The Alchemy of Air

A Jewish Genius, a Doomed Tycoon, and the Scientific Discovery That Fed the World but Fueled the Rise of Hitler

By: Thomas Hager

Narrated by: Adam Verner

Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

A sweeping history of tragic genius, cutting-edge science, and the discovery that changed billions of lives - including your own.

At the dawn of the 20th century, humanity was facing global disaster. Mass starvation, long predicted for the fast-growing population, 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 enormously gifted, fatally flawed men who found it: the brilliant, self-important Fritz Haber and the reclusive, alcoholic Carl Bosch.

Together they discovered a way to make bread out of air, built city-sized factories, controlled world markets, and saved millions of lives. Their invention continues to feed us today; without it, more than two billion people would starve.

But their epochal triumph came at a price we are still paying. The Haber-Bosch process was also used to make the gunpowder and high explosives that killed millions during the two world wars. Both men were vilified during their lives; both, disillusioned and disgraced, died tragically. Today we face the other unintended consequences of their discovery - massive nitrogen pollution and a growing pandemic of obesity.

The Alchemy of Air is the extraordinary, previously untold story of two master scientists who saved the world only to lose everything and of the unforseen results of a discovery that continue to shape our lives in the most fundamental and dramatic of ways.

©2008 Thomas Hager (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"This scientific adventure spans two world wars and every cell in your body." ( Discover magazine)

“I know of few other books that provide the general reader with a better portrait of chemistry as the most useful of sciences, and I intend to recommend it to scientists and non-scientists alike.” ( The Journal of Chemical Education)

Must read for chemists and environmentalists

I loved this book and the paradox of building a world saving machine that may yet end the world through pollution. Bosch comes off as a sympathetic but flawed character, and even Haber's decisions to apply his technology to weapons of war is made understandable (but not defensible). I couldn't stop listening. The performance was excellent.

Interesting and scary

What did you love best about The Alchemy of Air?

History as a great story. It is amazing how if Hollywood hasn't made a movie about it, it doesn't exist. Worked at a place where one of these amazing machines pumped out ammonia nitrate day and night and had no idea how the haber-Bosch invention had changed/impacted the world I live in.

Interesting but not perfect

I found this less compelling than "The Demon Under the Microscope." The discovery is relatively straightforward which requires a lot of "filler" material to flesh out the book.

The science of nitrogen fixation and it's profound implications for humanity quickly draw in the reader but the plot climaxes too quickly. This creates a prolonged denouement chronicling the remainder of Haber and Bosch's lives. It really feels like three separate books--one about nitrogen fixation and two biographies.

The performance is good and the characters are interesting but the science is a bit light. I believe most readers come to a book like this expecting to learn some interesting technical details. He talks about the process, but never drills down to the chemistry.

I would recommend it to anyone interested in the protagonists' lives or science history, but I would recommend "The Demon Under the Microscope" first.

Science, History, Food

This was a fun book. Well researched, well written and well delivered. It includes a little bit of my three favorite subjects...science, history & food. Well, kind of food, you can't have food without fixed nitrogen. I first became interested in fixed nitrogen & Haber's invention after reading The Omnivore's Dilemma. Michael Pollan referred to it briefly, and I was surprised that I did not know much about an invention that changed the world in so many ways.
This book provides a history of the men involved with fixed nitrogen, the company's that they worked for that brought it to market, how they did it and the consequences of their creation.
Again, this is a fun, interesting read. You do not need a science or history background to enjoy this book. If you are just looking for a book on a different subject than you usually listen to, and you want to learn something new, check this out. I think you will enjoy it.

history is about to repeat-------<br />again

An uncomfortable feeling grew as I listened through almost nonstop , at some point I realized that feeling was associated with my being in an out of control car waiting to see if I survived the stop. As I finished I became aware that the out of control car feeling wasn't about the stop, it was the realization we're starting it again

fascinating blend of science and history

I learned so much about both. I'm always intrigued learning about how things work and how mechanical problems are solved.... the evolution of technology. I wasn't keen on the narrator - his delivery was choppy.

Great book, terrible narration.

The book itself was really interesting but the narration made it hard to pay attention. The reading wasn't an even tempo and was very slow. I tried speeding it up but the unevenness made it awkward. My advice, buy the book and read it yourself.

Very interesting

A interesting history, but I really liked his other book Demon Under the Microscope better. I am a medical person, however, so this book might be a lot better for chemists and engineers.

Brilliant minds during troubling times

Super interesting! The history of the invention of Ammonia is as complex as the challenges we face today.

Excellent

Informative, well written and narrated. I had little previous knowledge of these extraordinary German industrialists and scientists.