Last Alchemist in Paris - Lars Öhrström

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Résumé :
A fascinating series of tales about the chemical elements and the people involved. Introduces a selection of the most important elements and their importance, and draws out the key chemical concepts related to each story.

Biographie:
Lars ÖhrstrÖm is a Swedish inorganic chemist who has also worked in France, Botswana, Switzerland, and the USA. He was educated at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and currently he is professor at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg. At Chalmers he has devoted much time to teaching and curriculum development for the first year chemistry courses and recently he has made a number of popular science podcasts for Chemistry World magazine. His main research interest is in Metal-Organic Frameworks, which are new types of potentially porous materials with budding technological applications, especially in green and sustainable chemical manufacturing.

Sommaire:
PREAMBLE: THE PERIODIC TABLE AND THE DA VINCI CODE ; 1. Mr Khama is coming to dinner ; 2. From bitterfield with love ; 3. The curious incident of the dog in the airship ; 4. The spy and the saracens secret ; 5. Biopiracy the curse of the nutmeg ; 6. Death at number 29 ; 7. Blue blooded stones and the prisoner in the crystal cage ; 8. Diamonds are forever and zirconium is for submarines ; 9. Graphite valley: IT in the 18th century Lake District ; 10. The Emperor and Miss Smilla ; 11. Rendezvous on the high plateau ; 12. The last alchemist in Paris ; 13. Pardon my French: Captain Haddock and the sufferings of the Savoyards ; 14. Two brilliant careers ; 15. War and vanity ; 16. When state security was a stinking business ; 17. Bonapartes bursting buttons: a thin story ; 18. I told you so, said Marcus Vitruvirus Pollio ; 19. A shiny surface and a tainted past ; 20. The actress and the spin-doctor ; 21. Of pea-soup, dangers of coffee in the morning, and the test of Mr Marsh ; 22. To take back the future ; ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ; BIBLIOGRAPHY ; NOTES