The Shocking History of Phosphorus by John Emsley, Macmillan, 拢12.99
pbk, ISBN 0333766385
CAN a chemical element be evil? In The Shocking History of Phosphorus, John
Emsley reveals that phosphorus, for one, has a diabolical side. His gripping
account of its discovery and use during the past 350 years shows that this
highly reactive element has inflicted a great deal of misery on an unsuspecting
public.
It鈥檚 pretty violent stuff, after all, emitting green light and bursting into
flames when exposed to air. These properties fascinated 17th-century alchemists,
who at first believed they had found the philosopher鈥檚 stone. Because it was
extracted from the human body鈥攆rom evaporated urine鈥攊t wasn鈥檛 long
before the benefits of phosphorus as a medicine were being extolled, despite its
extreme toxicity.
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Phosphorus was later used in the 19th century to make matches. The results
were shocking accidents and a horrible condition in the factory workers called
鈥減hossy jaw鈥�. The murderous reputation of this element grew when it was used in
phosphorus bombs and organophosphorus nerve agents developed in the Second World
War.
Emsley鈥檚 fascinating set of stories is a miniature social history of Western
Europe painted in the eerie glow of an element that, although essential for
life, begets some fiendishly brutal chemistry.