In this book the first three chapters outline the chemistry of nickel and heme largely associated with anaerobic life and believed to represent reactions which took place some 3-4x109years ago. Nickel has disappeared from the chemistry of man. The fascinating detail of the "primitive" catalysts is of interest to industrial society since very simple feed-stock is used, hydrogen, carbon monoxide and sulphate for example. The fourth chapter switches attention to a metal which became valuable later ...