Author: Emsley, John
Paperback
352 pages
Published: February 2002
John Wiley and Sons Ltd
ISBN: 047144149X

The incredible glowing history of the Devil's element phosphorus Discovered by alchemists, prescribed by apothecaries, exploited by ninth-century industrialists, and abused by twentieth-century combatants, the chemical element phosphorus has fascinated us for more than three centuries. It may even be the cause of will-o'-the wisps and spontaneous human combustion! Now John Emsley has written an enthralling account of this eerily luminescent element. Shining with wonderful nuggets-from murders-by-phosphorus to a match factory strike; from the firebombing of Hamburg to the deadly compounds derived from phosphorus today-The 13th Element weaves together a rich tableau of brilliant and oddball characters, social upheavals, and bizarre events.Starting with the discovery of phosphorus by alchemists 300 years ago, who made it by heating human urine, and the immediate public fascination with phosphorus, this narrative focuses on the many surprising and nefarious uses throughout history of phosphorus, the devil's element.