The Periodic Table: A Very Short Introduction - Softcover

Scerri, Eric

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0199582491 ISBN 13: 9780199582495

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2012

Synopsis

In this authoritative Very Short Introduction to the periodic table, Eric Scerri presents a modern and fresh exploration of this fundamental topic in the physical sciences, considering the deeper implications of the arrangements of the table to atomic physics and quantum mechanics. Scerri looks at the trends in properties of elements that led to the construction of the periodic table, and how the deeper meaning of its structure gradually became apparent with the development of atomic theory and quantum mechanics, so that physics arguably came to colonize an entirely different science, chemistry.

About this title

From the Author:

In writing this book I took the opportunity to update and correct many points from my earlier more in-depth book on the periodic table.  That book has been reviewed in about 60 journals in chemistry, history of science, philosophy of science and science education.  It is a privilege to be invited to write for the Oxford VSI or "Very Short Introduction" Series and I thoroughly enjoyed the process.  I could not have asked for better support from the people at Oxford University Press.

One whole area that was not mentioned very much in the first book was the synthesis of elements beyond element 92.  There is an entire chapter devoted to this topic in my VSI on the periodic table.  There is also an extended discussion of alternative forms of the periodic table, from a scientific and philosophical point of view.

regards,
Eric Scerri

Please visit my new website at
ericscerri.com
for more information about my work, the periodic table and the elements.

About the Author:

Eric Scerri is a lecturer in chemistry as well as history and philosophy of science at the University of California, Los Angeles.  He has authored several books and over 100 scholarly articles in history and philosophy of science, especially in the area of chemistry.   He is also the founder and editor-in-chief of the Springer journal "Foundations of Chemistry". 
See Scerri's new website which contains many resources at
ericscerri.com/

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0199582491
• ISBN 13: 9780199582495
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 147