Book Description
The periodic table is one of the most potent icons in science. It lies at the core of chemistry and embodies the most fundamental principles of the field. The one definitive text on the development of the periodic table by van Spronsen (1969), has been out of print for a considerable time. The present book provides a successor to van Spronsen, but goes further in giving an evaluation of the extent to which modern physics has, or has not, explained the periodic system. The book is written in a lively style to appeal to experts and interested lay-persons alike. The Periodic Table begins with an overview of the importance of the periodic table and of the elements and it examines the manner in which the term 'element' has been interpreted by chemists and philosophers. The book then turns to a systematic account of the early developments that led to the classification of the elements including the work of Lavoisier, Boyle and Dalton and Cannizzaro. The precursors to the periodic system, like Dobereiner and Gmelin, are discussed. In chapter 3 the discovery of the periodic system by six independent scientists is examined in detail. Two chapters are devoted to the discoveries of Mendeleev, the leading discoverer, including his predictions of new elements and his accommodation of already existing elements. Chapters 6 and 7 consider the impact of physics including the discoveries of radioactivity and isotopy and successive theories of the electron including Bohr's quantum theoretical approach. Chapter 8 discusses the response to the new physical theories by chemists such as Lewis and Bury who were able to draw on detailed chemical knowledge to correct some of the early electronic configurations published by Bohr and others. Chapter 9 provides a critical analysis of the extent to which modern quantum mechanics is, or is not, able to explain the periodic system from first principles. Finally, chapter 10 considers the way that the elements evolved following the Big Bang and in the interior of stars. The book closes with an examination of further chemical aspects including lesser known trends within the periodic system such as the knight's move relationship and secondary periodicity, as well at attempts to explain such trends.
Customer Reviews:
A book that honors "one of the most powerful icons in science".......2007-04-12
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"In spite of the central...role of the periodic table [of the elements], very few authors have felt drawn to write books on its evolution. There is no book that deals adequately with the historical, and especially the conceptual, aspects of the periodic system [that holds that there is a fundamental relationship among the elements] or its significance in chemistry and science generally. It is with the aim of injecting a more philosophical treatment to understanding the periodic system that [this book] has been undertaken...this book is not intended as a work of historical scholarship...the reader is [taken] on an interdisciplinary tour of the many areas of science that are connected with the periodic system, including physics, mathematics, computational methods, history and philosophy of science, and of course, chemistry."
The above is found in the introduction to this fascinating, extremely well researched book by Dr. Eric Scerri, a professor of chemistry and history & philosophy of science at UCLA. This book is fittingly dedicated to the 100TH anniversary of the death of Dimitri Mendeleev (1834 to 1907).
The periodic table of the elements--what is it? Simply, it is basically a two-dimensional representation of a periodic system (that is explained above). The aim of this book is to bring the story of the periodic table "up to date."
This book from my own personal perspective can roughly be divided into five parts:
(I) An overview of the periodic system. (1 chapter)
(II) The development of the periodic table. (4 chapters)
(III) The nucleus and the periodic table: radioactivity, atomic number (the number of protons contained in the nucleus of the atom of an element), and isotopy (isotopes are any of two or more forms of an element having the same number of protons but differing in the number of neutrons). (1 chapter)
(IV) Electronic explanations for the elements of the periodic table: physics versus chemistry. (3 chapters)
(V) Astrophysics, element formation, other chemical trends that defy neat explanations, and three fundamental questions regarding the periodic table. (1 chapter)
One of the key features of this book, as mentioned above, is that it is well researched. However, Scerri goes one step beyond mere information gathering. He actually questions the information he has found. Here are just three examples:
(1) "The notion that the periodic table was deduced from quantum theory by [physicist Niels] Bohr [as the historical record implies] is something of an exaggeration."
(2) "This, I submit, suggests remarkable foresight and intuition on the part of [chemical writer] Gmelin, as does the way in which he uses his system to ground the presentation of the chemistry of these elements. Yet Gmelin's contribution to the classification of the elements has not been sufficiently appreciated of chemistry, or even historians of the periodic system."
(3) Clearly [chemist Dimitri] Mendeleev was spectacularly successful in [his] predictions [of new elements] but perhaps not quite to the extent that is implied by the more selective tables of comparison that regularly appear in chemistry textbooks and even histories of chemistry."
Another feature of this book is the inclusion of the actual writings of key people involved in the development of the periodic table. I found all of these interesting.
Yet another feature is that it is jam-packed with charts, tables, diagrams, etc. so readers can see for themselves what is going on. Some of these tables, etc. are actual copies from historical documents. As well, there are black and white portraits of some of those who contributed to some aspect of the formation and understanding of the periodic table.
The majority of the chapters end with a conclusion that consolidates all the information in a particular chapter. I found these most helpful.
Finally, I feel that this book can be read by all who are interested in the periodic table. However, the author assumes some science background. Many terms are defined in the book's main narrative but many are not. Thus, it would have been helpful if an appendix explaining key terms was also included. As well, a glossary would have been most helpful. Of course, any difficulties can be resolved by referring to a good, standard dictionary or even a basic science dictionary (especially for part IV above).
In conclusion, there are elements of the periodic table that are named after admired others. Examples include Einsteinium and Mendelevium. Eric Scerri has written a comprehensive book that honors the periodic table. Perhaps when a new element is discovered it should be named "Scerrium."
(first published 2006; acknowledgements; introduction; 10 chapters; main narrative 285 pages; notes; index)
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Beautiful Patterns.......2007-01-05
Humans are exquisitely good at finding patterns. Sometimes those patterns turn out to be illusory, such as the constellations. Sometimes they turn out to be very real, such as the patterns illustrated by the periodic table of the elements. Eric Scerri, in his book The Periodic Table, has done an excellent job of presenting a "warts and all" history of the periodic table. Instead of presenting the "heroes only" version of the history of the periodic table [speaking of illusory patterns] found in most high school and college textbooks, he gives us a full historical view with all the players, big and small, and shows how even ideas that turned out to be wrong had a positive effect on getting us to the periodic table we use today. Although scientists may someday show that the periodic table ultimately reduces to quantum mechanics, Professor Scerri shows us why we can't say that with the level of certainty with which it is often presented in chemistry classes [the next time I find chemistry among my preps at the high school where I teach, I will be much better prepared to deal with the periodic table]. The interested lay reader should find the book quite accessible, but a knowledge of high school chemistry, especially in the later chapters where electron configurations are presented [idea for the paperback - include an appendix that covers some chemistry basics like electron configurations], will help. Knowledge of the terminology used in the study of philosophy will also help the reader. This book should be of interest to folks with an interest in the history and philosophy of science, even if they don't have a specific interest in chemistry and the periodic table, especially fans of Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. I strongly suggest that The Periodic Table become required reading for all high school chemistry teachers! John Emsley is still my favorite writer on chemical topics, but Eric Scerri moves to a place not far behind.
An instant classic.......2007-01-03
The Periodic Table is one of the most iconic symbols in our culture. Every person interested in the physical world in which we live will want to read this book. It is also a masterful history of the people involved in the establishment of the periodic law of chemistry. The gradual growth in awareness of the regularities of the elements is the main theme of this work. It is already a classic in its first year in print!
A brilliant achievement.......2006-12-28
Scerri's work is a rich and fascinating account of the history, development and current significance of the Periodic Table: if you have any interest in chemistry you should read it. In his book he describes how the Period System was discovered (giving due credit to Mendeleev, but also to many others who deserve their place in the history of discovery),showing how it was received by other chemists. The most interesting part for me is in the brilliant later chapters, where the role of the Periodic System in influencing Bohr's ideas on the atom, and the nature of the relationship between quantum theory and empirical evidence is presented as clearly as you will find anywhere. Chemistry emerges not (as Dirac once claimed) entirely reduced to physics, but as a still-developing science in which quantum mechanics plays an important but not yet wholly reductive role.
Customer Reviews:
good popular science.......2003-08-29
By putting over 3,000 years of faces on the search for the elemental principles -- from the Greek philosopher Anaximander, who held that all the material world was made of four "elements", Earth, Air, Fire, and Water; to teams of modern scientists who race to create new elements -- Benjamin Wiker has moved chemistry off the shelf of dry-and-dusty arcania and given the reader a gum-shoe tale filled with odd and interesting characters. This book is an excellent remedy for people who think the sciences were hatched in university laboratories, or born the test-tube children of egg-headed professors. Tracing the theories of philosophers, alchemists, and scientists, making acquaintance with men of all walks and many nationalities, whose only common trait was their persistent desire to peer ever deeper into the nature of things, Wiker not only outlines the genealogy of the Periodic Table of Elements, but, so doing, introduces his reader to the principles of theoretical and practical science, to the history of the scientific method, and even inklings of atomic theory. This book will be accessible, and of interest, to a wide range of readers: those with no science background can still follow the general story with ease, while even the reader well-versed in high-school level chemistry has probably never encountered the history of modern chemistry synthesized with such clarity and appeal.
Everybody CAN understand Science.......2003-07-25
This terrific book helps make a complex area of science - the field of chemistry and the periodic table - accessible to everyone. Benjamin Wiker skillfully and humorously takes us through the history of theories, experiments, mistakes and successes in understanding the elements and the development of the Periodic Table. The icing on the cake is how fascinating the order of the table is and how closely and mathematically the elements are related to each other. Fascinating!
The book is written for ages 10 and up, but high schoolers and even college students would benefit from the memorable way this book presents the big picture and helps it 'stick.' The last three chapters are a little tougher to follow. I found it helpful to draw some of my own diagrams of the various atoms and their electron structure.
Book Description
For anyone interested in the tiny building blocks of our universe, Matt Tweed-the illustrator of Useful Mathematical & Physical Formulae-offers a fascinating introduction to the complex and beautiful world of the elements. Tweed reveals the principal properties and interactions of substances familiar (carbon, oxygen, water) and unfamiliar (rare earth elements and subatomic particles). He explains atomic bonding, radioactivity, and DNA, and presents alternative ways of visualizing the periodic table, as well as a succinct synthesis of the Big Bang. Scientists and laymen alike will be entranced.
Customer Reviews:
Good, but not useful.......2007-05-07
The book very briefly lists our current knowledge of the atomic world.
The issue I have is that for those who are even vaguely familiar with the subject already, the book provides no more knowledge. For those who are not familiar, they would albeit get to know about the terms used in Physics, but would gain no appreciation or true understanding of it. (In the sense that you learn that the Earth is round, but appreciating this fact requires understanding how mankind learned that, and what kind of surprise it was for them to learn this.)
Feynman once asked his father why the ball on the top of his toy truck moves backwards (with respect to the truck) if he pushes the truck forward. His father answered that nobody knows! He could have said that it is because of inertia blah blah. But that does not answer the question, it only gives new terminology to ask the same question all over again (what is inertia).
By telling Feynman that the answer is not known, his father developed his curiosity and simultaneously prevented him from developing biases.
This book gives you all the answers without making you appreciate how all that came about. Its doing exactly the opposite of what Feynman's father did to him.
By the way: I have read a few other books from the Wooden Books series. I usually love them.
Totally original.......2004-05-25
This is a really fun book. It successfully manages to get across the massive amount of weirdness down in the smaller end of things. My sons love it. Some of the pictures are the best I've seen anywhere. A little bit of a pity it didn't go into bond angles and so organic chemistry (lack of space I guess), and, as another reviewer has noted, there are some weak places ... but I just love the feel of the book, the way the subjects have been handled, and, unlike so many 'popular' chemistry books, this one at least has a beautifully designed periodic table at the back! Really highly recommended for kids or for adults who need their science refreshing.
Should have had a chemist review your manuscript........2004-01-20
This is a "cute" book for its' size and illustrations. Not especially informative, but I suppose it wasn't meant to be.
However, it should not make gross mistatements such as found on page 6: ie., Isotopes of the same element can have radically diverse chemical properties.
Chemical properties of an element are the result of the electronic arrangement of its' orbiting electrons. All isotopes of a particular element have the same orbiting electron arrangement, thus the same chemical properties.
The isotopes of a given element have different masses due to the different number of neutrons in their nuclei. For this reason, physical methods are used to separate the various isotopes of a given element.
A Wonderful Little Book!.......2003-06-30
Tiny and almost like a child's book, this puppy helped me catch up with all the new stuff that's been going on in the world of physics since I took the subject in high school decades ago. Only slightly larger than a CD jewel case and only 58 pages - and half of those are filled with diagrams - it still took me the better part of my Sunday morning to read and comprehend it. I was particularly impressed with the last page: a graphic representation of 36 different electron orbitals. I also liked the alternatives to the periodic tables that he offers. And his depiction of the universe since the Big Bang is enlightening. I finished the book amazed at how much of everything is nothing.
The author also has added a sense of playfulness to the diagrams (and occasionally, the text) that helps to keep this subject from turning into the snoozer it traditionally is. Now I know why all those nerdy, high-end mathematician-types are so passionate about their work!
If you take mass transit to work, this is an excellent book for you.
Book Description
"The Periodic Table" introduces budding chemists to the world of the elements as it's never been seen before. Designed to resemble popular networking Web sites, the pages of this book feature "homepages" for each of the chemical elements-complete with witty and informative profiles written by the elements themselves, plus a personally chosen picture.
Customer Reviews:
A Great Book for introducing the Periodic Table to kids.......2007-09-27
The best thing about this book is that it makes a subject that MOST adults (let alone children) consider to be completely dry, extremely interesting!!
As I read through this book, I was struck by how much it reads like some of my kids Pokemon books - the drawings of the elements have a Japanese anime look to them, and they are grouped in very Pokemon-like groups, "The Alkali Earth Metals" (once thought to be harmless and boring, until they were released from Oxygen, at which point they became unruly), "The Transition Elements" (a motley crew of rednecks), etcetera.
And each individual element has a catchy description, a cool drawing, and the same 10 basic bullet points facts for each one (symbol, color, classification, etc..) This presentation makes the information very accessible to most children. It would actually make excellent information for trading or flash cards.
In fact, I think the author could make a great educational game based on this book. Kids could easily learn and retain some of the fascinating facts about different elements if it was presented in the context of a game..
a great little guidebook! .......2007-08-30
The Periodic Table, Elements with Style! Is a charming little book that serves as a nice chemistry introduction. The book is most appropriate for kids working at about a 4th grade level or higher. It's aimed at upper elementary to middle school kids, but would also make a handy reference guide or review for high schoolers who are not overly familiar with the periodic table.
This book is about 100 pages long. Each element has a first person description offered in a "my space" style narrative. Strontium, for instance says, " I'm Scottish, named after the town of Strontian where I was discovered. You may see me as a shy, run-of-the-mill, silver-colored metal, but I've got a few surprises up my sleeve..." Magnesium brags, " I'm sparky, and I always cause a reaction!" Barium's page declares, "...I'm a real rocker and more reactive than calcium." These sometimes silly descriptions do provide useful information about the various elements, and make the task of memorization easier.
Accompanying cartoon type illustrations give a visual presence to each element. Gold resembles a ghost from the old Pac-Man game, standing high on a pedestal. Lead appears as a warrior dressed in Spartan style. My personal favorite is sulfur, who is quite absurdly shown as a cute little girl dressed in yellow! My seven year old daughter found the simply rendered drawings to be highly amusing and they helped her form an identity for each element.
The book is organized into sections about hydrogen, the alkali metals, the alkaline earth metals, the transition elements, the boron elements, the carbon elements, the nitrogen elements, the oxygen elements, the halogen elements, the noble gases, the lanthanides and actinides, and the transactinides. A handy glossary in the back explains terminology such as gamma ray, isotope, and catalyst. The bottom of each element's page contains facts about date of discovery or earliest known use, as well as density, melting point, and boiling point.
It's cute, it's clever, and very enticing to the youngster interested in science. A great resource!
Courtesy of Teens Read Too.......2007-05-30
Who said chemistry had to be boring? (I'm sure no one has ever said this, but someone sure forgot to tell my science teacher!) Basher and Adrian Dingle have come together to create an entertaining and valuable resource for students with their version of the 111 elements.
Whether you're studying chemistry in school right now or not, you're sure to get a kick out of the full-color illustrations inside the pages of this book. Plus, you might actually learn something, as each element is fully described in detail: the name, its symbol, its atomic number, its atomic weight, its color, its standard state, and its classification.
The elements are also broken down into eleven separate categories, including the Alkali Metals, the Transition Elements, the Boron Elements, the Carbon Elements, the Nitrogen Elements, the Oxygen Elements, the Halogen Elements, the Noble Gases, the Lanthanides and Actinides, and the Transactinides.
This is the perfect, easy-to-use reference guide for people of all ages, and the included poster can easily be used for an educating, stylish decorating tool. Who knew elements could be so interesting??
Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"
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Elements and the Periodic Table (The Library of Physical Science)
Suzanne Slade
Manufacturer: PowerKids Press
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ASIN: 1404234187 |
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Many charts have extra information or reproducible activities on the back. Large 17" x 22" size!
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Periodic Table of the Elements (Oxford Chemistry)
Richard J. Puddephatt
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press
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ASIN: 0198554079 |
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Dmitri Mendeleyev and the Periodic Table (Uncharted, Unexplored, and Unexplained)
Susan Zannos
Manufacturer: Mitchell Lane Publishers
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ASIN: 1584152672 |
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Born in an isolated Siberian village in 1834, Dmitri Ivanovitch Mendeleyev overcame great odds to become the most brilliant and acclaimed scientist in the field of chemistry in the 19th century. His mother's determination overcame the objections of those who believed he was a poor student. She took him the long hard way across Siberia to Moscow and later St. Petersburg where finally Mendeleyev was admitted to a teachers college. Despite his mother's death and his own serious illness, he was awarded the gold medal for best student of the year in 1855. As a young chemistry teacher, he was sent to study in Europe in order the bring the latest developments in the science back to Russia. He succeeded so well that his chemistry textbooks became standard texts all over the world, and his Periodic Table of the Elements forms the foundation for all the advances in chemistry from his time until the present.
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The Periodic Table
