Ebook: Seven Elements That Have Changed the World: an Adventure of ingenuity and Discovery

Cover; Title Page; Epigraph; Dedication; Contents; Preface; The Essence of Everything; IRON; CARBON; Coal; Oil; Natural Gas; GOLD; SILVER; URANIUM; TITANIUM; SILICON; Glass; Solar Power; Computers; Carbon Revisited: Graphene; Power, Progress and Destruction; Acknowledgements; List of Maps; List of Illustrations; Image Gallery; Notes; Bibliography; Index; A; B; C; D; E; F; G; H; I; J; K; L; M; N; O; P; Q; R; S; T; U; V; W; X; Y; Z; Copyright.;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 BP for twelve years, vividly d.