Crucibles: The Story of Chemistry from Ancient Alchemy to Nuclear Fission

by Bernard Jaffe

This book is a classic in the field of popular science. Standard reading since the 1930s, it is one of the few historeis of chemistry to concentrate on the lives of the great chemists. Through these dramatic and human stories, it gives an authoritative and entertaining account of the great discoveries and advances in this scientific field. After many printings in three previous editions, this book has been newly revised by the author for this fourth edition. Beginning with Trevisan and his lifelong search for the "philosopher's stone," the author narrates the lives and discoveries of such towering figures as Paracelsus and his chemical treatment of disease; Priestley looking for phlogiston and finding oxygen and carbon dioxide, Lavoisier creating a new language of chemistry; Dalton and his Atomic Theory; Avogadro and the idea of molecules, Mendeleeff arranging the table of elements under his Periodic Law; the Curies isolating radium; Thomson discovering the electron; Moseley and his Law of Atomic Numbers; Lawrence and the construction of the cyclotron; and more. Probably the most dramatic chapter in the book, the account of the development of nuclear fission, ends the story of chemistry at its most monumental achievement. A final chapter discusses some of the consequences of nuclear fission, the discovery of nuclear fusion, and the recent work with subatomic particles. Bernard Jaffe is the author of many other science books and several science textbooks. Upon the original publication of this book, Mr. Jaffe received the Francis Bacon Award for the Humanizing of Knowledge. The American Chemical Society's History of Chemistry Division honored him in 1973 with its Dexter Award for "distinguished achievement in the history of chemistry."

Genres: Science, Chemistry, History, Nonfiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1930

Reviews

[Tama · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trevisan

This is bringing me back to fairy tale obsession. So simple a thing as to read of the millenia of whimsy that is not to create gold out of random shit, by random methods. If anything Trevisan’s dying sentiment is the way towards more gold: gold. But if these people had moved to Australia and done some digging they would be more often rewarded than not. It’s interesting to hear of two sides. People who believed in it and people who devoted their lives to it. I’m sure there’s be non-believers too. But imagine 65 years with not much else in your mind than procuring a metal. How glorified was that kind of life at the time? Might’ve been fun. Though I can imagine being sweaty in a humid laboratory and being depressed. What makes the craft of writing any better? I can imagine the experience of figuring out how to make gold before ruin to be thrilling as well. Sitting in a pub and proclaiming you are an alchemist in search of gold.

I don’t think all the other ones will feel like fairy tales. With philosopher’s stones and man-made gold it is the aesthetic. The cloaks and hairstyle I gave Trevisan, the tunics I gave the investors and drinkers weren’t mentioned.

Paracelsus

I love a healing salved axe and a dismembered leg of the ape that bit one for healing purposes. Makes some sense. Though only if the ill were to ingest it, not be physically reacquainted with it. Paracelsus was a pioneer who denounced that medieval method. But, oh! To be breathed upon by young Roman girls, for a longer life!

While no medical genius will find the answers behind a stove, so too, they say, the writer needs to live! Whether you l-i-v-e then write. Or live then write then live then write…

Becher

Phlogiston. “Phlogiston.” That is legendary. “You fools. My phlogiston possesses the power of levity. It weighs less than nothing. Something, minus another thing which weighs less than nothing, weighs more than the original something.”

There is some excellent drama between the lines.

Priestley

Fly a rocket ship to Mars with a sealed tube on the end. When arriving on mars, secure the tube, and unseal it. Allow the atmospheres to exchange breath. Hopefully it doesn’t suck the topsoil of earth and everything on it onto Planet B.

Thrilling to read of pure oxygen being invested for the first time by this legend. And mice.

Cavendish

As Jaffe tells of him, he’s moreso the tragic kind of devoted intellectual figure. When you go so far as to not conform to society but live as someone of habit indefinitely, with all the same comforts. It’s also the way I would love my life to go while I’m in the middle of writing scripts—hopefully there are breaks where I’m not stuck at my cottage and working on productions under my company…

The conception of H2O is an epic moment for this recluse. Standing before these important men of science slapping them with the truth of water.

Lavoisier

Sounds like a decent fellow. I would prefer if this book was Geoff Dyer’s, but I also like it as is. I’m not sure if I’d let my kid read it because chemistry is a stagnant art aside from using it to solve humanitarian problems, as Lavoisier did. But to spend years training to be an activist when you can be a natural linguist and shout slogans. I guess shouting isn’t as constructive as mathematical solutions to blatant issues.

Dalton

I feel like I’m in the heavy air science rooms of Wellington High School again. In Fountainbridge library. As weird as Edinburgh Central, a modern ugly carpet library inserted into a centuries old building.

Berzelius

I like Galvani’s electricity story. Being watched by the professor while an expectedly rough orphan deals carefully with equipment is a simple less Frankensteinian story. But relatively moving.

Berzelius’ credit is simply a discovery in science bureaucracy.

Avogadro/Cannizarro

The improved version of this only mentions other names unless absolutely necessary. In the notes at the back he may say “the person who this was is King …” This is because names and details that are extraneous are so distracting that you lose focus on what the pieces are actually recounting. It is harder to understand and see the point when he shoots off this way.

Woehler

“The great tragedy of science, the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact.” Of human beings being made up of things which might be synthesised. I can imagine throwing up over this a couple hundred years ago.

Mendeléeff

There’s always the potential that these symbols and elements become outdated, but the human story should always prove a fascination, rather than learning outmoded linguistics. The drama!

I totally remember being taught about Dalton’s proposed periodic table, where he guessed that there must yet be undiscovered elements that fill in the gaps of his early table of elements.

Arrhenius

When you say “Rutherford,” I think “Ernest.” I don’t even know who it is. How useless. They said New Zealander.

Curie

This is the grungiest story so far. But it does it a disservice by the vagaries of Jaffe’s writing. How I yearn most for some dialogue here.

Thomson and Rutherford

While many mentions of the two major Scottish cities have occurred, how brilliant it is to read of Nelson, NZ’s historical contributions to this story of chemistry.

Moseley

As someone with a visceral imagination the thought of trillions of microscopic movements happening everywhere at once proves how far past science I am. I’m not accustomed to immutable facts of the structure of things. I like structures within literature and architecture.

Bohr and Langmuir

Started skipping stuff. Way too many technical details for me. The opening third is close to classic fairy tales, short and low on details. Selective dialogue. Often at the most climactic moments.

Lawrence

“Einstein.”

I must say the idea of photographing atoms excites me greatly. But I’m sure it’s been done often recently. It feels close though. The 20th century.

Men Who Harnessed Nuclear Energy

“E = MC2”.

At one point chemists used imagination to answer the way of things. At one point everything became numbers. That’s what this book tells me. It’s saddening. Philosophers still do.

Just when I was thinking of Plankton (who says “plutonium bombs”) “neptunium” is mentioned. “King Neptune!”

Nuclear Energy Tomorrow

Pulling into Stirling for a nip to Waitrose before heading back to Glasgow, reading “No other collection of scientific discoveries of the past brought with it the terrifying possibility that mankind could, by the pressing of a button, commit mass suicide.” And laughed heartily/insane.

Same laugh at the question of the Big Bang. How in god’s name was there ever nothing. And how on earth is there anything.

Jaffe quotes Harlow Shapley at the very end of it.

What excited me about this book lulled me into reading about scientific processes. Oh well.

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

My brief perusal of this book tells me surprisingly, that it's quite wonderful. A little wordy, and not necessarily the kind of book you'd assign as supplementary reading for an introductory chemistry class, but well written and interesting! I just finished The Disappearing Spoon, and this book gives more detailed histories scientists' lives that really caught my attention in the previous book. I'd like to have this on my shelf!

[Bruno Gavinho · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jaffe conta a história da química de maneira brilhante: através das experiências pessoais e científicas de diferentes indivíduos,em diferentes períodos,conseguimos acompanhar todos os passos para contemplar a química como hoje é conhecida. Desde os alquimistas, que associavam esta ciência à magia e a elementos da natureza,até aos criadores da bomba atômica(os cientistas que exploraram o núcleo do átomo), o autor revela curiosidades e o contexto ao qual os químicos eram submetidos, o que justifica tendências e comportamentos diferentes da atualidade. O livro possui detalhes da pouco divulgada Sociedade Lunar, criada por Erasmus Darwin e outros importantes indivíduos que consideravam a ciência apenas como uma distração,assim como conhecimentos que facilitam o aprendizado na área, mesmo que a pretensão do autor seja de um relato histórico. No entanto, acredito que importantes personagens desta história não tiveram vida e trabalhos citados, como Linus Pauling e a sua contribuição para o estudo das ligações químicas e estrutura da proteína, e Louis Pasteur, que contribuiu em diversas áreas da bioquímica.

[Greg Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like a collection of short stories about the lives and discoveries of some awesome chemists. Fun read

[Emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey

[Sven · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very pleasant set of vignettes of the giants of chemistry, up to 1956.

[Vince Hradil · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it faded near the end, the bulk of the book was an excellent read.