A Life of Magic Chemistry: Autobiographical Reflections Including Post-Nobel Prize Years and the Methanol Economy 2nd Edition by George A. Olah (PDF)

Description

The autobiography of a Nobel Prize winner, this book tells us about George Olah’s fascinating research into extremely strong superacids and how it yielded the common term “magic acids.” Olah guides us through his long and remarkable journey, from Budapest to Cleveland to Los Angeles, with a stopover in Stockholm. This updated autobiography of a Nobel Prize winner George A. Olah: Chronicles the distinguished career of a chemist whose work in a broad range of chemistry areas, and most notably that in methane chemistry, led to technologies that impact the processing and utility of alternative fuelsIs based on Olah’s work on extremely strong superacids and how they yielded the common term, “magic acids”Details events since the publication of the first edition in 2000Inspires readers with details on Dr. Olah’s successful recent research on methanol, intended to help provide a solution to “the oil problem”

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐This is an updated version of an original biography first published in 2001 and apparently has several additions. It concerns a man whose name will be as unfamiliar as it is possible for anyone’s to be as his career was essentially conducted behind closed doors. Although not obviously promising, it has included areas of chemistry that were both commercially useful and actually benefit the world’s population. He also happened to win the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in the 90s which provides some idea of the importance of his work.George A Olah was born in Hungary in the middle years between the two World Wars, although now in his late-80s and technically retired but still actively involved, his life’s work will not be of wide public interest as it was exclusively in the field of chemistry, especially that of methane and using it as an alternative fuel which had occupied much of his later career. It may not appear to be as promising as drug development, plastics or artificial fibres or some others, but it is very relevant to today’s fuel-hungry world. Methane exists in nature and is the gas around which ‘fracking’ is currently controversially centred. It is also produced as a bye-product of the digestion process and in vast quantities by cattle and other plant-eating animals.Other elements of his work involve a group of industrially-synthesised ‘super acids’ which have abilities far beyond those known in the school laboratory. These super acids are widely used in the petroleum industry to help produce high octane fuels for specialist applications and also in the plastics industry to produce compounds that cannot be produced by any other means. This is another area of chemistry that is less than glamourous to the general public.As the author is not attempting to self-promote, spread a message or do anything other than to detail an unusually lengthy career, the book is primarily modest and an honest reflection of a life. While extensively illustrated, it is not printed on a smooth or glossy paper but one that is slightly matte which does not render its photographs especially well. Also scattered throughout are a number of chemistry formulae which will defeat most readers unless with a relevant degree or a substantial depth of knowledge of the subject.The book’s retail price is unusually high for a biography and its presentation is mostly of a superior nature. These factors may reflect the publisher’s expectations that its audience will be a specialist one and predominantly comprise fellow industrial chemists and therefore better able to afford the outlay although it may also interest some students although possibly out of their price range. It could find a place in many university libraries where it would be well placed.

⭐This is the updated version of Olah’s autobiography (2001) that is available for free on the net. To all intents and purposes it is the same up to chapter 10 and then Olah has reworked and expanded the final chapters to bring it up to the current date. My first degree is in chemistry, however, you don’t need that level of understanding to appreciate that Olah is an incredible man in this field and this expanded 2nd edition of his autobiography shows even old age isn’t slowing him down much as he reflects on his long career. Charting his path from clearing the debris of post world war II Hungary to the dizzy heights of the Nobel prize in 1994 and beyond, the expanded narrative shows insight into the character of a man who is determined, driven and insanely curious about the world about him. His insights into superacid chemistry, carbocations and more recently his promotion of methanol as a means of storing energy, tying up CO2, thereby reducing carbon emissions, are just examples of his out of the box thinking where his curiosity has pushed the boundaries of what is possible in chemistry. Had he been a physicist we would have been proclaiming him as another Einstein. This updated edition of his autobiography shares one thing in common with the first edition in that it is an easy, entertaining and inspiring read of a life well lived.

⭐George Olah has no doubt led an interesting and at times challenging life; growing up in Hungary between the two world wars, making his mark in the science world from a young age and under difficult conditions in an isolated Hungary after WWII and making the decision to leave his academic career in Hungary to move to North America to build a career first in an industrial lab and then back to academia. A big part of the first third of the book deals with the historical setting as well as his experiences, and it is approachable and gives an idea of what it was like in a very straight-forward manner.The Nobel Prize speaks for itself when it comes to the obvious quality of his research, discoveries and work ethics and it’s this part that I had hoped to both learn from and also enjoy the recounting of, but unfortunately it fell somewhat flat for me. And no doubt a big part of it is my lack of understanding of the formulas etc. used to explain his discoveries – which takes up more and more space in the book as we reach the US years. And this is where my reading enjoyment decreased dramatically.I am obviously the wrong audience for this book, so I would say as a lay person, I do not think it warrants the high price tag. But I am sure people who already are knowledgeable about Mr Olah’s work, it will be an interesting read. 3.5 stars for an uneven experience

⭐George A. Olah is the Nobel Prize-winning organic chemist who discovered the so-called ‘magic acids’ which supply this ghost-written autobiography with a vital word for the title.Born in Budapest in 1927 he talks of his early life, father (a lawyer) and mother before moving onto his education where he was initially drawn to the humanities before studying organic chemistry at university.He found his education disrupted by the war years, of course, and the Russian invasion of Hungary led to a realignment of education to follow the soviet example following their takeover.He later did a lot of research, as well as holding posts, in American universities in two different institutes in Massachusetts (latterly Boston) then onto Cleveland where he spent twelve productive years before moving on to CaliforniaThe book follows his career and personal life and it’s a fascinating story – and highly recommended if your bank balance (or public library) can provide you with a copy!

⭐An interesting combination of autobiography and chemistry lecture, as the life of Nobel prize winner George Olah is charted with plenty of nice equations and diagrammatic models thrown in for the hardcore chem fan.Such a book of course has a limited market from the outset, as it is pretty technical in parts- you probably need an advanced Chemistry qualification to get the most out of it- but for chemistry laymen the autobiographical sections and his analysis of contemporary science and the progression of knowledge is intriguing and thought provoking. A specialist book sure, but for any one interested in the personal as well as academic development of a top scientist, it’s an unusual but fascinating book.

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