Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

CHOICE Review

In the 1950s the US armed services sponsored a research project, finally costing over $200 million in 1950 dollars, to produce high-energy fuels based on boron hydrides to be used in high-performance aircraft. This book is an entertaining anecdotal account of the personal experiences of a young chemical engineer who worked on this project at pilot plants in New York State from 1953 until the project was terminated in 1960. It is principally of interest for its insider's view of how work was conducted on a hazardous research and manufacturing program at that particular period. There is only a brief account of the chemistry and chemical engineering involved; there is some discussion of the technical reasons why the project was initiated and terminated. The book is illustrated with photographs of sites, chemical plants, and individuals; there is a full index and a brief reference section. General readership.-H. Goldwhite, California State University, Los Angeles