The 13th Element: The Sordid Tale of Murder, Fire, and 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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Book details
- Author
- John Emsley
- Imprint
- Trade Paper Press, an imprint of Turner Publishing Company
- Published
- Pages
- 346
- Formats
- Paperback, Hardcover
- Subjects
- Science › Chemistry › Physical & Theoretical
Science › History
Science › Chemistry › Inorganic - Topics
- history of chemistry · chemical elements · alchemy · industrial history · chemical warfare · science history · murder and poison
- ISBN-13
- 9780471441496 (Paperback)9781620456316 (Hardcover)
About the author
JOHN EMSLEY is a British popular science writer, broadcaster, and academic who has authored more than 12 books. His recent books include Nature’s Building Blocks, Molecules at an Exhibition and The Consumer’s Good Chemical Guide.
Emsley’s The Consumer’s Good Chemical Guide won the Rhône-Poulenc Science Book Prize in 1995. He holds a B.Sc. and a Ph.D. in phosphorus chemistry from the Victoria University of Manchester, and held the position of Science Writer in Residence at Imperial College London and later at the Department of Chemistry, Cambridge University.
When he’s not writing, Emsley draws on more than 25 years lecturing in chemistry at King’s College London, during which he authored or co-authored approximately 100 research papers. That depth of scientific knowledge underpins his popular science writing.
John lives in London.