Elements of Chemical Reaction Engineering (4th Edition) (Prentice Hall International Series in the Physical and Chemical Engineering Sciences)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Very clear about concepts
  • Absolutely worth buying
  • Excellent Book
  • Great Book
  • Excellent Book
Elements of Chemical Reaction Engineering (4th Edition) (Prentice Hall International Series in the Physical and Chemical Engineering Sciences)
H. Scott Fogler
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall PTR
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0130473944

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Very clear about concepts.......2007-08-17

The book was very clear in the concepts it introduced. Laid out clearly the derivations and especially appreciated the topic sentence on the side of each paragraph. Although the book is clear in the text, I wish the summaries at the end of each chapter would list the assumptions that it makes for each equation so you don't have to look back to the rest of the chapter.

5 out of 5 stars Absolutely worth buying.......2004-11-26

This book is good not only as a text book because of the simple way it presents the subject, the problems, and the complementary examples on the CD. It is also a great reference, because it has every chapter sumarized by the end, with the formulas. It includes multiple examples both on the book and the Cd, and allows full use of computational tools applied on the problem solving.

4 out of 5 stars Excellent Book.......2004-05-10

Best book by far that I have had as undergrad. Highly recommended. We all love it at the University of Utah.

5 out of 5 stars Great Book.......2004-03-01

This has been the best chemical engineering book in my undergraduate education, BY FAR. Not only does the book rpesent concepts that are easy to understand, but they are also reinforced continually with plenty of example problems from the accompanying CD. The CD also has a few modules and "games" to help out. All in all, from the standpoint of an undergraduate dealing with this course material, the book is excellent in helping students with different learning styles learn the material. I have no knowledge whether the depth of the subject is thorough enough for real world applications, but I suspect it is.

5 out of 5 stars Excellent Book.......2003-05-15

In contrast with what my fellow Ann Arbor reviewer (and most likely UM ChE student), I tended to think that Fogler's book was an excellent way by which to learn the principles of Chemical Reaction Engineering. The book is well organized and while the chapters may skip some, the principle chapters (1-6 in the sixth printing) are the recommended starting chapters. Once passing through chapters 1 - 6, the topics do deviate some, but the fundamental principles necessary to understand any of the topics in chapters 7 and beyond are well established prior to engaging the later material. While my colleague from Ann Arbor may be correct in noting that there are several different printings of the third edition text, Fogler provides adequate typo errors on the text website. In terms of POLYMATH, Fogler does rely on this computer software to show many of the examples in his book. For a good bulk of the examples and homework problems, however, the operation of POLYMATH is extremely easy. If one knows how to type equations into a table and press a 'calculate' button, one can easily run POLYMATH. Fogler provides the program on the CD that accompanies the text. It makes solving differential equations (and their solution curves) much easier than doing so by hand.

I must say that this is the best Chemical Engineering textbook I've had as a student (Geankopolis was a close second). Fogler establishes the principles of CRE well, and the language of the text is not above and beyond reading comprehension. The style Fogler uses is very algorithmic, which, after utilizing the algorithm over and over again, makes reactor design problems much easier to deal with.

Having been one of Fogler's students, I will agree that he tries very hard to relate to students. He is the only professor I've had that tries to learn each student's name. While there might be a few interesting (cheesy) examples and illustrations in the book, they do at times provide some comical relief from the rigors of Chemical Reaction Engineering. Not to mention, the additional material (Interactive Computer Modules, Real World Examples, Chaper Notes, Self Tests) that Fogler provides on the text CD an website are available to further enrich the mind of a struggling learner.

This book, at least from a student's perspective, is wonderful!
The Chemistry of the Actinide and Transactinide Elements (5 Volume Set)
Average customer rating: Not rated
    The Chemistry of the Actinide and Transactinide Elements (5 Volume Set)

    Manufacturer: Springer
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

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    ASIN: 1402035551

    Book Description

    The Chemistry of the Actinide and Transactinide Elements is a contemporary and definitive compilation of chemical properties of all of the actinide elements, especially of the technologically important elements uranium and plutonium, as well as the transactinide elements. In addition to the comprehensive treatment of the chemical properties of each element, ion, and compound from atomic number 89 (actinium) through to 109 (meitnerium), this multi-volume work has specialized and definitive chapters on electronic theory, optical and laser fluorescence spectroscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, organoactinide chemistry, thermodynamics, magnetic properties, the metals, coordination chemistry, separations, and trace analysis. Several chapters deal with environmental science, safe handling, and biological interactions of the actinide elements.

    The Editors invited teams of authors, who are active practitioners and recognized experts in their specialty, to write each chapter and have endeavoured to provide a balanced and insightful treatment of these fascinating elements at the frontier of the periodic table. Because the field has expanded with new spectroscopic techniques and environmental focus, the work encompasses five volumes, each of which groups chapters on related topics. All chapters represent the current state of research in the chemistry of these elements and related fields.

    Originally published by Wiley, New York, 1957/8 and Chapman & Hall, 1986

    Finite Element Methods for Maxwell's Equations (Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computation Series)
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      Finite Element Methods for Maxwell's Equations (Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computation Series)
      Peter Monk
      Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover

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      ASIN: 0198508883

      Book Description

      Since the middle of the last century, computing power has increased sufficiently that the direct numerical approximation of Maxwell's equations is now an increasingly important tool in science and engineering. Parallel to the increasing use of numerical methods in computational electromagnetism there has also been considerable progress in the mathematical understanding of the properties of Maxwell's equations relevant to numerical analysis. The aim of this book is to provide an up to date and sound theoretical foundation for finite element methods in computational electromagnetism. The emphasis is on finite element methods for scattering problems that involve the solution of Maxwell's equations on infinite domains. Suitable variational formulations are developed and justified mathematically. An error analysis of edge finite element methods that are particularly well suited to Maxwell's equations is the main focus of the book. The methods are justified for Lipschitz polyhedral domains that can cause strong singularities in the solution. The book finishes with a short introduction to inverse problems in electromagnetism.
      Ecological Stoichiometry: The Biology of Elements from Molecules to the Biosphere
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        Ecological Stoichiometry: The Biology of Elements from Molecules to the Biosphere
        Robert W. Sterner , and James J. Elser
        Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
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        ASIN: 0691074917

        Book Description

        All life is chemical. That fact underpins the developing field of ecological stoichiometry, the study of the balance of chemical elements in ecological interactions. This long-awaited book brings this field into its own as a unifying force in ecology and evolution. Synthesizing a wide range of knowledge, Robert Sterner and Jim Elser show how an understanding of the biochemical deployment of elements in organisms from microbes to metazoa provides the key to making sense of both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.

        After summarizing the chemistry of elements and their relative abundance in Earth's environment, the authors proceed along a line of increasing complexity and scale from molecules to cells, individuals, populations, communities, and ecosystems. The book examines fundamental chemical constraints on ecological phenomena such as competition, herbivory, symbiosis, energy flow in food webs, and organic matter sequestration. In accessible prose and with clear mathematical models, the authors show how ecological stoichiometry can illuminate diverse fields of study, from metabolism to global change.

        Set to be a classic in the field, Ecological Stoichiometry is an indispensable resource for researchers, instructors, and students of ecology, evolution, physiology, and biogeochemistry.

        From the foreword by Peter Vitousek:

        "[T]his book represents a significant milestone in the history of ecology. . . . Love it or argue with it--and I do both--most ecologists will be influenced by the framework developed in this book. . . . There are points to question here, and many more to test . . . And if we are both lucky and good, this questioning and testing will advance our field beyond the level achieved in this book. I can't wait to get on with it."

        The 13th Element: The Sordid Tale of Murder, Fire, and Phosphorus
        Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
        • A fun history of the element Phosphorus
        • Elementally speaking, a multiple personality
        • If you teach chemistry, you must read this book!
        • From alchemy to soap powder.
        • An Entire Book About one Element?
        The 13th Element: The Sordid Tale of Murder, Fire, and Phosphorus
        John Emsley
        Manufacturer: Chemical Heritage Foundation
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback

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        ASIN: 047144149X

        Book Description

        The incredible "glowing" history of the "Devil's element "phosphorus

        Discovered by alchemists, prescribed by apothecaries, exploited by ninth-century industrialists, and abused by twentieth-century combatants, the chemical element phosphorus has fascinated us for more than three centuries. It may even be the cause of will-o'-the wisps and spontaneous human combustion! Now John Emsley has written an enthralling account of this eerily luminescent element. Shining with wonderful nuggets-from murders-by-phosphorus to a match factory strike; from the firebombing of Hamburg to the deadly compounds derived from phosphorus today-The 13th Element weaves together a rich tableau of brilliant and oddball characters, social upheavals, and bizarre events.

        Customer Reviews:

        5 out of 5 stars A fun history of the element Phosphorus.......2007-03-20

        An easy, entertaining read. Fun and informative.
        I'm sure glad I don't work in a match factory in 1900.

        5 out of 5 stars Elementally speaking, a multiple personality.......2005-10-06

        I have dabbled in the area of phosphorus chemistry for too many years and the prospect of a leisurely read about the historical and other aspects of the element proved irresistible. This is an enjoyable book and points out how science has evolved and the enormous creativity of our ancestors for good and not so good. The chemistry of phosphorus can used to improve many aspects of life but unfortunately has been applied to too many sinister roles in history. If only mankind had the maturity to match its technology.

        And remember the element "phosphorus" is spelled with two "O" not three (Thanks JP).

        5 out of 5 stars If you teach chemistry, you must read this book!.......2003-04-29

        Fascinating reading about the mysteries of phosphorus. This covers everthing you wanted to know about phosphorus and more! By the time you finish this book you'll know how phosphorus was discovered, how it contributes to eutrophication (and what exactly eutrophication is, anyway), the symptoms of "phossy jaw", how a match is made, and many other fascinating facts about phosphorus. The author has resisted making this a "fact a page" list, and has put together the history of phosphorus in an ejoyable, coherent fashion. If you love books about chemistry, you'll have trouble putting this one down.

        5 out of 5 stars From alchemy to soap powder........2002-11-24

        In this well-researched and very readable book, Mr.Emsley describes the initial discovery of elemental phosphorus by alchemists with an initial production of ounces per year from urine! at an exorbitant cost, to WWII production of thousands of tons per month.
        Of course, it was immediately put to use as a medicine - something that powerful MUST be good for what ails you... fortunately only the rich could afford to be poisoned that way!
        The perils of working with raw phosphorus (eg, while making lucifers) gradually became obvious and are graphically described, as well as some horrific accidents while transporting the stuff.

        Products such as pesticides, incendiaries, smoke screens and nerve gas show its aggressive uses, while other chapters show the benefits of fertilizers, preservatives and detergents.

        On a side-track, phosphorus's involvement in spontaneous human combustion is investigated - also explaining will o'wisps and graveyard apparitions.

        Immensely readable and crammed full of facts and figures, I recommend this as a welcome addition to any amateur science historian's library. *****

        4 out of 5 stars An Entire Book About one Element?.......2002-06-21

        Now, how could an entire book (over 350 pages no less) about phosphorus be interesting? It glows in the dark, it oxidizes on contact with air, it's an essential element, compounds of phosphorus are used in fertilizers and there was something about pollution several years ago. That about covers it, right? Well, actually not quite. Even though I am a chemist by profession, I was surprised to find out about (among other things) the huge fortunes built on the match business and the connection of these enterprises to the first appearance of organized labour movements. Also, how many are aware that the whole condemnation of phosphate detergents may have been completely misguided?

        Emsley has created a thoroughly engrossing tale of the discovery and use of one of the more common elements on our planet as well as being able to include a sizable amount of solid scientific information in a thoroughly engrossing form. Other reviewers have outlined in some detail the contents of this book but let me emphasize that the "science" never gets in the way of the narrative. Anyone who has even a passing interest in natural science should find this book an excellent read. I purchased this book in hardback form some time ago but have given a couple of the paperback copies away to friends and have not gotten a negative response yet.
        The Elements of Physical Chemistry: With Applications in Biology
        Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
        • the book is a mess
        • Informative and provolking
        The Elements of Physical Chemistry: With Applications in Biology
        Peter Atkins
        Manufacturer: W. H. Freeman
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover

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        ASIN: 0716735385

        Customer Reviews:

        1 out of 5 stars the book is a mess.......2003-10-19

        I feel compelled to add my two cents because this textbook has been such a nightmare to use. It completely lacks any rational organizational structure. It strikes me as the culmination of the work of a competent chemist but poor author working with an even more atrocious editor. Working the problems requires hunting down tables buried in other chapters and is often made more difficult by numerous errors in the solutions manual. It is so bad I am counting the days until I can get rid of it.

        5 out of 5 stars Informative and provolking.......2001-07-13

        Atkin's analysis of the integration of physical chemistry and biology I believe made a much better model for future biophysics. The text is an informative resource for one, and also an excellent educational tool. Also, its implications are almost frightening in their scope and degree. This was an excellent book, indeed. It is still an excellent text, and probably will be a worthwhile read for many years to come.
        The Periodic Kingdom: A Journey into the Land of the Chemical Elements (Science Masters Series)
        Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
        • Excellent concept, poorly executed
        • A Great Introduction
        • wonderful introduction to chemistry
        • Extended Metaphor
        • A pleasure to read. Very stimulating and inspirational.
        The Periodic Kingdom: A Journey into the Land of the Chemical Elements (Science Masters Series)
        P. W. Atkins
        Manufacturer: Basic Books
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback

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        ASIN: 0465072666

        Amazon.com

        The periodic table of the elements is the grand, unified theory of chemistry. In The Periodic Kingdom, P. W. Atkins imagines the table as a landscape, with fields of metals, pools of mercury and bromine, clouds of gases, and the offshore island of rare earths. He describes the history of this metaphoric kingdom and shows how its laws are those of physical chemistry: they are the expression in the visible world of the invisible dance of subatomic particles. The Periodic Kingdom is an excellent book for students at any level who want to see the connections between chemistry, physics, and "real life."

        Book Description

        This book introduces readers to the most important unifying concept in chemistry: the periodic table. From the 100d or so elements at the heart of the story, everything tangible is made, whether a planet or a microscopic organism.

        The Periodic Kingdom is cleverly arranged like a travel guide. With vivid imagery, the author describes the organization of the kingdom of the elements, the history of its discovery, and where the elements came from. Atkins shows how the elements relate to one another and explains how the location of an element in this imaginary landscape can be used to predict its properties.

        Customer Reviews:

        2 out of 5 stars Excellent concept, poorly executed.......2007-05-21

        I very much agree with the review by Publishers Weekly, which stated that this book is "remarkably tedious." The concept of likening the periodic table of chemical elements to a landscape is near brilliant. It could have worked so wonderfully well, if only it had been better done. The author of this book was... at the time of its writing... a middle-aged British university professor, and he writes like you would expect him to talk. Wordy, wordy, wordy! It takes forever to dredge through the written material to get to a gleaming nugget of knowledge. It's rather like watching an English movie from the 1940s. Another glaring... REALLY obvious... deficiency of this book is the lack of adequate visual representations. There are a few black and white "maps" of the "landscape" of the periodic table, with the components thereof very poorly labeled. What this book needs is a quite thorough editing and modernizing by an American editor. It's sad that this book could have been so very much more than it is.

        5 out of 5 stars A Great Introduction.......2007-05-18

        As someone who teaches first year undergraduate students about periodic trends and attempts to give them an underlying cause that isn't physical chemistry heavy, this book has been an excellent source of discussion fodder for me. I enjoyed reading it the first time, though it didn't present anyting new. What it did do, for which I am very grateful, is present the material in a different, and visualizable way - a way that can be modified to the classroom.

        The metaphor gets a little heavy-handed towards the end, and at times I wished Atkins would lay off it a little, but this is likely due to my previous immersion in the material and not a problem with the book. Were it my first or second time through the material, or if I were a gen. chem. student struggling with the concept, I wouldn't feel so "let's get on with it" about it at all.

        5 out of 5 stars wonderful introduction to chemistry.......2005-07-04

        As a physicist, I have always felt I understood the basic concepts of atomic structure, the Bohr atom through the Dirac treatment of relativistic electrons and that was enough about chemistry that I needed to know. Of course, that was a very shortsighted point of view and did nothing for a practical understanding of how the elements interact. This book gives a wonderful introduction to just that topic. It starts off with an overview of how the basic properties of the elements vary, in a systematic way, across the periodic table. The books metaphor of a new land, makes it amazingly easy to remember these properties. Nothing else I've read has been as successful as conveying this. I would buy this book for the first four chapters alone. There are, of course, some problems with the book. For one, the author seems to have gotten a "new word a day" calendar and seems to feel the need to use them. ("Complexity can effloresce from subtly different consanguinity.") But fortunately, these are few and far between. Could a non-technical person read and enjoy this book? I have no idea but I would recommend they try.

        3 out of 5 stars Extended Metaphor.......2005-04-09

        This book presents the very basics of the chemical elements and the organization of the periodic table. Atkins' unique approach is to present the material in the form of an analogy, or even an extended metaphor, with the chemical elements as a kingdom, complete with geographical regions, history, laws, and institutions. Along these lines, the book is divided into 3 parts: Geography, History, and Government and Institutions. At the end of the book are found a short list of items for further reading, an index, and a periodic table.

        The geographical approach is quite appealing, but somehow falls short of its goal of making the material easily accessible to non-chemists. Describing the sections of the periodic table as having geographic correlates has a lot of explanatory potential. Unfortunately, the maps that are used to illustrate the concepts are presented in varying directions (sometimes from the North looking South, sometimes from the South looking North, etc.), but without directional symbols for orientation. Although orientational clues are generally provided in the captions, interpreting the maps is still far from easy, especially since the elements are not labeled. Readers who don't have a thorough familiarity with the periodic table will find it useful to study these maps with a periodic table in hand for comparison, hence the usefulness of the periodic table that is included at the back of the book. (Unfortunately, I never discovered this table until I had already read the book through, since it isn't referenced anywhere in the text.)

        One reason I picked up this book is that I have always been fascinated with the organization of the elements in the period table. I know there are alternative forms for representing the organization of the elements, such as the 3-D Periodic Round Table, which shows continuities between sub-groups rather than simple column edges. I'd like to know more about why our usual 2-D periodic table is arranged the way it is, and what relationships are encoded in its presentation. Atkins touches on these subjects with both historical information and discussion of chemical properties and bonds. However, I found his prose often obtuse, and after reading the book, I'm still unclear about many of the key issues. It seems as though the metaphor of the elements as a kingdom sometimes gets pushed a bit too far and hinders rather than helps clarity. Nevertheless, the book does have some interesting sections and up-to-date information about basic chemistry.

        5 out of 5 stars A pleasure to read. Very stimulating and inspirational........2004-10-17

        I am an outstanding reader. If I had tried, I could have read this entire book in one sitting. It is not a demanding text. After the first chapter, I didn't want to try to read it in one sitting because it is so well concieved and written. It was truly a pleasure to read.
        This would be a great book to have on a long trip or a long hospitalization. The next time I read it I will have pen and paper at hand to keep track of the epiphanies it inspired.
        Elements of Physical Chemistry
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Elements of Physical Chemistry
          Samuel Glasstone , and David Lewis
          Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Paperback

          Physical ChemistryPhysical Chemistry | Physical & Theoretical | Chemistry | Science | Subjects | Books
          ASIN: 0333038436
          Elements of Molecular and Biomolecular Electrochemistry: An Electrochemical Approach to Electron Transfer Chemistry
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            Elements of Molecular and Biomolecular Electrochemistry: An Electrochemical Approach to Electron Transfer Chemistry
            Jean-Michel Savéant
            Manufacturer: Wiley-Interscience
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Hardcover

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            3. Electrochemical Methods: Fundamentals and Applications Electrochemical Methods: Fundamentals and Applications

            ASIN: 0471445738

            Book Description

            This book is based on the George Fisher Baker Lecture given by Jean-Michel Savéant at Cornell University in Fall 2002.
            * The first book focusing on molecular electrochemistry
            * Relates to other fields, including photochemistry and biochemistry
            * Outlines clearly the connection between concepts, experimental illustrations, proofs and supporting methods
            * Appendixes to provide rigorous demonstrations to prevent an overload of algebra in the main text
            * Applications-oriented, focused on analyzing the results obtained rather than the methodology
            The History and Use of Our Earth's Chemical Elements: A Reference Guide
            Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
            • Fulfilled all my needs
            • Very Disappointing
            The History and Use of Our Earth's Chemical Elements: A Reference Guide
            Robert E. Krebs
            Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Hardcover

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            ASIN: 0313301239

            Book Description

            All aspects of the chemical elements are presented in this easy-to-use reference for high school and college students. This one-volume work covers the development of chemistry as a science and the growth of the Periodic Table from pre-history to present day. Included are descriptions of the most recently discovered elements, which provide information on each element usually found only by consulting different sources. This information includes symbol, atomic number, common valence, atomic weight, natural state, common isotopes, characteristics, abundance, history, common uses, examples of common compounds, and hazards. Schematic diagrams of each of the elements through number 103 accompany their descriptions. Krebs introduces the user to the background of how we came to know and understand the chemical nature of Earth and everything in the universe. He also examines the present concerns about the effects of chemicals on the Earth's environment. The elements are arranged according to their placement on the Periodic Table, which enables the user to examine the similarities and differences of elements found in different groups, periods, and series of the Periodic Table. A comprehensive glossary as well as appendixes and an index provide easy access for student users.

            Customer Reviews:

            5 out of 5 stars Fulfilled all my needs.......2002-12-02

            I used it for my project, great book. I reccommednt it for 8th graders or middle schoolers.

            1 out of 5 stars Very Disappointing.......1999-09-03

            I wanted so much to like this book-- there is such need for a good tome of this sort. Unfortunately this book doesn't satisfy that need. I had hoped it would give much in-depth knowledge of each element. It does not: it is remedial, and, sadly, that in the truest sense. Now, even a remedial book of this sort would be nothing to sneer at, and I would have rated it much, much higher were it not for the fact that, not only does it offer but a smidgeon of information about each element, but that information is badly written (often quite prolix), and worse, replete with the most glaring inaccuracies and downright errors! I found myself scribbling corrections and refutations in the margins, I was so annoyed! One could quote literally dozens -- almost every little element-entry contained one or more flat inaccuracies. The definitions of technical terms alone are so poor I can only surmise the author has but a poor understanding of his subject. And indeed the information he presents seems to be an uneven patchwork of data gleaned from all over, some from old books now quite out of date. (He, for example, writes that Thorium is "like hafnium above it in Group IVA of the periodic chart"-- and that's no longer the case as of the 1940s. He says that Iodine "has no naturally occuring isotopes" -- and his definition of an isotope is an element "with more than the normal neutrons" in its nucleus). He writes that Helium was one of the elements "predicted by the periodic chart" -- totally wrong: far from being predicted by the chart, the discovery of the Noble Gases in toto, from 1895 to 1899, came as a complete surprise to all. In fact, no one had the slightest clue that an entire group of the chart remained to be discovered. I could go on-- and on-- AND ON --- with this litany of error, but why? Better to look for an old copy of Hammond's "Encyclopedia of the Chemical Elements", or Greenwood & Earnshaw's magisterial "Chemistry of the Elements", than wasting your money on this.

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