A well told story of the Habar Bosch process of making synthetic fertiliser. Covering from the 1880’s to World War II. Harbar a Jewish German who made one the most significant inventions of the 20th Century which saved millions of lives also is the inventor of Mustard Gas. From being hailed as a national hero to fleeing his beloved Germany as Hitler laws against Its Jewish citizens become impossible . The story of these two remarkable scientists is full of contradictions and covers a fascinating part of history . It’s easy to read even for the non scientist.

The beginning of the book, about the fertilizer industry in South America before Haber-Bosch, was really interesting. Things lag a bit in the middle then pick up again towards the end. Less a science book and more a history book, very little of the book is devoted to the actual development of the Haber-Bosch reaction. The focus is on how the process affected Haber, Bosch, Germany and the world. ( )

Like many critical scientific discoveries of our time – antibiotics, vaccinations, combustion engines – the ability to create fixed nitrogen from air is now a fact, a given. There is food on our table because someone, somewhere was able to grow it and most first world citizens give it little more thought. What Thomas Hager illustrates strikingly well in The Alchemy of Air is that it's only for an invention called the Haber-Bosch process that billions of people escaped famine and starvation 50 years ago.

The Alchemy of Air is the story of Fritz Haber & Carl Bosch – brilliant men whose drive and genius changed the world for billions. It's the story of ambition, loss, regret, and the butterfly effect of science. Even today, as we all benefit from Haber-Bosch, there are seen and unforeseen ramifications that continue to shape the world we live in.

Read The Alchemy of Air and I assure you you'll put the book down with a wildly different perspective on what it takes to put food on your family's table each day as well as the true costs of that food. ( )