The 13th Element The Sordid Tale of Murder, Fire, and Phosphorus
, by Emsley, JohnNote: Supplemental materials are not guaranteed with Rental or Used book purchases.
- ISBN: 9780471441496 | 047144149X
- Cover: Paperback
- Copyright: 1/21/2002
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.