Biographies of nine chemists who solved critical social problems and built both the chemical industry and our modern way of life. Their discoveries -- white clothes, cheap soap and sugar, colored washable fabric, clean water, fertilizer, powerful aviation and automotive fuel, safe refrigerants, synthetic textiles, pesticides, and lead-free fuel and food -- were wildly popular with consumers. In time, however, some of their reforms produced difficulties such as pollution. In each case, the burden of identifying and solving the problem fell to chemistry. The nine chemists are Nicolas Leblanc, William Henry Perkin, Norbert Rillieux, Edward Frankland, Fritz Haber, Thomas Midgley Jr., Wallace Hume Carothers, Paul Hermann Mueller, and Clair C. "Pat" Patterson.
"A compelling read... many fascinating stories... an ambitious book, and well-researched." -- Nature
"This book is a gem! Rarely have I seen chemistry so clearly and eloquently explained, while still showing all its shortcomings ... A good and easy read." --- AAAS Science Books and Films.
"Absorbing." -- Bill Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything.
"On your next trip to the bookstore bypass the action adventure thrillers and seek out Prometheans in the Lab... I wish that McGrayne's book were twice its length." -- Popular Mechanics.com
"Masterly ... exciting and absorbing. McGrayne critically examines the tangled and complicated interrelationships between the public's insistence on progress and comfort and the need to preserve the environment. McGrayne's thesis [is] that science in general and chemistry in particular can solve any problems that it has unintentionally created...Meticulously documented." -- The Chemical Educator
"Gripping... sparkling... balanced ... A joy to read. A wonderful book." -- Chemical Heritage.
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