The First World War - its chemical origins

Although poison gases were first employed in the 1914-18 war, the consequent fatalities were relatively few compared to the millions who perished through the application of high explosives and synthetic propellants. The 19th century chemistry which underpinned the industrial production of these materials, particularly in Germany, will be the main feature of the talk. Large scale manufacturing organic chemistry really started with the synthetic dyestuffs industry, and the lecture will include at least one demonstration of early dyeing.