This book tells the story of two of the most important figures in the history of chemistry. Carl Wilhelm Scheele (1742–1786) was the first to prepare oxygen and realise that air is a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen; he also discovered many important organic and inorganic substances. His fellow chemist and good friend, Torbern Bergman (1735–1784), was one of the pioneers in analytical and physical chemistry. In this carefully researched biography, the author, Anders Lennartson, explains the chemistry of Scheele and Bergman while putting their discoveries in the context of other 18th-century chemistry. Much of the information contained in this work is available in English for the first time.

Torbern Olof Bergman (1735-1784), a pupil of Linnaeus, was later professor of chemistry, metallurgy, and pharmacy at the University of Uppsala.