Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe
- Downloads：7593
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-29 09:52:39
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Theodore Gray
- ISBN：1579128955
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
With more than 1 million copies sold worldwide， The Elements is the most entertaining， comprehensive， and visually arresting book on all 118 elements in the periodic table。
Includes a poster of Theodore Gray's iconic photographic periodic table of the elements！
Based on seven years of research and photography by Theodore Gray and Nick Mann， The Elements presents the most complete and visually arresting representation available to the naked eye of every atom in the universe。 Organized sequentially by atomic number， every element is represented by a big beautiful photograph that most closely represents it in its purest form。 Several additional photographs show each element in slightly altered forms or as used in various practical ways。 Also included are fascinating stories of the elements， as well as data on the properties of each， including atomic number， atomic symbol， atomic weight， density， atomic radius， as well as scales for electron filling order， state of matter， and an atomic emission spectrum。
This of solid science and stunning artistic photographs is the perfect gift book for every sentient creature in the universe。
Includes a poster of Theodore Gray's iconic photographic periodic table of the elements！
Based on seven years of research and photography by Theodore Gray and Nick Mann， The Elements presents the most complete and visually arresting representation available to the naked eye of every atom in the universe。 Organized sequentially by atomic number， every element is represented by a big beautiful photograph that most closely represents it in its purest form。 Several additional photographs show each element in slightly altered forms or as used in various practical ways。 Also included are fascinating stories of the elements， as well as data on the properties of each， including atomic number， atomic symbol， atomic weight， density， atomic radius， as well as scales for electron filling order， state of matter， and an atomic emission spectrum。
This of solid science and stunning artistic photographs is the perfect gift book for every sentient creature in the universe。
Reviews
Julia
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This book is fantastic。 My son has read it many times， and wants to start his own elements collection。
Lei Jiang
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An excellently comprehensive book where Gray embarks to explore every element; highly readable and entertaining， with humour， conveyed throughout accompanied by dazzling pictures and an array of fascinating facts。 The wonderful insights， coupled with detailed descriptions of the actual uses for each element， makes the book definitely worth the hefty price。
Alexander Mathews
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Insightful
Michelle
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Not 5 stars because it is anywhere near to a favorite book; but for what this is as a visual non-fiction intro to the elements this is Excellent！ Loved by all my children and so informative too。
Noel
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This book was somehow a defining piece of my childhood。
Josh Moore
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This was definitely a big-time nerd fest kind-of book， but as they say， if the shoe fits。 I am a chemist and chemistry teacher and I love reading about the discovery， history， and uses of the elements on my beloved periodic table。 The author and I share a common hobby。。。element collecting， although he has me beat by a huge margin。 Theodore Gray has a unique wit， and at times， a sarcastic sense of humor in his writing that I absolutely love。 As a chemistry teacher， much of what was presented I al This was definitely a big-time nerd fest kind-of book， but as they say， if the shoe fits。 I am a chemist and chemistry teacher and I love reading about the discovery， history， and uses of the elements on my beloved periodic table。 The author and I share a common hobby。。。element collecting， although he has me beat by a huge margin。 Theodore Gray has a unique wit， and at times， a sarcastic sense of humor in his writing that I absolutely love。 As a chemistry teacher， much of what was presented I already knew， but his presentation was wonderful。 That said， I did learn new things about many elements that will find their way into my lectures in the future。 The photographs provided in each element's entry were wonderful。 Having read so many books about the periodic table that were only text， I appreciated the high quality photographs very much。 I would highly recommend this book to anyone that is interested in the building blocks of the natural world around them。 Additionally， this is a must have volume for any chemist or chemistry teacher。 。。。more
Robin Dong
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Interesting
Phianna Rekab
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The nerd in me couldn’t resist this book and I couldn’t help thinking of all the youngsters who could benefit from this beautiful illustration of the 118 elements that make up our world but won’t be able to afford this book。 The sentimental me absolutely loved the phrase on page 5 by Lucretius， “There is not anything which returns to nothing， but all things return dissolved into their elements。” We are forever。
Shawn
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I purchased this picture-filled science book as a gift for an intelligent youngster that I’m mentoring， but couldn’t resist reading it through myself。 This is a wonderful introduction to the most basic components that make up our world。 This author provides a very readable and entertaining pictorial of all the known elements， as well as much explanation about how the elements are organized and understood。 At the end of the book one finds a beautiful， fold-out， periodic table; and at the far righ I purchased this picture-filled science book as a gift for an intelligent youngster that I’m mentoring， but couldn’t resist reading it through myself。 This is a wonderful introduction to the most basic components that make up our world。 This author provides a very readable and entertaining pictorial of all the known elements， as well as much explanation about how the elements are organized and understood。 At the end of the book one finds a beautiful， fold-out， periodic table; and at the far right of each page is a spectrum showing the temperatures at which each element is a solid， liquid， or gas。 There are photographs on most every page， which display the many uses to which the elements are employed in our everyday lives。 The accompanying graphics contribute to make this a very interesting book， even one that would make a perfect conversation piece for the coffee table。 The author informs us that each element is defined by its atomic number， which corresponds to the number of protons found in the nucleus of every atom that exists within the element。 Protons are positively charged and these charges are offset by negatively charged electrons that reside outside of the nuclei。 The periodic table lists the elements in order by atomic number。 There are gaps in the table so that each vertical column will contain elements with the same number of electrons in the outer shell。 Electrons generally determine the chemical properties of an element。 Perhaps the most intriguing thing is that additional elements remain yet to be discovered。 It only stands to reason that， given the vastness of the un-explored universe， many more marvelous elements await our discovery。 I suppose there are even many more elements still hidden within the earth’s crust that we have yet to discover。 Who knows what unique properties the undiscovered elements may possess？ Of particular interest is the fact that the elements， along with most everything else we know of （with perhaps the exception of protons and electrons）， are in a state of change or decay。 Take the element Berkelium， for example。 The author informs us that Berkelium has a half-life of 1，379 years， which means that if you had a pound of it and let it sit for 1，379 years you would only have a half pound left。 If you let it sit for another 1，379 years， you would only have a quarter pound， and so on。 Half-lives are pertinent to the various unstable atomic nuclei and the particular way in which they decay。 But， Berkelium doesn’t just vanish， rather it is transmuted into a different element。 The lost Berkelium becomes Americium which has a much longer half-life of 7，388 years; but Americium then decays rapidly into Neptunium which decays into Plutonium， which has a half-life of 24，124 years。 After that it becomes Uranium with a half-life of 70 million years and after that lead。 During these processes some mass is lost in the form of lost protons， neutrons， and energy。 It is during such explanations that we begin to see the relevance of the quote of Titus Lucretius Carus， the Roman poet and philosopher， which the author provides at the beginning of the book: “There is not anything which returns to nothing， but all things return dissolved into their elements。” Everything tangible is made of elements。 Humans are made of mostly oxygen （65% of our body） and carbon （18% of our body）， which gives structure to the organic molecules that define us as carbon-based life。 Other abundant elements in the human body are hydrogen （10% of our body）， nitrogen （3% of our body） and Calcium （1。4% of our body）。 Other elements like Phosphorus， Potassium， Sulfur， Sodium， Chlorine， Magnesium are in the body in smaller percentages。 Additionally， there are traces of iron， fluorine， zinc， silicon， rubidium， strontium， bromine， lead， copper and many more。 Some trace elements are essential or have a beneficial effect， while others can be toxic。 This sort of elemental composition characterizes all living systems （even bacteria and viruses）。 Seemingly， we should all know much more about the very essence of which we are composed。 -End- 。。。more
Jennifer Christian
，
This was our primary resource for a giant periodic tae of elements project my kids and I did in our homeschool last year。 Lots of great information in this book and well organized。 I love the bold black layout of the pages。 Very visually engaging and a great mix of detail and interesting commentary on every element。
Nora Miller
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As books aiming to give you interesting （but fragmented） facts about a topic， this one's pretty good！ Because of the fragmented approach though， things can get kind of repetitive at times， and Gray's attempts at continuity can sound a little forced at times。 As books aiming to give you interesting （but fragmented） facts about a topic， this one's pretty good！ Because of the fragmented approach though， things can get kind of repetitive at times， and Gray's attempts at continuity can sound a little forced at times。 。。。more
Roberta Wall
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Though I won’t remember much I d find most of the information interesting。 A lot of information I did not know at all。
Nathan Jiscoot
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Fun quick read for any chemist。 Beautiful pictures navigate you through the variety of existing elements， lending a bit of perspective into the results of the building blocks of everything。 The only missing star is because the writing could have been a little more enticing。
Prabhash Gokarn
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Nice Read - gives the chemical structure， properties， uses。 Great visuals。 A reference book rather than something you can read in one go。
Nicolas Posteguillo
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Completely amazing book。I know it may not be for everyone， but if you have at least some interest on science and the world around you， it will be really enjoyable to you。 But dont get me wrong， you dont need to be a “chemistry/science nerd” as me to find pleasure in this book。 Most of the information and photographs （which are absolutely incredible） are about objects and materials you will find on your day-to-day life， or about really famous people and events of human history。In my personal expe Completely amazing book。I know it may not be for everyone， but if you have at least some interest on science and the world around you， it will be really enjoyable to you。 But dont get me wrong， you dont need to be a “chemistry/science nerd” as me to find pleasure in this book。 Most of the information and photographs （which are absolutely incredible） are about objects and materials you will find on your day-to-day life， or about really famous people and events of human history。In my personal experience and opinion， I wouldn’t suggest that you treat this book in the usual “I sit down and read for an hour straight”。 I think it is best enjoyed in “small bursts”， as it is mainly a big collection of facts and images that dont have much connection between them （even though the author always gives a short presentation of the next element， connecting at least one aspect of both elements） 。。。more
Aurelia B
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The most entertaining periodic table book I've ever read。 The most entertaining periodic table book I've ever read。 。。。more
Mary
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Beautiful photos and interesting information， but I liked， Periodic Tales: A Cultural History of the Elements， from Arsenic to Zinc by Hugh Aldersey-Williams better。
Billy
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Fun take on the periodic table。 It's not serious science， and the author beats his advocacy for compact fluorescent lights into the ground。 Could be a really good entrée for younger students into the study of science。 Fun take on the periodic table。 It's not serious science， and the author beats his advocacy for compact fluorescent lights into the ground。 Could be a really good entrée for younger students into the study of science。 。。。more
Melissa
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This is the ultimate coffee table book for anyone who thinks that chemistry is cool and our world is amazing！ I read a little bit here and a little bit there and it took me over 3 years to feel like I "read" the whole thing。 I went back and re-read parts each time I picked it up because the pictures and illustrations are just phenomenal！ This is the ultimate coffee table book for anyone who thinks that chemistry is cool and our world is amazing！ I read a little bit here and a little bit there and it took me over 3 years to feel like I "read" the whole thing。 I went back and re-read parts each time I picked it up because the pictures and illustrations are just phenomenal！ 。。。more
Donald McAlpin
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Fascinating， informative and a delight to look at and read。
Tommy
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Great book with interesting tidbits of information about all the elements of the periodic table。 I wish I had this book at school for chemistry class。I did not know that an element was named after the German state of Hesse （Hassium）。This book definitely increased my interest in chemistry！
Neal
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Interesting， with great pictures。
Sadat Issah
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This book is like a dictionary for the elements with gorgeous pictures to boot。 what's not to love about this。 This book is like a dictionary for the elements with gorgeous pictures to boot。 what's not to love about this。 。。。more
Aidan
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One of my favorite science books ！ Theodore Gray really did a good job on this one。 I love the story of how the FBI took one of his items！
Phương Anh
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Good
Eduardo Santiago
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A lovely book， really a must-have， but overwhelming。 When I first got it I quickly discovered that it's too hard to leaf through; so I decided to read one page per day - and so I did， but still， too much。But I just discovered the perfect way to read it！ Grab yourself a copy of The Disappearing Spoon， a delicious fun and unique journey through the periodic table。 As you read each chapter， refer to The Elements for pictures and other information; and orient yourself using the beautiful periodic ta A lovely book， really a must-have， but overwhelming。 When I first got it I quickly discovered that it's too hard to leaf through; so I decided to read one page per day - and so I did， but still， too much。But I just discovered the perfect way to read it！ Grab yourself a copy of The Disappearing Spoon， a delicious fun and unique journey through the periodic table。 As you read each chapter， refer to The Elements for pictures and other information; and orient yourself using the beautiful periodic table centerfold I mean poster in back。 It's still overwhelming， and much more than I'll ever be able to remember， but it sure was satisfying to use it this way！ 。。。more
Jessica
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Now I know a little something about every element （except the last few）！ I feel as if some of the elements were short-cutted and could have had more information included。 Some had stories not related really to the element， but meant to be funny which I wish were replaced with information on the elements。 Learning about the radioactive elements were great。
Roger Young
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My favorite author in the field of chemistry。 A delightful overview of each element。 Pleanty of visual pictures and captions to go with them。
Mike Parkes
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An orderly walk through the periodic table – two pages （rarely four） for each element， with a bit of text， and excellent photography （of the element in its natural elemental state where possible， often in an application）。 I was really enjoying this book early on at low atomic numbers， but my enthusiasm faded as we moved through page after page devoted to the seemingly endless number of transition metals， lanthanides， and actinides， many of which differ little from one another and/or have few use An orderly walk through the periodic table – two pages （rarely four） for each element， with a bit of text， and excellent photography （of the element in its natural elemental state where possible， often in an application）。 I was really enjoying this book early on at low atomic numbers， but my enthusiasm faded as we moved through page after page devoted to the seemingly endless number of transition metals， lanthanides， and actinides， many of which differ little from one another and/or have few useful applications。 It seems like the element-by-element approach is not the best format， at least not if we give them all equal space。 The author’s writing became a bit annoying too， particularly his choice to use a paragraph of each element’s limited text merely as a lead-in to the next element。I remain confused as to why there are so many great popular science books on physics and biology， but very few on chemistry， despite its huge importance in our everyday lives。 I’d be grateful for any suggestions of good chem books from other readers。 。。。more
Nick Harris
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