I never thought anything on the periodical table could be so much fun. apologies for sister maria kellner, my chemistry teacher, for not taking her word for it years ago ( )

Really 3 1/2, I think, but I'm feeling generous. Everything you ever wanted to know about phosphorus. Possibly a great deal of information you didn't particularly need about phosphorus. Lots of it is interesting (I particularly enjoyed the history of phosphorus-match-making--who knew?) but some of it isn't. My big problem with this book is that there isn't a narrative flow--the chapters feel isolated, so you don't really feel inclined to keep reading. ( )

Really 3 1/2, I think, but I'm feeling generous. Everything you ever wanted to know about phosphorus. Possibly a great deal of information you didn't particularly need about phosphorus. Lots of it is interesting (I particularly enjoyed the history of phosphorus-match-making--who knew?) but some of it isn't. My big problem with this book is that there isn't a narrative flow--the chapters feel isolated, so you don't really feel inclined to keep reading. ( )

Phosphorus was the 13th Element to be discovered although it is the 15th element in the Periodic Table and is one of the building blocks of life as well as a deadly poison. Elemental phosphorus was most probably first seen by an alchemist named Hennig Brandt in Hamburg around 1669 deriving it from urine. And so began the history of one of the most dangerous elements from which men learned to make Lucifers (matches), incendiary bombs (used extensively in WWII), nerve gases, and pesticides.

I found this book to be interesting and an easy read although some will find that the chemical formulas and long names for various compounds may be a minor stumbling block. Not only is there a lot of science but a lot of history in these three hundred pages covering over 300 years. I particularly liked learning about matchmaking and the health problems it caused in the workers until a safer method of making them was adapted.

Recommended for those who enjoy reading about the history of science and technology.

No, phosphorus did not jump to a new position in the periodic table - it is still element number 15. However, it was the thirteenth element to be discovered, and the isolation (by destructive distillation of large volumes of human urine!) of this strange substance, that seemed to glow with the essense of life, had alchemists convinced that they were close to discovering the ultimate secrets of nature. Gifted science writer John Emsley does a great job of telling the story of phosphorus, and its role in matches, warfare, poisonings, agriculture, pollution, insecticides, among others. Fourteen chapters are filled with stories and anecdotes that bring alive the history and the chemistry of this element. The author of "Molecules at an Exhibition" and "The Elements" has put together another book that is really a delight. ( )