A sweeping history of tragic genius, cutting-edge science, and the
Haber-Bosch discovery that changed billions of lives--including your
own.
At the dawn of the twentieth century, humanity was facing global
disaster: Mass starvation was about to become a reality. A call went out
to the world' s scientists to find a solution.
This is the story of the two men who found it: brilliant, self-important
Fritz Haber and reclusive, alcoholic Carl Bosch. Together they
discovered a way to make bread out of air, built city-sized factories,
and saved millions of lives.
But their epochal triumph came at a price we are still paying. The
Haber-Bosch process was also used to make the gunpowder and explosives
that killed millions during the two world wars. Both men were vilified
during their lives; both, disillusioned and disgraced, died tragically.
The Alchemy of Air is the extraordinary, previously untold story of a
discovery that changed the way we grow food and the way we make war-and
that promises to continue shaping our lives in fundamental and dramatic
ways.