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Article: Explosives in the Service of Man: The Nobel Heritage.
- Article from:
- Chemistry and Industry
- Article date:
- September 7, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Society of Chemical Industry. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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John E Dolan & Stanley S Langer Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry 1997 Ppiii+243, [pounds]59.50, ISBN 0 85404 732 8
The subject of explosives has fascinated man for more than 2000 years, perhaps in the beginning for military power more than because of scientific or commercial interest. I can remember in my youth studying the effects of catalysts, and particularly oxidants, on the speed of chemical reactions. This led to the usual fascination with the visual and sound effects of explosives, especially around the time of bonfire night.
I guess, in the light of experience, that the experiments I undertook in my youth - uprooting saplings, emptying water butts ...