors could have imagined, but they also degraded the soil and caused plants and animals to become vulnerable to pests and diseases.
Although humanity enjoys unprecedented abundance in history, it also suffers from obesity and side effects caused by overnutrition.
The production of synthetic fertilizers that changed our lives.
Now is the time to think about how to use it properly.
Moreover, we must not overlook the duality that all scientific discoveries bring.
Praise poured in for this book
A fast-paced, novel-like read, based on excellent research! - News & Observer
The science story is presented in a suspenseful manner, like a great mystery novel.
-Originian
A brilliant story about two scholars and their scientific discoveries.
Top-notch science writing! - Kirkus Reviews
A lively and brilliant story about Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch.
The usefulness of chemistry is persuasively described, and is recommended for both scientists and general readers.
-Jeffrey Kovac, The Journal of Chemical Education
GOODS SPECIFICS
- Date of issue: September 10, 2015
- Page count, weight, size: 380 pages | 640g | 148*218*22mm
- ISBN13: 9791185435503
- ISBN10: 1185435506
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