Alfred Berhard Nobel Essay Research Paper Alfred

Alfred Berhard Nobel Essay, Research Paper

Alfred Bernhard Nobel (1833-1896)Alfred Bernhard Nobel was a Swedish chemist, inventor, philanthropist, and some say was the first mad scientist. [http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventors/nobel.htm] Eventually, blowing up things was a part of his everyday life. Born on October 21, 1833 in Stockholm, Sweden, Alfred Nobel led a rough life. He was constantly sick, due to extremely poor housing conditions, cold winters, and unending poverty. [http://www.nobel-enterprises.com/alfred_nobel.html] Alfred was one of eight children, which was a contributing factor in the poverty. Only four of the children managed to stay alive to reach adulthood. [http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/4/0,5716,57414+1+56007,00.html] Alfred’s father, Immanuel, was originally an engineer and inventor who built bridges and buildings in Stockholm. Because of his ties with construction, he also experimented with different methods for blasting rocks. He wasn’t making much of a living at this, and his family drastically needed money, so he opened and operated a mechanical workshop that provided supplies for the Russian army. The profit from the mechanical workshop was looking promising. [Alfred Nobel: A Biography] On the side, Immanuel was still into engineering and was designing navel mines (which were simply submerged wooden casks filled with gunpowder) for the Russians. They anchored them underwater off the Gulf of Finland to stop the British Royal Navy from coming into firing range of St. Petersburg, since the Crimean war was going on at this time. And if all these jobs weren’t enough to tackle, Immanuel was also beginning to design steam engines. As for Immanuel’s wife, Andrietta, (originally born Andrietta Ahlsell) she started a grocery store to make ends meet for the family. The family she had come from was very affluent, and they lent her the money to start the business, as they could see what financial trouble the family was in. [http://www.nobel.se/nobel/Alfred-nobel/biographical/life-work/index.html] Both businesses were taking off and suddenly income was coming in fairly regularly. With the extra money, Immanuel decided to send 17-year-old Alfred around the world to study chemical engineering. [Alfred Nobel: A Biography] Although Alfred’s primary interests were in English literature and poetry, his father disapproved and tried to steer him more towards chemistry and physics. [Serendipity: Accidental Discoveries in Science] Alfred first traveled to Germany, then to Paris, where he worked with the well-known French chemist J.T. Pelouze. He learned several different languages while in Paris, including Swedish, Russian, French, English and German, that would help him to become successful later down the road. [http://www.nobel-enterprises.com/alfred_nobel.html] Now in 1853, the Crimean war was into full swing. Immanuel s business was profiting even more than before, since he was selling supplies to the Russian army. Profit even reached an all-time high. Business was booming like never before. Once word reached Alfred, he chose to return to home and help out. [http://www.nobel-enterprises.com/alfred_nobel.html] Three years later the war ended. Obviously and as one would predict, the family s company hit rock bottom. Bankruptcy was becoming closer and closer to reality. [http://www.nobel.se/nobel/Alfred-nobel/biographical/life-work/index.html] The Nobel family returned to Sweden and rented a small estate just outside of Stockholm in a town called Heleneborg. With much time on his hands, Alfred began practicing some chemistry. [http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/4/0,5716,57414+1+56007,00.html] He realized gunpowder (also known as black powder at the time) was the only explosive currently available, and it was only effective to an extent. Gunpowder didn t work in many cases and projects, especially those involving hard rock. The rock had to be broken down with hammers. Alfred and his father began pondering an alternative. Immanuel was already somewhat knowledgeable in regards to blasting rock, since his previous job involved experimenting with such a thing. [Serendipity: Accidental Discoveries in Science]Shortly after, the two toyed with the idea of using nitroglycerine. Mixing glycerin with sulfuric and nitric acid produced a result that was extremely explosive. It was previously discovered in 1847 by the Italian chemist Ascanio Sobrero. [http://www.nobel-enterprises.com/alfred_nobel.html] Alfred knew Ascanio already, having worked with him during his stay in Paris. By 1861, Alfred and Immanuel Nobel were producing nitroglycerin on their own. Within their first few encounters with the substance, they discovered it was terribly unstable and explosive. So dangerous that Alfred s lab blew up in 1864, killing his younger brother and several others. The explosion was heard all over Stockholm. His reputation was going down in flames. He was having many doubts in himself as an inventor. A bizarre incident a few years later made him realize exactly what others thought of him. [http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/4/0,5716,57414+1+56007,00.html] Alfred’s brother Ludvig passed away while staying in Cannes, France. His obituary was printed in the French newspapers, only they confused the brothers and thought Alfred had died. One French newspaper’s headline read: Le marchand de la mort est mort, which means, The merchant of death is dead! Alfred read the paper and