The Last Sorcerers: The Path from Alchemy to the Periodic Table
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.59 (907 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0309089050 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 294 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2017-11-13 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Hennig Brandt collected buckets of human urine trying to make gold and instead ended up producing phosphorus. It wasn't until the 18th century, Morris writes, that "alchemy was supposedly superceded by chemistry." Thus the more familiar legends of chemistry-featuring scientists like Humphrey Davy, Joseph Priestly and Antoine Lavoisier-appear later in this volume, which recounts the formation of our basic ideas about chemical compounds, elements and molecules. He does this by focusing his narrative on the early alchemists, who were among the first scientists to investigate the composition of metals and who were widely perceived to be near-sorcerous practitioners of my
Chemists and their adventures. I found the stories told on the book so interesting that I read it like a romance, for a few days, every spare time I had, I was reading this book One will enjoy and learn at the same time.After reading it, you have a very strong impression that humanity has just started to make science. Not long ago, the knowledge available was so superficial that very few aspects of chemistry were reasonably explained.The auth. A Customer said A mellifluous read. Like a well written piece of classical music, the story of early chemistry bears telling and retelling. Each interpretation brings the emotions and the feeling of its author. The written music is the same, the pleasure of listening to it comes from who does the playing.Richard Morris would have made a great conductor. His interpretation of early chemistry is one of the most enjoyable I read. Read it together wit. The convoluted path from superstition to mystery Theodore A. Rushton In a world of leptons, quarks, muons, superstrings, 10 dimensions of space and an 11-dimensional theory called M theory -- it is hard to remember the electron was discovered just over a century ago. English physicist J.J. Thompson discovered the electron in 1897; since then, there has been an explosion of discoveries. For thousands of years, chemists thought of the world consisted of earth, air, fire and water.
From these basics, they sought to understand the essential ingredients of the world. Was water just water, plain and simple? Or could it be the sum of other (unknown and maybe unknowable) parts? And if water was made up of other substances, how could it be broken down into discreet, fundamental, and measurable components?Scientific historians generally credit the great 18th century French chemist Antoine Lavoisier with addressing these fundamental questions and ultimately modernizing the field of chemistry. Taking a cue from the great chemists themselves, Morris has brewed up a potent combination of the alluringly obscure and the historically momentous, spiked with just the right dose of quirky and ribald detail to deliver a magical brew of history, science, and personalities.. They started with four: earth, air, fire, and water. Unfortunately, the outspoken Lavoisier eventually lost his head in the Terror, but others would follow his lead, carefully examining, measuring, and recording their findings.As the field slowly progressed, another pioneer was to emerged almost 100 years later. Hailed by Kirkus Reviews as a “clear and lively writer with a penchant for down-to-earth examples†Morris’s gift for explanation â€" and pure entertainment â€" is abundantly obvious. Depicting the lively careers of these scientists and their contributions while carefully deconstructing the history and the science, author Ri