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Petroleum from Coal shows why and how Friedrich Bergius and Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch in 1913-26 invented and developed synthetic fuel processes; explains why and how Matthias Pier at BASF- IG Farben and Otto Roelen at Ruhrchemie successfully industrialized the syntheses during the Nazi-World War II years; and analyzes the pre- and post-World War II vicissitudes of the synthetic fuel industry. The research of Germany’s scientists in the 1920s-40s made them world leaders in synthetic fuel studies. Information on the synthetic fuel processes has come from the Allied teams who went to Germany and Japan during World War II’s closing months and from British, American, and Canadian synthetic fuel investigations.
Price: $192.00
Pages: 410
Publisher: Brill
Imprint: Brill
Series: History of Modern Science
Publication Date:
09 May 2024
ISBN: 9789004544116
Format: Hardcover
"Petroleum from Coal: A Century of Synthesis is a foundational work on the history of synthetic fuels—thoroughly researched, rich in primary sources, and internationally comparative in scope. Of particular note is the outstanding archival work, which forms the backbone of the study and sets a methodological benchmark. [...] With this volume, Stranges has made a valuable contribution to the history of applied chemistry, industrial catalysis, and energy policy—one that is likely to serve as a reference point for future work in the history of chemistry and technology" – Christoph Kießling, in: Bulletin for the History of Chemistry (2025), p. 71
"Detailed source material on synthetic processes from Germany and Japan, the countries defeated in World War II, were collected by Allied research teams. [...] In 1975, a project was initiated to gather as much material as possible in the archives of Texas A&M University. The author of this book, Anthony N. Stranges, was involved in establishing this collection at College Station, Texas. In 1984, he wrote his first article on the German development of synthetic fuels and thereafter continued to publish with some frequency in leading history of science journals. The book contains adaptations of six of his publications, the latest dating from the year 2000. The author and editor have paid special attention to the design of the book." – Ton van Helvoort, in: a target="_blank" href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00026980.2025.2516365"> Ambix (2025), pp. 1-2
"Detailed source material on synthetic processes from Germany and Japan, the countries defeated in World War II, were collected by Allied research teams. [...] In 1975, a project was initiated to gather as much material as possible in the archives of Texas A&M University. The author of this book, Anthony N. Stranges, was involved in establishing this collection at College Station, Texas. In 1984, he wrote his first article on the German development of synthetic fuels and thereafter continued to publish with some frequency in leading history of science journals. The book contains adaptations of six of his publications, the latest dating from the year 2000. The author and editor have paid special attention to the design of the book." – Ton van Helvoort, in: a target="_blank" href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00026980.2025.2516365"> Ambix (2025), pp. 1-2
Anthony N. Stranges is Professor in the History Department at Texas A&M University. He teaches history of science, especially chemistry and chemical engineering. He has published several books and articles in various journals, including Isis, Technology and Culture, and Annals of Science.