A Tale of Seven Elements - Hardcover

Scerri, Eric

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195391314 ISBN 13: 9780195391312

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2013

Synopsis

In 1913, English physicist Henry Moseley established an elegant method for "counting" the elements based on atomic number, ranging them from hydrogen (#1) to uranium (#92). It soon became clear, however, that seven elements were mysteriously missing from the lineup--seven elements unknown to science.

In his well researched and engaging narrative, Eric Scerri presents the intriguing stories of these seven elements--protactinium, hafnium, rhenium, technetium, francium, astatine and promethium. The book follows the historical order of discovery, roughly spanning the two world wars, beginning with the isolation of protactinium in 1917 and ending with that of promethium in 1945. For each element, Scerri traces the research that preceded the discovery, the pivotal experiments, the personalities of the chemists involved, the chemical nature of the new element, and its applications in science and technology. We learn for instance that alloys of hafnium--whose name derives from the Latin name for Copenhagen (hafnia)--have some of the highest boiling points on record and are used for the nozzles in rocket thrusters such as the Apollo Lunar Modules. Scerri also tells the personal tales of researchers overcoming great obstacles. We see how Lise Meitner and Otto Hahn--the pair who later proposed the theory of atomic fission--were struggling to isolate element 91 when World War I intervened, Hahn was drafted into the German army's poison gas unit, and Meitner was forced to press on alone against daunting odds. The book concludes by examining how and where the twenty-five new elements have taken their places in the periodic table in the last half century.

A Tale of Seven Elements paints a fascinating picture of chemical research--the wrong turns, missed opportunities, bitterly disputed claims, serendipitous findings, accusations of dishonesty--all leading finally to the thrill of discovery.

About this title

From the Author

This book is about social aspects of scientific discovery. It's about priority disputes and why they occur so frequently. It's about how nationalism and many other factors still persist in the all too human activities of scientists.

From the Inside Flap

What does it mean to discover a new element?  And why are these discoveries often so controversial?  These are some of the questions that Eric Scerri, an authority on the periodic table, answers in A Tale of Seven Elements.  
In 1913, English physicist Henry Moseley established an elegant method for "counting" the elements based on atomic number, ranging from hydrogen (#1) to uranium (#92).  It soon became clear, however, that seven elements were mysteriously missing from the line up - seven elements unknown to science.   In his well researched and engaging narrative, Eric Scerri presents the intriguing stories of these seven elements - protactinium, hafnium, rhenium, technetium, francium, astatine and promethium.  The book follows the historical order of discovery, roughly spanning the two world wars, beginning with the isolation of protactinium in 1917 and ending with that of promethium in 1945.  For each element, Scerri traces the research that preceded the discovery, the pivotal experiments, the personalities of the chemists involved, the chemical nature of the new element, and its applications in science and technology.  Scerri also tells the personal tales or researchers overcoming great obstacles.  We see, for instance, how Lise Meitner and Otto Hahn - the pair who later proposed the theory of nuclear fission - were struggling to isolate element 91 when Hahn was drafted into the German army's poison unit during World War I.  The book concludes by examining how and where an additional twenty-six transuranium elements have taken their places in the periodic table in the last half century.   A Tale of Seven Elements paints a fascinating picture of chemical research - the wrong turns, missed opportunities, bitterly disputed claims, serendipitous findings, accusations - all leading to the thrill of discovery.Dr. Eric Scerri is a leading philosopher of science, specializing in the history and philosophy of the periodic table.  He is also the founder and editor-in-chief of the international journal Foundations of Chemistry.  He has been a full-time lecturer at UCLA for the past fourteen years, where he regularly teaches classes of 350 chemistry students as well as classes in history and philosophy of science.  

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0195391314
• ISBN 13: 9780195391312
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304