The Shocking History of Phosphorus by John Emsley, Macmillan, £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’s 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’s stone. Because it…
