Эликсир

V 1830‑kh godakh v Parizhe dvoe uchenykh Ėduard Lozhʹe i Ogi͡ust Loran postavili pered soboĭ ambit͡sioznui͡u zadachu - razgadatʹ taĭnu: chto otlichaet zhivui͡u materii͡u ot nezhivoĭ. Prini͡atai͡a na tot moment nauchnai͡a tradit͡sii͡a schitala, chto ėto nevozmozhno, poėtomu molodye li͡udi byli sochteny bezumnymi marginalami i izgnany iz avtoritetnogo nauchnogo soobshchestva. Dnem oni rabotali v parfi͡umernom magazine, zanimai͡asʹ izgotovleniem masel i ingredientov dli͡a dukhov, a vecherom pristupali k sobstvennym khimicheskim ėksperimentam. I odnazhdy ikh poiski prinesli rezulʹtat, obʺi͡asnenii͡a kotoromu net do sikh por. V svoeĭ knige "Ėliksir" istorik Tereza Levitt rasskazyvaet dve nerazryvno perepletai͡ushchiesi͡a istorii - razvitii͡a parfi͡umernoĭ industrii vo Frant͡sii i stanovlenii͡a organicheskoĭ khimii. Vmeste oni priveli khimikov k odnomu iz samykh udivitelʹnykh nauchnykh otkrytiĭ, svi͡azannykh s taĭnoĭ zarozhdenii͡a zhizni na Zemle. . Vdokhnovli͡ai͡ushchai͡a kniga o smelʹchakakh, kotorye verili v silu ideĭ, dazhe kogda mir nazyval ikh bezumt͡sami. - Glubokoe pogruzhenie v atmosferu Parizha XIX veka. - Vozmozhnostʹ prosleditʹ zakhvatyvai͡ushchiĭ putʹ stanovlenii͡a organicheskoĭ khimii. - Tereza Levitt, professor istorii nauki, pishet kak romanist: ee rasskaz polon zhizni, krasok i aromatov.

In the 1830s, in Paris, two scientists, Edouard Lojier and Auguste Laurent, set themselves the ambitious task of solving the mystery of what distinguishes living matter from inanimate matter. The accepted scientific tradition at that time believed that this was impossible, so young people were considered insane marginals and expelled from the reputable scientific community. During the day, they worked in a perfume store, making oils and ingredients for perfumes, and in the evening they started their own chemical experiments. And one day, their search brought a result that still has no explanation. In her book “Elixir”, historian Therese Levitt tells two inextricably intertwined stories — the development of the perfume industry in France and the formation of organic chemistry. Together, they led chemists to one of the most amazing scientific discoveries related to the mystery of the origin of life on Earth. . An inspiring book about daredevils who believed in the power of ideas, even when the world called them madmen. – A deep dive into the atmosphere of 19th century Paris. – An opportunity to follow the exciting path of organic chemistry development. – Teresa Levitt, professor of the history of science, writes like a novelist: her story is full of life, colors and flavors.