A Guide to the Elements - Hardcover

Stwertka, Albert

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 019983251X ISBN 13: 9780199832514

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2012

Synopsis

Newly updated throughout, and now covering 118 elements, this crystal-clear guide to the periodic table illuminates the basic concepts of chemistry as it traces the history and development of our knowledge of the material world.

In this fascinating volume, Albert Stwertka makes complex ideas and terms easily understandable, drawing upon engaging historical anecdotes and everyday examples to clarify the text, which is complemented by numerous illustrations, many in full color. Since the second edition, many new elements have been named and discovered, including Darmstadtium, Roentgenium, and Copernicium, and the elements currently called Ununtrium, Ununpentium, Ununhexium, Ununseptium, and Ununoctium. The third edition provides thorough coverage of all these new discoveries. In addition to the new elements, Stwertka has brought the information about the elements in the second edition up-to-date, based on the latest research. He discusses a cylindrical molecule of carbon known as a "nanotube," which has become a do-all wonder substance, touted for use in everything from X-ray machines to paint. A new form of the element boron has been found that is nearly as hard as diamond. Its superior heat resistance could make it attractive for certain industrial uses. And a new particle detector using ultra-pure liquid xenon has been constructed beneath 5,000 feet of rock in Italy to detect dark matter. Stwertka also covers the 2010 Nobel-winning work on graphene, an ultrathin form of carbon that is vital for future generations of computers and touch screens, the discovery of new superconductors, and the development of new uses for the rare earth elements.

Bringing the periodic table into the 21st century, this engrossing guide to the elements will fascinate everyone curious about the basic building blocks of the material world.

About this title

About the Author:

Albert Stwertka is Professor Emeritus at the United States Merchant Marine Academy. He is the author of numerous books on science and math, including The World of Atoms and Quarks, Recent Revolutions in Physics, Recent Revolutions in Mathematics, and Physics: From Newton to the Big Bang.

From Booklist:

There is a real need for resources about the elements for secondary students. A Guide to the Elements is on the right track. In the introduction, Stwertka explains the periodic table, its history and layout. He does so in easy-to-understand language without oversimplifying key concepts. Each element, in order of its atomic number, is discussed in one to seven pages, with illustrations, sometimes in color. The book is current through element 112, created in early 1996. Each entry includes the atomic number, chemical symbol, and group in a box, followed by a description of the element's discovery and applications, including its use in consumer products. For example, under nitrogen, the discussion covers the use of nitric acid in fertilizer and explosives. The periodic table is reproduced for each entry, with the element being discussed highlighted. A glossary, a chronology of the discovery of the individual elements, a short further reading list, and an index complete the book. The further reading list consists of 18 books published from 1961 to 1996, some of which may be found in YA collections. A comparison of the guide's entry for neon with those in Encyclopedia Americana and McGraw Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology found more detailed information, the kind needed at report time, in the two encyclopedias, but it was not as attractively presented. High-school and public libraries will want to consider purchase, perhaps for the circulating collection.

As for the CD-ROM, boring is the first adjective that comes to mind. It provides very brief information about an element's history and properties. The CD-ROM is easy to install and use, but information is scanty. Audio excerpts include Liverpool poet Roger McGough reciting his poems and Tom Lehrer's humorous song about the elements. There are video clips from the TV series The Elements. The periodic table is shown as gray and red tiles, but the white font makes it hard to read the element number. Again, an encyclopedia will provide more in-depth information in less time than it takes to put the CD in the drive and click on the necessary icons and boxes.

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 019983251X
• ISBN 13: 9780199832514
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 256