The Alchemy of Air: A Jewish Genius, a Doomed Tycoon, and the Scientific Discovery That Fed the W...
Tragic genius, cutting-edge science, and the discovery that changed billions of lives–including your own.
At the dawn of the twentieth... read full description
At the dawn of the twentieth... read full description
reviews
Jun 08, 2008
Michael
rated it: 
The Alchemy of Air is brilliant science writing, which means that it reads more like a bracing adventure story than a science lecture.
At the turn of the 20th century, an impending crisis faces the world: mass starvation. The earth simply can't yield enough food to keep up. The only men that can save the world are chemists tasked with the impossible: distilling nitrogen from the air.
Thomas Hager's writing pulses with intrigue and sweeps us away into a cast of characters t More...
At the turn of the 20th century, an impending crisis faces the world: mass starvation. The earth simply can't yield enough food to keep up. The only men that can save the world are chemists tasked with the impossible: distilling nitrogen from the air.
Thomas Hager's writing pulses with intrigue and sweeps us away into a cast of characters t More...
0 comments
like
(4 people liked it)
Feb 23, 2009
Charlie
rated it: 
An excellently written story about two tragic scientists who discovery of how to extract nitrogen from the atmosphere fed billions and killed millions.
After explaining the important role nitrogen plays as a fertilizer and as an explosive, The Alchemy of Air then traces the history of the two tragic German scientists (Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch) who discovered a process that allowed nitrogen to be pulled from of air.
A great read!
After explaining the important role nitrogen plays as a fertilizer and as an explosive, The Alchemy of Air then traces the history of the two tragic German scientists (Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch) who discovered a process that allowed nitrogen to be pulled from of air.
A great read!
4 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Dec 01, 2009
Shruts
rated it: 
I work in the fertilizer manufacturing industry- so, I am here to tell you this is not a technical tome of science and engineering, although it feebly tries. It is the tragic story of how in the early 20th century, somehow plowhares, inexpensive fertilizer to feed the hungry masses, morphed into the swords of the Nazi war machine.
The individual stories of the inventors of the modern process to manufacture synthetic ammonia, Nobel prize winners Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch, are equally More...
The individual stories of the inventors of the modern process to manufacture synthetic ammonia, Nobel prize winners Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch, are equally More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Sep 04, 2011
Franz
rated it:
Nitrogen is essential for life. However, it is abundant in our atmosphere in an essentially unusable form. Plants and animals, including humans, require a form of nitrogen scientists refer to as "fixed nitrogen", which is rare. Natural forms of reintroducing fixed nitrogen exist with rotting plants (compost), certain nitrogen producing crops (peas and beans), and animal dung. In the late 19th century, the lack of fixed nitrogen created a human population limit concern and put the p
More...
Jan 18, 2011
Susan
rated it:
This author (or editor) really has to do something about his titles, which are not only way too long but also misleading. This book is primarily about the history of nitrogen fertilizer and the development of nitrogen-based weapons. For the most part it is quite fascinating, although it might contain a tad too much technical detail for some readers. Fritz Haber, who discovered the most workable process for fixing nitrogen from the air, was more a compulsive workaholic than a genius. Carl Bos
More...
May 28, 2009
David
rated it:
Fascinating history of the Haber-Bosch process for making ammonia (and then nitrate-fertilizer or nitric acid or munitions).
The main part of the book - the story of German Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch and their quest to be the first to fix nitrogen from the air on a large commercial scale - is book-ended by 2 equally interesting sections.
The first focuses on what the world did before the Haber-Bosch process - use bird guano and naturally occurring nitrate deposits (especial More...
The main part of the book - the story of German Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch and their quest to be the first to fix nitrogen from the air on a large commercial scale - is book-ended by 2 equally interesting sections.
The first focuses on what the world did before the Haber-Bosch process - use bird guano and naturally occurring nitrate deposits (especial More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Nov 05, 2008
Lisa
rated it:
Call it "sensational science" - a great story about (of all things) fixing nitrogen from the air, which involves slavery, U.S. land annexation, a Jewish scientist, WWI poison gas, BASF, the rise of Hitler....easy to read non-fiction and too fascinating to put down!
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Aug 14, 2011
Steve
rated it:
An extraordinary read. It's a story of scientific advancement used for both good and evil: the conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into fertilizer to feed the world ("air into bread") but also to produce nitrates for explosives and poison gas which fueled the German war efforts in both both world wars - and the Holocaust. At the center is the tragic figure of the German Jewish chemist Fritz Haber winner of a Nobel prize in chemistry and the German Iron Cross in World War I but despised
More...
Oct 27, 2010
Mat
rated it:
This book is a very readable history of nitrogen which left me feeling like the story of nitrogen really needs a lot more attention. I'm no scientist so i can't analyze for you the science underlying this book, but it makes a lot of sense and seems really important, not to mention interesting. I would have liked it if Hager had gotten more into depth regarding the negative implications in respect to agriculture. On the other hand, he provides enough information for me to fill in the blanks an
More...
May 01, 2010
Doug
rated it:
A good review of pre- and post-WWI Germany and the German chemical revolution (Planck, Einstein, Nernst, and of course Haber and Bosch), the rise and fall of BASF, and how it essentially fueled Hitler's war machine. Interesting and kind of tragic personalities at work. The book did not cover much chemistry, surprisingly, but instead focused on the history, personalities, and industry behind fixing nitrogen into fertilizer and explosives.
I never knew that the War of the Pacific ( More...
I never knew that the War of the Pacific ( More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jan 06, 2011
Jim
rated it:
Interesting tale about the development of the Haber-Bosh process, which made it possible to produce fertilize by converting nitrogen from the air into ammonia. It also helped fuel Germany's war machine in World War I and World War II, because the same compounds could be used to make explosives.
The book is likely to be even more interesting to those with some knowledge of chemistry, but its treatment of the science is sufficiently light that almost anyone could read it for the history o More...
The book is likely to be even more interesting to those with some knowledge of chemistry, but its treatment of the science is sufficiently light that almost anyone could read it for the history o More...
May 05, 2011
Miste
rated it:
Fascinating book about the two men who were instrumental in developing synthetic fertilzer. It was an interesting look at history and the real changes their invention/discovery has meant for human beings--both good and bad. It was amazing to me to learn so much I didn't know about how necessary nitrogen is to the food supply. Haber & Bosch discovered a way to pull N2 "out of the air" and change it into the ammonia that is necessary to make fertizer. This discovery has it's good side
More...
Apr 08, 2009
Prasanna
rated it:
A fascinating back-story of the pre-eminent position nitrates held in human lives and how a chemical process averted genocide by starvation for the human race, and lets the present civilisation live way beyond the means of "organic" production.
Also engrossing is the story of inventors Carl Bosch and Fritz Haber and their different paths and contributions to modern science and society, and of course the jewish-nazi conflict. A very good book because it draws a parallel between an More...
Also engrossing is the story of inventors Carl Bosch and Fritz Haber and their different paths and contributions to modern science and society, and of course the jewish-nazi conflict. A very good book because it draws a parallel between an More...
Jan 14, 2012
Yofish
rated it:
An interesting story, but less of what I wanted. Also, seemed written in a slightly patronizing tone. It's about the discovery of a method for turning Nitrogen in the air (which is plentiful) into fixed Nitrogen (less plentiful, but necessary for things like plant growth). Good background introduction, about getting guano off islands near Peru, and then the right kind of salts that seemed limitless in the plains of India and, well Peru. But not enough for the world's needs. A German chemist
More...
Dec 08, 2011
Angela
rated it:
Well, now I know a shitload about nitrogen that I will promptly forget about in a few days.
Many times during this (very well-written) book I found myself wondering, now why do I care about two unpleasant scientists and the inner machinations of a ginormous corporation? But I kept on reading. This is a testament to the eminent readability of Hager (or should I say Hager's eminent readability?). Hager's the kind of guy who could make a nitrogen-fixing machine seem like a riveting drama More...
Many times during this (very well-written) book I found myself wondering, now why do I care about two unpleasant scientists and the inner machinations of a ginormous corporation? But I kept on reading. This is a testament to the eminent readability of Hager (or should I say Hager's eminent readability?). Hager's the kind of guy who could make a nitrogen-fixing machine seem like a riveting drama More...
Apr 28, 2010
Jonathan
rated it:
A very interesting look at the historical ramifications of the the Haber-Bosch process and the effects it had on feeding the world's exploding population at the turn of the 19th century and also how it fueled the German war machine in World War I and II. In a few chapters of the book, the author offers conjectures that are presented as truth without providing references to sources which could support his opinions.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jan 08, 2011
John
rated it:
Probably my favorite book of the year. An extremely well written history of one of the most important, and least known, scientific accomplishments of the 20th Century. (Please don't talk to me about cars or computers, without synthetic nitrogen, half of the world would never have been born, and modern warfare would look very different). The stories of the people involved are fascinating and tragic.
Apr 08, 2010
Nate
rated it:
A great story that most people know nothing about, but should. Nitrogen is abundant in the air, but frustratingly difficult to fix into a form farmers can use as fertilizer. Two German scientists figured out how to do just that in the early 20th century, and their efforts fueled both two great wars, as well as the expansion of the world's population over the next 100 years to a figure previosuly unthinkable. Presently, massive "Haber-Bosch" plants dotted around the world labor 24 hou
More...
3 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
May 06, 2010
Converse
rated it:
Mainly about how Carl Bosch & Fritz Haber made fixing atmospheric nitrogen viable commercially, it also looks at earlier commercial sources of Nitrogen (guano mining from Peruvian islands, sodium nitrate mining in Chile, as well as how Bosch ended up helping Hitler (esp. with synthetic gasoline, a spin off from nitrogen fixation technology) despite opposing Hitler's anti-semitism.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Dec 27, 2010
About the men who discovered how to create synthetic nitrates, chemical fertilizer - the reason we can have ? billion on earth. Also lead to some really nasty stuff in WWI & WWII Germany. Well told history/dual biography. Last chapter contained a lot of good data about the risks of nitrate prosperity but did not fit with the book's tone. Do Read.
Jun 01, 2011
Michael L
rated it:
An extremely informative and compelling read! The true story of Haber and Bosch, two brilliant chemists whose scientific research both resolved and exacerbated serious issues in the modern world, is replete with the complexities of human experience. Both men rose to the pinnacle of achievement and professional esteem. Both men saw their respective careers unravel due to circumstances beyond individual control. This is an account of the clash between scientific advance and political ambition, bet
More...
Jan 11, 2009
Taffnerd
rated it:
I much prefered the history and science to the biographical info on the people involved but still worth a read. It's another piece of the food puzzle - the discovery of the process by which we fix nitrogen from the atmosphere to make synthetic fertilizers (and explosives and fuel.)
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Dec 17, 2011
Dulcana
rated it:
Fascinating in term of the science, technology, and affect on the world. I especially was amazed how the Haber-Bosch nitrogen fixing process affected World War 1 and 2. It it right into a podcast I was listening to at the time about the Russian Front from Dan Carlin's Hardcore History.
Jul 27, 2010
Brandon
rated it:
A fascinating page-turner that describes the human triumph and tragedy surrounding the invention of the Haber-Bosch system which turns air into bread but also air into bombs. This book provides a case-study in the double-edged nature of science and has changed the way I see the world.
Sep 02, 2011
Warnie B.
rated it:
This is an account of two German men (Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch) responsible for figuring out how to fix nitrogen on a large scale, and about their experiences during World Wars I and II. This was a little too sensationalized at times, and definitely too repetitive, and I thought the way Hager chose to end it was kind of strange, but it's still a very interesting story.
Jul 01, 2010
Lindsay
rated it:
The scientists and subject of this book and their importance to contemporary history is so interesting, but the book is written like a first draft. The uneven writing made it really hard to stick with at times, which was disappointing because the information is so great and there aren't many works on the topic of Haber-Borsch. It seems like Hager rushed to publish and just threw his notes together without revising or something.
Content: 5
Writing: 2.5
Content: 5
Writing: 2.5
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Sep 13, 2010
Ellen
rated it:
The history lessons here are very interesting. The writing should have been better. Sometimes rambling, needed a good editor. I wish the author had placed his last chapters in the beginning of the book. If you read it you will see why.
Jan 13, 2011
Chris
rated it:
Thomas Hager took a complex subject turning airborne nitrogen into ammonia and produced a very readable engrossing story of scientific genius. This story reminds us that with scientific discovery we walk along a knife edge.
Jul 11, 2010
Nick
rated it:
Amazing story on multiple levels that is very well told. History, politics, science, engineering, war and adventure all collide in this tale of a seemingly mundane topic: synthetic fertilizer. I can't recommend this book enough.
Jul 24, 2009
Sherece
rated it:
Awesome. Wasn't too scientific... but just great story on the scientists who were at the forefront in creating a change that we all (humanity) depended on - and still do today. It was an engaging read. highly reccommended.
