Seven Elements That Have Changed the World: An Adventure of Ingenuity and Discovery

by John Browne, 陳偉民 (Translator)

With carbon we access heat, light and mobility at the flick of a switch, while silicon enables us to communicate across the globe in an instant.

Yet our use of the Earth's mineral resources is not always for the benefit of humankind--our relationship with the elements is one of great ambivalence. Uranium is both productive (nuclear power) and destructive (nuclear bombs); iron is the bloody weapon of war, but also the economic tool of peace; our desire for alluring gold is the foundation of global trade, but has also led to the death of millions. John Browne, CEO of British Petroleum (BP) for twelve years, vividly describes how seven elements are shaping the world around us, for better and for worse.

Combining history, science, and politics, Seven Elements takes you on a present-day adventure of human passion and innovation. This journey is far from over: we continue to find surprising new uses for these seven elements. In this narrative of discovery, readers will come to understand how titanium pervades modern consumer society, how natural gas is transforming the global energy sector, and how an innovative new form of carbon could be starting a technology revolution.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, History, Chemistry, Technology, Business, Popular Science

288 pages, Hardcover

First published April 25, 2013

Reviews

[Glenn Myers · Rating 2 out of 5]

If the essence of good science writing is capturing the human drama or the astonishing implications behind science's wider story, this book disappoints. It is a pleasant enough ramble, perhaps, from a fascinating man. But it is uneven, disorganized, and a bit random (how can you write a chapter about carbon and not mention plastics?) You also wonder what kind of editors they employ at Wiedenfeld and Nicholson these days. In one place a 'manager' is called a 'manger', and why didn't someone cough politely and stick a pencil through these insights:

'[carbon] appears in graphite, from which pencils are made, and in diamonds. It is used for jewellery and drill bits'

'throughout the summer the historic walkways and squares [of Venice] are packed with tourists of all nationalities',

and

'the automobile gives people the freedom to go where they want'.

I have to mention the chapter on carbon, Browne's speciality. It drove me nuts. He writes of BP, which he led for a number of years, as if it were something that happened to him one hazy summer, long ago: oil wells explode, court battles rage, Nigeria rots: we could all have done better, he opines, to share oil's riches. We really tried in a small way to make funding a bit more open, so that's OK, isn't it? John: you ran the company. You are a man of integrity. How do you deal really with this stuff? Tell me you don't just hide behind your collection of Venetian glass elephants, which get more of a mention than personal ethics.

Browne's concluding chapter is long on a call for government regulation, totally empty of a call for companies like BP to be ethical in themselves, without being prodded. Tony Blair endorsed the book, but instead of saying 'an expertly crafted book', which it isn't, he might have said, 'the chapter on carbon is a Blairite masterpiece: it avoids personal blame for anything.'

I have a feeling Lord Browne has a great book in him. I would love him to defend his years and actions as head of BP, with real passion and anger, against all those ranged against him, who would include Hugo Chavez, Russian oligarchs, Greenpeace, competitors, and shareholders like me who do not like greed and rapacity undertaken in my name. (We would prefer larger ethics and somewhat smaller dividends.) I would like him honestly to challenge any of us to do better than he did, in this murkiest of worlds.

Rant over. Instead of something of a book with passion and insight, worth reading, He's sent us a middling and uneven piece of science writing. Proper science writers would breathe more life into the story, and mostly you'd buy better geo-political insight and analysis by simply subscribing to 'the Economist'. Worse still, he's written the wrong book. Pity.

[Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I gave this as hard a try as I could but I have too many other things I could be reading and enjoying to continue to suffer through this. It's just so lacking in insight, organization, and rigor. It is, however, just what you might expect from a former CEO of an oil company - a vanity piece filled with name dropping and unimportant personal details. I'd rather read 20 boring scholarly books than slog through this.

[Sean Goh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun facts galore, Browne writes in a easily understood manner, like a name-dropping version of Wikipedia. One hears about his collection of glass elephants or Iranian silver boxes and other assorted gewgaws, as well as how he met this president or that CEO and whatever I don't really care?? For a science book there's an excessive amount of name-dropping. Just skim those bits.

___
TIL: The Tatas did not pursue profit at all other costs, they believed that a business that supports the development of a nation must also support the health and wellbeing of its people.

Coal in an amount equal to the weight of a man can produce the equivalent energy of the same man working for one hundred days.

Oil reserves grow in part due to enhanced recovery techniques. Sometimes only 20-30 percent of an oil well is cheaply recoverable.

The state may own the land on rich natural resources sit, but if the state becomes overly greedy for extractive profits companies with their investment and expertise will shy away, making for a lose-lose situation.
People go away when there is nothing in it for them.

Trinidad's former prime minister: Use your gas to add as much value as you can in your own country before you export it.

As it was then, as it is now: Easy money from raiding gold from the Americas provided little incentive for the Spanish to work, and industry at home stagnated, made worse by the emigration of the workforce to the Americas.

The advantage of coinage was that pieces of metal no longer had to be individually tested for their purity. Merchants could place trust in a transaction, without having to trust the individual with whom they were dealing.
Gold facilitated trade. Silver, with its lower valuation, facilitated daily transactions.

We seem to dig gold out of the ground at great cost, only to put it back under the ground as bullion.

Eastman (Kodak) had done what great inventors of consumer appliances have always done. He allowed the user (photographer) to focus on his purpose while making the technical functions (developing and printing) unseen.

TEPCO (Owner of the Fukushima plant) was an example of an old-fashioned corporation which only liked to put out good news.

The Blackbird flies so fast, friction heats it to such a point that it expands several inches during flight. The frame and fuel tank only align correctly at high speeds, so on the ground fuel leaked through gaps and on to the runway.

The first titanium-hulled submarine (built by the Soviets) was so expensive many thought it would have been cheaper to make it out of gold.

Venice's Council of Ten made the (brain-drain) situation worse by putting in place restrictive regulations to protect the property rights of glassmakers and maintain the price of glass products. By doing so they eliminated the flow of new ideas into Venice and stifled innovation.

Commercial solar cells (back in 2012) convert 10-20% of incident light energy to electricity. Photosynthesis, with its billions of years of evolution, has an efficiency of about 3%.

Great leadership is not just about solving global challenges. It is also about understanding society's day-to-day needs and taking the risk to back the new and novel.

[Andree Sanborn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an important book on the historical, sociological, and scientific discoveries, inventions, and development of seven elements: carbon, silicon, iron, gold, silver, uranium, and titanium. As cliche as it sounds, I observe world events more clearly now because of this book. Some biases and preconceptions I have had I now question. Browne's career was with British Petroleum. His education was in science and engineering. The book is a vital primer for responsible citizens everywhere.

[Harry Harman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Iron, carbon, gold, silver, uranium, titanium, silicon

deuterium (a heavy form of hydrogen)

oil is composed of hydrogen and carbon

Human progress can be measured by our ability to harness greater amounts of energy and so transform the world. it gave us the ability to expand our productivity

Carbon’s most powerful a liance is with iron. We need only to look around, at the railways, the factories and the skyscrapers

In the most specialist applications, for which iron is too weak or heavy, futuristic titanium metal has been used to accomplish triumphs of air and sea exploration. But far more pervasive than titanium’s use as a metal in supersonic aircraft and deep-diving submarines is its use as bright white titanium dioxide. In that form, titanium is everywhere around us, feeding our obsession with purity, cleanliness and façade. Milk is no purer and shirts are no cleaner as a result of the titanium dioxide that whitens them. It is their whiteness that satisfies some urge within us.

oil barons in Russia, merchants in Venice, tribesmen in Colombia and computer wizards in Silicon Valey

The cast-iron artilery cannons of the Prussian army had twice the range and were far more accurate and more numerous than the French bronze pieces.

When filing up a car at a petrol station, or flicking the switch on a wal socket, most people rarely see how dependent our energy infrastructure is on steel. Al the steps in the energy chain, from exploration to production to refining and generating electricity, rely on technology built with iron.

Pure iron is soft, but adding carbon breaks up the lattice of iron atoms so that the atoms can no longer easily slide past each other, thus producing hard steel. Add too much carbon, however, and the iron, caled cast iron, becomes brittle and shatters when it is struck.

in 1856 the chance discovery of Henry Bessemer, an English inventor, led to a process which carefuly controls the balance of carbon and iron on an industrial scale. This invention, which is stil used today, has had the single greatest impact on the development of the modern steel industry. the Bessemer process. In 1854 Bessemer met with Napoleon III, who wanted a superior quality metal so as to improve his artilery pieces.

Bessemer was not an ironmaster, but an inventor, engineer and businessman in a very broad sense. He believed that his discovery resulted from the fact that he was not steeped in the traditional practices of making iron.

Bessemer’s success in the iron industry led him to become a founding member and subsequent President of the Iron and Steel Institute, predecessor to the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining in London.

Despite being one of the world’s greatest inventors and engineers, Bessemer is not thought of alongside Thomas Edison, James Watt or the Wright brothers. Perhaps it is because he is the inventor of a process, rather than a product. Carnegie who, using the Bessemer process, became the richest man in the world. Carnegie was not an engineer; his skil was in putting proven inventions to their best use. Carnegie became Bessemer’s salesman.

When demand slowed, Carnegie would increase, rather than reduce, the output of his steel mils. He would take a contract whatever the profit margin, beating the competition down using his economies of scale. His steel mils were always the biggest, the most automated and hence the lowest cost. He would immediately reinvest profits to expand and modernise his steel empire. He also integrated his business horizonta ly and vertica ly, buying up rival plants and bringing coke works and iron ore mines under the umbrela of his steel company.

The railroads were the greatest consumers of iron and steel as more goods and more people began moving from the east to the west of the US.

Carnegie, the child of a poor handloom linen weaver from Dunfermline, Scotland, arrived in the US in 1848 practicaly penniless. By 1863, at the start of his entrepreneurial career, Carnegie’s income was around US $50,000 (almost US $1 milion today). In 1901, Carnegie sold his steel empire for US $480 milion (US $13 bilion today) to J. P. Morgan in what was the largest commercial transaction of its day to consolidate into US Steel. Carnegie became the richest man in the world.

Standard Oil Company of Ohio, where I was the Chief Financial Officer.

Rockefeler became the world’s first nominal bilionaire in 1916

The duty of the man of wealth, Carnegie claimed, was to set an example by living a modest and unostentatious life. The wealth of the individual had been created by the wider community, and so it should be returned to them.

his philanthropy was designed for people’s self-improvement rather than subsidising them day to day. As a result, he invested heavily in education, building libraries and providing free tuition for Scottish university students.

His work had a great impact on Rockefeler

The house of Tata
believed that four ingredients were necessary for industry to flourish in India. First, technical education and research were needed to reduce India’s reliance on foreign technology. Second, he saw that hydroelectricity would utilise India’s huge supply of water to generate cheap electricity. Third, he made plans to build a grand hotel, to attract the wealthy international elite to India. Fina ly, and most crucia ly, Jamsetji wanted to produce steel, ‘the mother of heavy industry’, for the building of railways and cities.

Unlike Carnegie, the Tatas did not pursue profits at a l other costs; they believed that a business that supports the development of a nation must also support the health and welbeing of its people.

Dorabji’s decision to build ‘a city’, rather than ‘a row of workmen’s huts’, would run contrary to the fundamental business principle of maximising shareholder value. Dorabji’s shareholders were the people of India, whereas today shareholders are largely private individuals.

Carbon is the fuel supply in gunpowder. In ancient China, where the first fireworks were invented, honey was the source of carbon; the drier the honey, the greater the carbon content.

when they are mixed with oxygen from the air and a spark is added, heat is released. Releases carbon dioxide and water vapour.

Today, by far the largest consumer of coal in the world is China. By the time of the Han Dynasty, beginning around 200 BC, coal was being used on a large scale for both domestic and industrial purposes. It is not surprising that humanity’s first use of coal was in China.

China became the centre of innovation for the world. It invented gunpowder, the compass, paper and the printing press, the soca led Four Great Inventions. These took many centuries to reach the West.

Escaping the ‘Malthusian Trap’
Writing in 1798, Thomas Malthus observed how, throughout history and across different cultures, living standards had not grown.15 Humanity existed perpetua ly on the threshold of basic subsistence. Agrarian societies did develop new technologies to increase food production, but this only led to an increase in the population and reversion to a level of basic subsistence. Economic resources could never outpace population growth; humanity was stuck in a ‘Malthusian Trap’.

Between 1750 and 1850, Great Britain’s industrial output grew seven times, while the population grew less than threefold. Steam engines replaced manual labour because coal in an amount equal to the weight of a man can produce the equivalent energy of the same man working for one hundred days.

China’s use of coal has fueled unparaleled growth and reductions in poverty over the last three decades. By 2035, China is projected to consume almost as much energy as Europe and the US combined.

Herein lies China’s dilemma: how can it continue its rapid economic growth and reductions in poverty, but do so sustainably? The scale of the cha lenge is unprecedented: China is home to one-fifth of the world’s population

From an early age, Henry Ford understood the power of carbon fuels. As a young boy, he built a steam turbine next to the fence of his school. It exploded, setting the fence on fire and slicing open the boy’s lip. ‘A piece hit Robert Blake in the stomach,’ he wrote in his notebook, ‘and put him out.’

The realisation of just how that might be done came when he was twelve years old, while trave ling by horse and cart to Detroit with his father. Ahead of them Ford saw a cart drawn very slowly by a steam engine fueled by coal. That scene made a lasting impression on him

Randomly driling wels to find oil would achieve little. It would be like trying to find needles in a haystack. There are always clues that guide explorers to the areas more likely to be winners. An oilfield has certain essential characteristics. First, there needs to be a source for the oil. This source is the remains of plants and animals laid down milions of years ago, which have been subjected to the right pressure and temperature to form oil. Flying over the forests in the centre of Trinidad, I saw lakes of inky black oil which had bubbled up from just this sort of source. The La Brea tar pits in California were formed in a similar way. Both were clues to the presence of other oilfields. Second, the oil needs to get from the source into an overlying structure which can trap it. This often has a domelike shape (an ‘anticline’) that sometimes expresses itself on the surface. Anticlines can be seen from the air in the Zagros foothils of Iran, my childhood home. These are the site of some of the greatest oilfields in the world. Third, the trap needs to be sealed by an impermeable rock. If the seal is breached the oil escapes. One of the most famous and most expensive wels, caled Mukluk, that turned out be unsuccessful (a ‘dry hole’), was driled in Alaska. For years, BP’s explorers were convinced that it was going to be a guaranteed success. It failed because the seal had been breached and the oil had seeped away. Finaly, the structure needs to be filed with a sedimentary rock that can contain the oil in its pores (the so-ca led porosity) and let it flow. The ease with which the rock a lows the oil to flow is caled the permeability. If a l these things come together then there is an oil reservoir.

Today, typically 60 per cent or more of the oil is left behind after an oilfield stops producing. The reason for that lies in the economics; extracting more oil becomes increasingly costly and therefore unprofitable.

Henry Darcy, a nineteenth-century French engineer working in Dijon, was a careful observer. He watched water go through the different types of rock at the bottom of public fountains and wondered what controled its speed. Soon he came up with an equation that described the rate of flow of a fluid through permeable rocks. It is caled Darcy’s law and the measure of permeability is caled the ‘darcy’ in his honour. The law gives us a way of explaining four different ways in which the flow of oil out of a reservoir can be improved, known colectively as enhanced oil recovery (EOR). First, if the natural pressure of the reservoir is too low to get the oil to the surface, you can increase it by injecting other fluids, such as water, natural gas, nitrogen or carbon dioxide. This is often the first and simplest method of improving the recovery of oil. Second, you can expose more of the reservoir to the wel bore by, for example, driling horizontaly along the rock strata. Third, you can make the oil less viscous or prone to staying in the spaces between rocks (the oil is held there by a force caled surface tension). One way to do this is to pump in fluids, particularly liquefied carbon dioxide, so that it mixes with the oil. Another way is to heat the oil. This is necessary for so-ca led heavy oil found in Canadian and Venezuelan tar sands.

In recent years, however, as the price of oil has risen, the potential for EOR has grown rapidly: in the five years up to 2009 the market for EOR was estimated to have increased by twenty times.

Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), a cartel which controls around 40 per cent of global oil production

As Sheikh Yamani, Saudi’s former oil minister said in the 1970s: ‘The Stone Age didn’t end because we ran out of stones.’

The financial and technological effort needed to deliver a barrel of oil is extraordinary. To make the oil into petrol takes even more work. It needs to be refined into just those types of hydrocarbons that an engine needs. Even at $4 a galon, gasoline seems cheap after a l this work. It is, after a l, cheaper than most bottled mineral water served in chic restaurants in New York City

Rockefeler’s behaviour is, in some ways, reminiscent of today’s Russian oligarchs. They have accumulated wealth on a similar scale, many having started from poor backgrounds just like Rockefeler. They have also made their money by, at times, foul and unfair means. And like Rockefeler, some of the oligarchs have now matured to a point where they want to give some, or al, of what they have earned back to society.

John D. Rockefeler always thought that ‘oil is almost like money.’78 Such easy wealth can breed complacency and, with little to strive for

Diamonds can be used to hide vast wealth in a minute volume and, by avoiding paperwork, traded without trace. De Beers, who contro led around 80 per cent of the world’s diamond trade.8

[Athan Tolis · Rating 3 out of 5]

First things first: the author is a proper legend. Under his watch BP scooped up Amoco when oil was trading somewhere in the gutter and the Economist magazine was predicting cheap oil forever. It was a time when you had decide if you'd double up or cash out and he deserves a lot of the credit for BP doubling up at the lows. Also under his watch, BP managed the feat of being the only western oil company to take money out of Russia. Proper money, Like, they put in some 8 billion to buy half of TNK, took out something like 15 billion in dividends and cashed out for a similar amount. Also, he's the man who brought us "Beyond Petroleum."

But of course he will mainly be remembered for the scandal that brought him down, and from my angle it appears that writing books is basically what he's now doing to keep himself busy. But it's not exactly a passion. It never feels like he really had to write this book.

John Browne comes across like he's only ever had one passion: for business and for BP in particular. He was born into BP, he travelled the world as a youngster following his dad's various postings and after a brief interlude for college ended back at BP. At BP he drilled for oil, before moving on to running the show. When he got to the top he got to know about the rest of the world via his various board memberships and acquired the wealth that allowed him to indulge in his various hobbies (as opposed to passions)

The "Seven Elements that Have Changed the World" basically amounts to a list of the various things he found out by being such a successful and important person within such an important and powerful organisation. It could have been called "a bunch of interesting stuff I could not help finding out while I was running BP." Also, it's quite autobiographical. You do get to find out about John Browne, but he's never boasting, he just can't help telling you he was there and had his picture taken.

Finally, the book was useful to me because it settled a question that has bothered me for some time. John Browne states quite confidently that "peak oil" is not an issue. Not only are we sitting on the most reserves ever, not only are we well equipped to re-tap old oilfields, but in the words of Sheikh Yamani "the stone age did not end because we ran out of stone."

So this is not a book you must read. But if you're stuck on a plane, like I was last Tuesday, it's something you won't mind reading and while you're at it you'll pick up the odd statistic or anecdote you'll be able to repeat.

[Daniel Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Browne has come up with a subjective list for the seven elements that have changed the world. But given he’s former CEO of BP, it’s worth understanding his choices.

His chosen elements are: iron, mainly because of its influential role in military history; carbon, because of its use as a fuel source; gold, as the most coveted element of all time; silver, because of its use in photography; uranium, because of its role in ending a war and as a power source; titanium, for its wartime applications but more so for its ubiquitous presence as a whitening agent in a society where white equals purity; and silicon, because of its use as glass and in technology.

As Browne devotes a chapter to each element, he blends science, politics and history in a well-written story that combines his personal experience with solid research. You don’t need to agree with his choices to appreciate his reasoning and enjoy the book.

From an investment point of view, this book helps you see how markets using natural resources are created – and how quickly those markets can vanish. If you invest in natural resources, or your business is dependent on them, this book will give you indispensable background knowledge.

[Linds · Rating 2 out of 5]

This has an intriguing title and an intriguing concept. If you had to pick the seven elements that influenced the world the most (from a human development standpoint) what would they be? How did they change the world? Yeah, kinda neat.

But, that's not really what we get. The more you read, the more the book becomes an autobiography about the author, who is a former CEO of BP. If he wasn't there, forget the silly idea of research/insight. There is nothing in-depth or worthwhile except his own experiences. The majority of pictures are pictures with him. The majority of the stories are stories about him. I've read books where the author's experiences are the central focus, and I enjoyed them. I just don't like the feeling of being presented with one thing, and slid into another.

I give this two stars for a clever idea and marketing prowess. I would have never read this if it had been accurately labeled "John Browne Shares Ventures as BP CEO." You got me.

[Rikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

REVIEW OF SEVEN ELEMENTS THAT HAVE CHANGED THE WORLD
Ever since I first came across the periodic table, I have been fascinated by the various elements that have evolved in our universe, into the wonderful array that make our technical world possible. Their interactions with each other and the fact that human beings have developed the intelligence to use these elements in ways that seemed unimaginable only a short time ago are truly miraculous.
John Browne has taken seven of these items and produced a history of how they were developed, how their properties were used. If you have electricity, gas, a mobile phone, a computer, an iPad, and the myriad other gadgets available, you will enjoy this extraordinary story of how they came about.

[Daniel Farabaugh · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was in large part a vanity project of the author. Many times there were off hand comments about his childhood or something he bought that did nothing to add to the story but only highlighted how "interesting" the author was. Because he is not an expert in the subject matter it is very general. Because he is not a professional writer the pacing is off. If it was any longer I probably would have stopped reading it.

[Sajith Kumar · Rating 3 out of 5]

All things we come across in our daily lives are made of smaller components of that material. These are in turn made by still smaller factors until we finally reach a point at which what is remaining is unique and can’t be split further. In arithmetic, this may be compared to prime factors of a composite number which can’t be split further. Ancient Greeks thought earth, fire, air and water as the basic elements that constitute the world. As science progressed, we did away with ancient notions and established chemistry as the field which studies properties of elements. Today, we have in the Periodic Table 92 naturally occurring elements, and a few man-made elements that have only a fleeting moment of existence. John Browne identifies seven elements among them that have exerted the greatest influence on human societies. His selection of elements that includes carbon, iron, gold, silver, uranium, titanium and silicon is questionable in terms of significance. Browne himself identifies the subjective nature of his choice, but compensates for this shortfall by a general discussion on the historical, scientific, industrial and economic repercussions of each of them. The author, also a peer with the name Lord Browne of Madingley, joined British Petroleum (BP) in 1966 and grew in career to become its Group Chief Executive from 1995 to 2007. He is an engineer, collector and businessman, who has published his memoirs in book form.

The story of iron and carbon is interlinked as Browne narrates it. Smelting of iron required coal in large quantities. Modern iron and steel conglomerates are concentrated where coal also is cheaply available. On the other hand the utility of carbon is most visibly expressed in fossil fuels which contain molecules of carbon and hydrogen. Oil and natural gas are found at extreme depths under the ground or ocean floor. Elaborate platforms and transmission pipelines built of iron and steel is required to collect the oil. Extensive riches could be generated in the two businesses. The author tells the story of Andrew Carnegie and John D Rockefeller which is intriguing on account of the irony in their thrust for profits and then giving the wealth back to the society in the form of charity. Carnegie was a steel magnate who used every devious method in his arsenal to maximize profits. Curtailing his employees’ wages was one among them. The unions immediately called a strike which was not intensive or combative enough to upset the plans of Carnegie and his managers who were sheltered behind barbed fences and protected by private and armed security guards. As the agitation used force to break up the operations of the company they were shot down. This tarnished his reputation but he continued to make profit. However after he retired from business, Carnegie put up a number of philanthropic institutions and societies that channeled the ill-gotten money in reverse gear for the benefit of the people. Then why did he resort to unscrupulous and inhuman methods to amass it? An exactly similar case is encountered in the life of Rockefeller and his Standard Oil Company. The author being a former chief executive of British petroleum many real life instances that threatened the energy security of the world are mentioned in first hand detail. His proximity to business magnates and powerful politicians of many nations helped him pick the issues affecting production of fossil fuel presently. He attributes arguments like oil peak and decreasing production to doom-mongering. Comparing such pessimistic estimates to the equally fearsome predictions of Malthus in the 18thcentury Browne concludes that such worst case scenarios failed to take into account rapid changes in technology or material that rewrites the way history is moving. Malthus famously missed out on the Industrial Revolution.

The chapter on uranium lays more stress on its political implications rather than scientific concerns. The issue of ‘high-dread-to-risk-ratio’ of nuclear power is stressed. Contrary to public perception, safety levels in nuclear reactors are much higher than other power stations. The number of accidents in nuclear stations can be counted in the fingers of one hand. But above all, people are scared of radiation which kills life yet is invisible. Those who are exposed to radiation at dangerous levels run the risk of developing cancer at an unpredictable time in their lives. All of these came to the fore in the aftermath of Fukushima reactor accident in Japan in 2011. The reactor cooling systems broke down when it was inundated by tsunami floods triggered by an earthquake of epic proportions. Meltdowns and explosions occurred, with the spread of harmful radiation into the atmosphere. Japanese public opinion quickly swung against nuclear power per se and the country’s reactors were temporarily shut down. However alternate energy sources are highly restricted by the availability and price of oil or natural gas. When the price of gas is high as was seen before 2014 such abandonment of nuclear power in the face of uninformed public opinion is sure to cripple the economies of many developing nations. On the latter half of the chapter Browne examines the issues related to proliferation of nuclear weapons to rogue states like North Korea and Pakistan. The first is a threat to world peace on account of an outdated ideology that dictates terms to its own people while in Pakistan it is only a matter of time when Islamic terrorists get hold of the bomb or at least a stripped down version of it. The Pakistani state is slowly unraveling and peddlers of nuclear technology like A Q Khan are active in the field to furnish the technology to the highest bidder. However Browne stops short of making a full scale indictment on Pakistan.

Even after reading the full text one wonders why titanium is included as such a critical element that changed the world. Browne’s arguments are so unconvincing on this point. But his choice of Silicon as the seventh fully deserves it in every aspect. Silicon is abundant in common sand, but the utility it confers on mankind is simply amazing. The element had several useful incarnations for society. In the Middle-Ages, glass was made of it when Silica was heated with Soda. Great art work was made from it but it was not something indispensable. The crucial transformation of Silicon came about with the invention of transistor in the Bell Labs. With the development of integrated circuit a few years later the era of vacuum tubes were over, along with the displacement of bulky computers and other electronic equipment with compact, versatile and lightweight gizmos. Computing power grew exponentially in accordance with Moore’s law. Today a good mobile phone houses more computing power than that of NASA’s lunar mission when astronauts first landed on moon. Silicon continues to be a highly useful element in the form of optical fibers which conduct high speed communications across the globe.

The book’s greatest disadvantage is that it is nothing more than a journal of random and subjective thought. The ideas and events mentioned in the work are only of the West. The remarks about the East like the Iron Lion of Cangzhou are cursory. Browne’s extensive travel and meeting with the wealthy and powerful as the head of BP has led to insightful recollections which are reproduced in the book. Even though it deals with gold, no reference is made to the intriguing yet fruitless quest of alchemy which tried to turn base metals into gold. On the positive side, Browne expresses a rational and pragmatic approach towards pessimists who trumpet about the extinction of useful commodities like oil in the near future. The book is well adorned with a number of colour plates. It includes a thorough section of Notes, a good bibliography and a commendable index.

The book is highly recommended.

[Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book with no knowledge aside from a very basic and simplified understanding of Chemistry. As I’ve found in some books covering varying science subjects, I was worried I may lack relevant context or information to truly digest what I was reading (aka understand wth was going on 💔). So so glad to say I didn’t need to worry! Browne did a remarkable job with crafting clear and understandable explanations about all sorts of elements and their processes- and oh my gosh was it a scrumptious read.
Not only are you given comprehensive and interesting details about the elements, you also learn a ton of cool history, real-world applications, relevant figures, and the impact of each element in modern and ancient society- including future prospects for use of these elements how they can continue to shape our world!! I loved how Browne carefully reviewed why he picked these seven elements (and I loveeeee the number seven… he made it in accordance with the diatonic scale and Newton’s understanding of colour!! helloo!!!!)
Browne enhanced his writing further by including examples from his own rich experiences and had a section of photos, events, and objects he referenced.
The read itself isn’t heavy, but abundant with facts and learning that is completely captivating. It’s hard to put down. Regardless of one’s of understanding of Chemistry, one is sure to maintain a firm grasp over his work, as well as a plethora of knowledge that is actually palatable.
Truly truly truly recommend from the bottom of my heart.

[Khanika Khanichka]

Джон Браун составил субъективный список семи элементов, которые изменили мир. Но учитывая, что он бывший генеральный директор BP, Стоит понять его выбор.

Его избранные элементы: железо, главным образом из-за его влиятельной роли в военной истории; углерод, из-за его использования в качестве источника топлива; золото, как самый желанный элемент всех времен; серебро, из-за его использования в фотографии; уран, из-за его роли в прекращении войны и в качестве источника энергии; титан, для его применения в военное время, но более того для его повсеместного присутствия в качестве отбеливающего агента в обществе, где белый цвет равен чистоте; и кремний, из-за его использования в качестве стекла и в технологии.

Поскольку Браун посвящает главу каждому элементу, он смешивает науку, политику и историю в хорошо написанной истории, которая сочетает его личный опыт с солидными исследованиями. Вам не нужно соглашаться с его выбором, чтобы оценить его рассуждения и наслаждаться книгой.

С инвестиционной точки зрения эта книга поможет вам увидеть, как создаются рынки, использующие природные ресурсы, и как быстро эти рынки могут исчезнуть. Если вы инвестируете в природные ресурсы или ваш бизнес зависит от них, эта книга даст вам необходимые базовые знания.

[Jitka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jako vystudovanou chemičku (no dnes už dám dohromady snad jen vzorec soli :) mě kniha upoutala už svým názvem (je zajímavý, že fyzika, chemie a všechny tyhle vědy mě teď "na starý kolena" baví o tolik víc než ve škole!). A jako čtenářku mě pak zaujala neobvyklým konceptem. Kdybych měla sama vybrat, které z prvků Mendělejovovy tabulky jsou ty zásadní pro lidstvo, nevím jestli by se můj výběr shodoval s autorovým. Vzhledem k tomu, že John Browne je bývalým generálním ředitelem britské společnosti BP, je jeho výběr celkem pochopitelný. Kniha není jen o chemických prvcích, ale tak trochu i biografií autora a jeho názorů na objevy a vynálezy vztahující se k jednotlivým prvkům a jeho pohledu na ekonomiku, obchod, politiku i historii. Četlo se mi dobře, některé kapitoly a poznatky byly míň záživné než jiné, ale vcelku to bylo velice poučné. Jako sledovat zajímavý pořad na discovery kanálu.

[Gretchen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really disappointed in this book. While talking about carbon, all he dwelled on was the oil and gas industry and his role in it, along with some random facts. His writing is outdated and he gives passes to the rich oil barons because they eventually became philanthropists. bah. I was intrigued when he mentioned glassworks in Egypt, but then, instead of giving us some good history of glass making in Egypt, he launches into a memoir of how wonderful it is in Venice and how he's got a lot of glass elephants. It's pretty much only history from 15-16oo's (glass) to current event history of all the elements. No real history or analysis. Thank goodness it's short.

[S.L. Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book, but as with several other books I've read lately with a scientific bend, the author spent quite a bit of time on himself. I really don't care that much about the author unless it's somehow a memoir or a subject about something the author himself did. Interspersed among the topics--gold, silver, silicon, etc.--were little tidbits about him. Yeah. Overall, I did enjoy the book and learned quite a bit. My favorite element was silicon. I learned so much about the microchip industry! Now I'd like to read more on that.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting facts about the seven elements that (in the author's opinion) changed the world. I liked the part on carbon and the uranium chapter was interesting, too. I liked all of this book. This review is not too insightful, but if you are interested in this sort of thing, you will enjoy this book.

[Niklas · Rating 3 out of 5]

British Petrolin entisen toimitusjohtajan John Brownen yleistason maailmanhistoria seitsemän maailmaa mullistaneen alkuaineen kautta. Kirja on epätasainen, ja kärsii ajoittain liiallisesta positivismista, joskin Browne osaa olla myös kriittinen. Parasta antia ovat varmaankin kuvaukset öljyteollisuuden toiminnasta, sekä alan kiperästi kaipaamista muutoksista.

[David Schwan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book looks at the economic benefits of seven elements. The book is written by the former head of BP and tends to have some bias towards fossil fuels. There were enough facts that I did not know to make this a worthwhile read.

[David Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

It held my interest enough to finish it, but I didn't find it fascinating the way I found The Disappearing Spoon, or Guns, Germs, and Steel.

The discussion of the effects of the elements on history or society felt pretty generic, and the personal anecdotes weren't particularly compelling either.

[James S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beyond the constant cheerleading for BP (the author used to be an executive there), the book is flat, bland, and poorly written: "At the start of the First World War, long-range Krupp cannons smashed Belgian forts on their way towards Paris." The forts were on their way towards Paris?

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite a slog for me even though it was quite interesting and is one of my favorite types of books to read--popular history of science focusing on one or more elements, inventions, formulas, or other categories, and their impact on human history. Worth the time it took for me to read it.

[Sweetpea2353 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Biased in my opinion.

[Jason Park · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not too thorough. I was hoping for more...

[Anthony Ambruso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely enjoyable

This book was very interesting to read, and it was totally informative. A real pleasure to read. Did I say that I liked it? A cleverly written book.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly entertaining and informative book.

[Herb · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh

[Rakesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent story of civilization based on elements. Covers a large canvass including social and environmental issues and the impact these metals had on humans

[Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an informative book on what the author considers to be the seven elements that changed the world. The book isn't particularly electrifying and it didn't open any new vistas for me.

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an interesting treatment of history and technology thru the angle of several common or uncommon elements, and by a business leader.