The 13th Element
The Sordid Tale of Murder, Fire, and Phosphorus
1st Edition
Published on 1. January 2002
352 pages
978-1-62045-943-0 (ISBN)
Description
The incredible "glowing" history of the "Devil's element "phosphorus
Discovered by alchemists, prescribed by apothecaries, exploited by ninth-century industrialists, and abused by twentieth-century combatants, the chemical element phosphorus has fascinated us for more than three centuries. It may even be the cause of will-o'-the wisps and spontaneous human combustion! Now John Emsley has written an enthralling account of this eerily luminescent element. Shining with wonderful nuggets-from murders-by-phosphorus to a match factory strike; from the firebombing of Hamburg to the deadly compounds derived from phosphorus today-The 13th Element weaves together a rich tableau of brilliant and oddball characters, social upheavals, and bizarre events.
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01/2002
Wiley
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Content
- Intro
- Title
- Copyright
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1. Out of Alchemy
- 2. The Alchemist and his Apprentice
- 3. The Toxic Tonic
- 4. Strike a Light
- 5. Strike!
- 6. The Cost of a Box of Matches
- 7. Gomorrah
- 8. The Ultimate Evil - and a Power for Good
- 9. Murder
- 10. Fortunes from Phosphorus
- 11. Unlucky Days
- 12. The Supreme Ruler
- 13. Oh, Shit!
- 14. Spontaneous Human Combustion and Other Horrors
- Epilogue: The Devil's Element?
- Appendix: The Right Chemistry
- Sources
- Index
