Loading...
Welcome
Sign up
Login
Browse Books
Deals
VIP
0
Loading...
Play Sample
Elixir: A Parisian Perfume House and the Quest for the Secret of Life
Written by:
Theresa Levitt
Narrated by:
Esther Wane
Unabridged Audiobook
Play Free
Add to Cart - $19.99
Remove from Cart
Give as a gift
Ratings
Book
Narrator
Release Date
May 2023
Duration
8 hours 46 minutes
Summary
For centuries, scientists believed that living matter possessed a special quality-a spirit or essence-that differentiated it from nonliving matter. But by the nineteenth century, the scientific consensus was that the building blocks of one were identical to the building blocks of the other. Elixir tells the story of two young chemists who were not convinced, and how their work rewrote the boundary between life and nonlife.
In the 1830s, Édouard Laugier and Auguste Laurent were working in Laugier Pere et Fils, the oldest perfume house in Paris. By day they prepared the perfumery's revitalizing elixirs and rejuvenating eaux, drawing on alchemical traditions that equated a plant's vitality with its aroma. In their spare time they hunted the vital force that promised to reveal the secret to life itself. Their ideas, roundly condemned by established chemists, led to the discovery of structural differences between naturally occurring molecules and their synthetic counterparts, even when the molecules were chemically identical.
Scientists still can't explain this anomaly, but it may point to critical insights concerning the origins of life on Earth. Rich in sparks and smells, brimming with eccentric characters, experimental daring, and the romance of the Bohemian salon, Elixir is a fascinating cultural and scientific history.
Browse By Category
Business & Economics
>
Business & Career Development
History
>
Europe
Non-Fiction
>
Biology & Chemistry
1 book added to cart
Elixir: A Parisian Perfume House ...
Theresa Levitt
Subtotal
$19.99
View Cart
Continue Browsing
~~title~~
~~carousel-body~~
Back
Next
~~book-title~~
By: ~~author-single-string~~
~~tag-text~~
© Copyright 2011 - 2024 Storytel Audiobooks USA LLC. All Rights Reserved.