Boom!: The Chemistry and History of Explosives

by Simon Quellen Field

Black powder, the world’s first chemical explosive, was originally developed during the Tang dynasty in China, in the seventh century. 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 so that the particles of each component were tiny and homogenous, resulting in 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? And though most people have a vague understanding that dynamite is more powerful than gunpowder, what does it mean to be more powerful?
            Boom! The Chemistry and History of Explosives goes back to 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.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, History

288 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 2017

Reviews

[Ceillie Simkiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an eARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Boom! The Chemistry and History of Explosives was exactly what it was advertised to be – historically accurate (at least to my knowledge) and pretty fun to read! If you like history and chemistry, this will be up your alley!

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a lot more super neat science in this book than I was expecting but a lot less history too. Most chapters were short and self contained. I had no idea there were so many different ways things could explode. The huge block quotes were sometimes difficult to keep track of in the text. I still would've liked a bibliography for ease of looking up stuff. There wasn't a conclusion.

[Micki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and entertaining! It was a quick and enjoyable read.

[Stan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting, but a bit dry and technical.

[Milan Vrekic · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Don't try this at home" kind of book.