The Death Dealers
Encyclopedia
The Death Dealers is a mystery novel by Isaac Asimov
published in 1958 (later republished as A Whiff of Death). It is about a university
professor
whose research student dies while conducting an experiment. The professor attempts to determine if the death was accidental or planned.
.) In his experiment, he had somehow used sodium cyanide
instead of sodium acetate
, both white powders. Later, Brade is questioned by Detective Doheny, who is in charge of Ralph's case. When he gets home, he reveals to his wife his suspicions that Ralph's death was murder. She cautions him not to tell this to anyone, as he would destroy any chance of getting associate professorship and tenure
. The next day, he meets with the emeritus Cap Anson, who seems to blame him for Ralph's death. They visit the zoo together, and Anson encourages Brade to go into comparative biochemistry. Brade refuses, saying he wants to continue Ralph's work in chemical kinetics
. That night, he attends a departmental get-together at Chairman Littelby's, and becomes so fed up with the other professors blaming him for the death that he puts his job on the line and accuses them back. He is also disrespectful to Littelby with a nearly outright demand for tenure. On Sunday, he reads through Ralph's research notebooks and realizes that Ralph's data had been faked, a cardinal sin in chemistry. When Doheny returns, he tells him about the faking, suggesting it as a possible motive for suicide. Doheny, however, twists it around and says that Brade might have been trying to protect his own reputation by hiding the fraud. The next day, after his lectures in the university, he again meets with Cap Anson, and immediately afterward in the lab, nearly triggers a chemical reaction which would have killed him. Now resolved to solve the mystery, he questions student Roberta Goodhue in the presence of Doheny. She admits that she and Neufeld had had an argument about the faked data. The only person who could have overheard was Cap Anson. Doheny then tricks Anson into revealing that he knows about the attempt on Brade's life and Anson confesses.
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
published in 1958 (later republished as A Whiff of Death). It is about a university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
whose research student dies while conducting an experiment. The professor attempts to determine if the death was accidental or planned.
Plot summary
One Thursday afternoon, Prof. Brade goes to visit his graduate student's laboratory. He finds Ralph Neufeld dead, having inhaled hydrogen cyanide. (This is perhaps a grim echo of Ralph's connection with the Holocaust, as hydrogen cyanide was the lethal agent used by the Nazis in their gas chambersGas Chambers
Gas Chambers is a fast, hollow and shallow point break type of wave. Being that it is a high performance wave it is well suited for the average to pro level surfer. Gas Chambers is located on the North Shore of Oahu about a 1/4 of a mile north of Ehukai Beach Park and 1/2 a mile west of Sunset...
.) In his experiment, he had somehow used sodium cyanide
Sodium cyanide
Sodium cyanide is an inorganic compound with the formula NaCN. This highly toxic colorless salt is used mainly in gold mining but has other niche applications...
instead of sodium acetate
Sodium acetate
Sodium acetate, CH3COONa, also abbreviated NaOAc, also sodium ethanoate, is the sodium salt of acetic acid. This colourless salt has a wide range of uses.-Industrial:...
, both white powders. Later, Brade is questioned by Detective Doheny, who is in charge of Ralph's case. When he gets home, he reveals to his wife his suspicions that Ralph's death was murder. She cautions him not to tell this to anyone, as he would destroy any chance of getting associate professorship and tenure
Tenure
Tenure commonly refers to life tenure in a job and specifically to a senior academic's contractual right not to have his or her position terminated without just cause.-19th century:...
. The next day, he meets with the emeritus Cap Anson, who seems to blame him for Ralph's death. They visit the zoo together, and Anson encourages Brade to go into comparative biochemistry. Brade refuses, saying he wants to continue Ralph's work in chemical kinetics
Chemical kinetics
Chemical kinetics, also known as reaction kinetics, is the study of rates of chemical processes. Chemical kinetics includes investigations of how different experimental conditions can influence the speed of a chemical reaction and yield information about the reaction's mechanism and transition...
. That night, he attends a departmental get-together at Chairman Littelby's, and becomes so fed up with the other professors blaming him for the death that he puts his job on the line and accuses them back. He is also disrespectful to Littelby with a nearly outright demand for tenure. On Sunday, he reads through Ralph's research notebooks and realizes that Ralph's data had been faked, a cardinal sin in chemistry. When Doheny returns, he tells him about the faking, suggesting it as a possible motive for suicide. Doheny, however, twists it around and says that Brade might have been trying to protect his own reputation by hiding the fraud. The next day, after his lectures in the university, he again meets with Cap Anson, and immediately afterward in the lab, nearly triggers a chemical reaction which would have killed him. Now resolved to solve the mystery, he questions student Roberta Goodhue in the presence of Doheny. She admits that she and Neufeld had had an argument about the faked data. The only person who could have overheard was Cap Anson. Doheny then tricks Anson into revealing that he knows about the attempt on Brade's life and Anson confesses.
Characters
- Louis Brade – an assistant professor of organic chemistryOrganic chemistryOrganic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and preparation of carbon-based compounds, hydrocarbons, and their derivatives...
. - Doris Brade – his wife.
- Ralph Neufeld – a paranoid research student of Brade. From Europe. Survivor of "something unpleasant" in which father and sister were killed (possibly the Holocaust?).
- Cap Anson – an organic chemist and Brade's former teacher.
- Roberta Goodhue – another research student of Brade.
- Merill Foster – an assistant professor of organic chemistry. Colleague of Brade.
- Otto Ranke – a physical chemistPhysical chemistryPhysical chemistry is the study of macroscopic, atomic, subatomic, and particulate phenomena in chemical systems in terms of physical laws and concepts...
. Colleague of Brade. - Arthur Littelby – head of Brade's department.
- Jack Doheny – a policeman.