Chapter 5 summary and reflection

In chapter 5, Kean combines the possibilities of elements and chemical warfare with World War I and II. The author starts the chapter with explaining the beginningsof chemical warfare which actually can be traced back to the Trojan War. The Spartans decided to throw bundles of wood, pitch, and stinky sulfur into Athens to lure the Athenians out but the plan ultimately failed. Even though all of the scientifically advanced countries except the US signed the Hague Convention in 1899 to ban chemical weapons in war, the deal was broken. Countries had secret work done on investigating the uses of bromine and chlorine.

Ultimately, Kean goes on to talk about people such as Fritz Haber who was able to develop ammonia. The ammonia was supposed to help the agricultural field to prevent people from starving to death but used ammonia to help Germany build nitrogen bombs instead. The author describes the effects Haber's life took on when the Germans began builiding these bombs including with his family but Haber just didn't stop. Kean continues and finishes the chapter with explaining the sort of things countries were willing to do in order to receive those elements to use them in bombs and gun machinery and kill people by the millions.

I had mixed feelings about this chapter because it was disturbing and interesting at the same time. Learning about chemical warfare was interesting and learning about how elements fit into all of this was incredible. But the disturbing part came when Kean talked about the horrors the bombs created. This chapter was very well written because it included stories about the creators of these technologies that you don't read in a history book.