The Periodic Kingdom: A Journey Into The Land Of The Chemical Elements (Science Masters Series) - Softcover

Atkins, P. W.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0465072658 ISBN 13: 9780465072651

Publisher: Basic Books, 1995

Synopsis

Come on a journey into the heart of matter—and enjoy the process!—as a brilliant scientist and entertaining tour guide takes you on a fascinating voyage through the Periodic Kingdom, the world of the elements. The periodic table, your map for this trip, is the most important concept in chemistry. It hangs in classrooms and labs throughout the world, providing support for students, suggesting new avenues of research for professionals, succinctly organizing the whole of chemistry. The one hundred or so elements listed in the table make up everything in the universe, from microscopic organisms to distant planets. Just how does the periodic table help us make sense of the world around us? Using vivid imagery, ingenious analogies, and liberal doses of humor P. W. Atkins answers this question. He shows us that the Periodic Kingdom is a systematic place. Detailing the geography, history and governing institutions of this imaginary landscape, he demonstrates how physical similarities can point to deeper affinities, and how the location of an element can be used to predict its properties. Here's an opportunity to discover a rich kingdom of the imagination kingdom of which our own world is a manifestation.

About this title

About the Author

P. W. Atkins is a university lecturer in physical chemistry at the University of Oxford and a fellow and tutor at Lincoln College, Oxford.

Reviews

An extended metaphorical description of the periodic table of chemical elements is offered in this compact volume by Oxford chemist and author Atkins (Molecules, Physical Chemistry). The presentation presumes no scientific background. Likening the arrangement of the periodic table to a landscape and the sections denoting individual elements to geographic regions ("an imaginary kingdom, a land of chemists' dreams"), Atkins discusses in topographical analogies the elements' physical and chemical properties. Histories of the formation and discovery of elements and of the formulation of the periodic table itself are surveyed. Later chapters adroitly introduce the basics of atomic physical chemistry. The fantastical imagery, maintained throughout, conveys the author's passion for his subject. Unfortunately, it's remarkably tedious. This work deserves the esteem of connoisseurs of chemistry and perhaps of impressionable youth, yet seems unlikely to hold the attention of a more general audience. Illustrations.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Basic Books
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0465072658
• ISBN 13: 9780465072651
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 176