Superheavy: Making and Breaking the Periodic Table

Chapman, Kit

ISBN 10: 1472953924 / ISBN 13: 9781472953926

Published by Bloomsbury Sigma, 2021

About this Item

A copy that has been read, remains in good condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact. The spine and cover show signs of wear. Pages can include notes and highlighting and show signs of wear, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels or previous owner inscriptions. 100% GUARANTEE! Shipped with delivery confirmation, if you're not satisfied with purchase please return item! Ships via media mail.

Seller Inventory # OTV.1472953924.G

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Superheavy: Making and Breaking the Periodic Table
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Sigma
• Publication Date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1472953924
• ISBN 13: 9781472953926
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: good

About this title

Synopsis

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 AAAS/SUBARU SB&F PRIZE FOR EXCELLENCE IN SCIENCE BOOKS

How new elements are discovered, why they matter and where they will take us.

Creating an element is no easy feat. It's the equivalent of firing six trillion bullets a second at a needle in a haystack, hoping the bullet and needle somehow fuse together, then catching it in less than a thousandth of a second – after which it's gone forever. Welcome to the world of the superheavy elements: a realm where scientists use giant machines and spend years trying to make a single atom of mysterious artefacts that have never existed on Earth.

From the first elements past uranium, and their role in the atomic bomb, to the latest discoveries stretching the bounds of our chemical world, Superheavy reveals the hidden stories lurking at the edges of the periodic table. Why did US Air Force fly planes into mushroom clouds? Who won the transfermium wars? How did an earthquake help give Japan its first element? And what happened when Superman almost spilled nuclear secrets?

In a globe-trotting adventure that stretches from the United States to Russia, Sweden to Australia, Superheavy is your guide to the amazing science filling in the missing pieces of the periodic table. You'll not only marvel at how nuclear science has changed our lives – you'll wonder where it's going to take us in the future.

About the Author

Kit Chapman is an award-winning journalist and adventurer. With more than a decade of experience writing for titles such as Nature, New Scientist, Chemistry World, Physics World and the Daily Telegraph, his work has taken him to more than 75 countries as he seeks amazing tales from the cutting edge of science.

Kit has a PhD in the history of science from the University of Sunderland, is a lecturer at Falmouth University and a contributor to Formula One's F1 Global Exhibition, currently on tour around the world.