Boom!: The Chemistry and History of Explosives
Jul 2017 · Chicago Review Press
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About this ebook
Black powder, the world's first chemical explosive, was originally developed during the Tang dynasty in China.It was a crude mixture at first, but over time chemists discovered the optimum proportion of sulfur, charcoal, and nitrates, as well as the best way to mix them for a complete and powerful reaction. Author and chemistry buff Simon Quellen Field takes readers on a decades-long journey through the history of things that go boom, from the early days of black powder to today's modern plastic explosives. Not just the who, when, and why, but also the how. How did Chinese alchemists come to create black powder? What accidents led to the discovery of high explosives? How do explosives actually work on a molecular scale? Boom! The Chemistry and History of Explosives reviews the original papers and patents written by the chemists who invented them, to shed light on their development, to explore the consequences of their use for good and ill, and to give the reader a basic understanding of the chemistry that makes them possible.
Ratings and reviews
5.0
1 review
Lloyd Powell
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January 25, 2018
Brilliant! Researched, distilled, and written, beautifully. A fascinating book for both the chemist, and the unschooled pyromaniac. A quick 5 star rating doesn't do the book justice. If the title suggests something you might be interested in (or even not), it's a book one needs to read.
About the author
Simon Quellen Field is the author of Culinary Reactions, Why There's Antifreeze in Your Toothpaste, and Gonzo Gizmos, and is the creator of the popular website www.scitoys.com.
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