The Periodic Table: A Field Guide to the Elements
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-07-08 07:00:54
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Paul Parsons
- ISBN：1780873271
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
As one of the most recognizable images in science， the periodic table is ingrained in our culture。 First drawn up in 1869 by Dmitri Mendeleev， its 118 elements make up not only everything on our planet but also everything in the entire universe。
The Periodic Table looks at the fascinating story and surprising uses of each of those elements， whether solid， liquid or gas。 From the little-known uses of gold in medicine to the development of the hydrogen bomb， each entry is accompanied by technical data （category， atomic number， weight， boiling point） presented in easy-to-read headers， and a colour-coding system that helps the reader to navigate through the different groups of elements。
A remarkable display of thought-provoking science and beautiful photography， this guide will allow the reader to discover the world afresh。
The Periodic Table looks at the fascinating story and surprising uses of each of those elements， whether solid， liquid or gas。 From the little-known uses of gold in medicine to the development of the hydrogen bomb， each entry is accompanied by technical data （category， atomic number， weight， boiling point） presented in easy-to-read headers， and a colour-coding system that helps the reader to navigate through the different groups of elements。
A remarkable display of thought-provoking science and beautiful photography， this guide will allow the reader to discover the world afresh。
Reviews
sbs transit
，
Beautiful introduction to elemental chemistry
Chloe Bragança
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Does what it says on the tin， very thorough， a little repetitive （e。g。 when discussing the lanthanides， they repeat what the lanthanides are for each of the elements every time） but very interesting！
Petra
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This book helped me so much in Chemistry this year， I can't say how happy I am to have it by my side in my Chemistry studies！ This book helped me so much in Chemistry this year， I can't say how happy I am to have it by my side in my Chemistry studies！ 。。。more
Carola Bieniek
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Great introduction to the world around us - because literally everything is made of elements。 Towards the end it becomes a bit derivative， which might be due to the fact that we don't know much about the transuranium elements but is a marked difference to the rest of the book。 Great introduction to the world around us - because literally everything is made of elements。 Towards the end it becomes a bit derivative， which might be due to the fact that we don't know much about the transuranium elements but is a marked difference to the rest of the book。 。。。more
DW
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Not the kind of book you read cover to cover， but that was exactly what I did。 It's all there is。 Frozen energy with different flavours， like ice cream， making up ALL there is*。 HOW COULD YOU NOT WANT TO READ MORE！*Yes， there are other things， but come on， it is a lot of the world we directly experience。Pages and pages on each element， who discovered it （or best guesses）， its properties， and its uses throughout history。You get into a rhythm。 Each Period is like a family。 Dinner with the Alkalis Not the kind of book you read cover to cover， but that was exactly what I did。 It's all there is。 Frozen energy with different flavours， like ice cream， making up ALL there is*。 HOW COULD YOU NOT WANT TO READ MORE！*Yes， there are other things， but come on， it is a lot of the world we directly experience。Pages and pages on each element， who discovered it （or best guesses）， its properties， and its uses throughout history。You get into a rhythm。 Each Period is like a family。 Dinner with the Alkalis always ends up with someone yelling at the dinner table。 Then you watch paint dry as you have tea with the Noble gases。 Each Class feels like a generation。 First and second Classes of all the families in the neighbourhood？ They are like the old photos of your great grand-parents， no one smiling。 Respectable Oxygen bothering everyone with good intentions。 Florine has a temper， sure， but still， he'll sit still for the camera all the same。Fast-forward a few Classes and the kids are doing speedballs after school。 They have all that extra atomic mass， and the neutron stuffed isotopes， multiple valances of electrons--geez that's a lot of energy。 They are getting UNHINGED and WEIRD。 4th and 5th generations of the families？ Chill out， everyone！ Are your parents even home？ Is that Caesium， old aunt Sodium's nephew， on the diving board？ Dude， get away from the pool- Nooooo！Ah， this book was great。 Though I may be indirectly rating the elements more than the book， which I think is okay？ Will everyone experience the book this way？ Proton poetry in motion set to the tune of a TV-sitcom？ No？ Fine， but it's your loss。What made me so curious？ I came for the lanthanides （the magnetic weirdos） and actinides （the atomic weirdos） but I stayed for the common elements。 They are far more fascinating than I ever had any idea。 Potassium in our bodies is incredible。 Mercury- Dang， we made some bad choices with limited information on that one。Anyways。 The table goes on and on。It was extremely satisfying reading。 The author certainly recognized that there is a risk of getting repetitious/boring， so he would mix in history， culture， and editorial tones。 Sentences like "。。。but now back to the poisonings" were Parsons style and he really relished the discovery of golden cod-pieces in tombs。 These are the sentences you can look forward to inside this book。 And boiling points， neutrinos from radioactive decay， sure， all that but like， okay， okay， how about this！Here are just some of my random notes while reading。YTTRIUM has a radioactive isotope that easily bonds to parts of white blood cells。 As the white cells seek out cancer cells， Y-90 atoms are carried along for the ride， then hangout next to the cancer for awhile， killing the cancer in life-saving super targeted treatment。NEPTUNIUM is a rare material almost never found anywhere in the natural world BUT It is briefly in existence in your home right now！ As the artificially produced Americium in your smoke-detector is radioactively decaying， random neutron events will produce single clusters of this trans-uranium metal ever so briefly。 We are talking actual alchemy， the change of one element to another， quietly occurring in your smoke-detectors right now。 No big deal？ It's a big deal！ But， safe， so don't worry at all。 Just cool。TERBIUM！ discovered in 1843， it can make an alloy with crazy properties！ An alloy of terbium， dysprosium and iron lengthens and shortens in a magnetic field with a special property called magnetorestrictivity。 The way the atoms respond， they actually stretch outward in a very immediate， responsive manner。 On tiptoes， pulsing to magnets and electricity。 They will get longer or shorter at a molecular level！So what？ You can make a speaker that will vibrate directly into the atoms of the thing next to it。 Something called a SoundBug speaker was invented because of this！ Want an entire flat table to vibrate with the sound of WOOD to your favourite Van Halen track？ Each material has its own 'sound' so experiment around the home。 Who needs air to vibrate！ Vibrate the thing！ Put a Terbium speaker on the door of an unsuspecting neighbour and their entrance becomes a rock concert。 It is SO GOOD that I do not own one of these speakers。IRIDIUM is very rare on Earth， very common on comets。 Understanding this provided strong evidence for the theory of why the dinosaurs died， because there is this iridium sediment all over the world at a very specific period of time。 It's like a who-dunnit but it is a really coldcase。 Solved！ Well， theorized until proven otherwise！URANIUM is。。。well。 Fiestaware。 Fiestaware。 What a choice。 Radio-active dinner plates painted with Uranium Oxide。 Just sitting on your table for decades。 Scientific discovery and the freedom for science to give us undesirable news is so important。 Otherwise you are going to get Fiestaware over and over again。 。。。more
Dan （Reader&Writer）
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If you have five spare minutes this is a nice book to pick up if you wanted to read some facts about any element you might be interested in。 Or simply opening up on a random page and reading whatever it opens on。 Nicely presented。 It’s not something you’d read for hours on end， but rather， here and there for a few minutes （or elements） at a time。
Arvind Sethuraman
，
This book is a good refresher for the basic understanding of chemistry。 I think reading this book element by element and at the same time watching the Periodic Table YouTube videos of the University of Nottingham makes learning even more fun。 The only thing is I wish it had more elaborate information on the Transfermium elements （At# 101-118）。
Nikki
，
Very good， engaging。 A bit repetitive by the end， but that's because the radioactive elements are very samey， not the author's fault 🙂 Very good， engaging。 A bit repetitive by the end， but that's because the radioactive elements are very samey， not the author's fault 🙂 。。。more
Adz S
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Really good， enjoyable， and informative book on elements of the periodic table。 Easy to pick up and down。
Chai King-James
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How does one finish a book dedicated to the Periodic Table？You don't ever really。 Still reading the fine lines though the authors did an amazing job for a non science girl like my self to get with it。I have to love chemistry eventually。 How does one finish a book dedicated to the Periodic Table？You don't ever really。 Still reading the fine lines though the authors did an amazing job for a non science girl like my self to get with it。I have to love chemistry eventually。 。。。more
Reginald Mcnuffin
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Interesting and entertaining read that could have benefited from disciplined editing。
Alan Earhart
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This is a faboo reference book which isn't really meant to be read from cover-to-cover for most people。 Every element up through atomic #100 has a one page describing it and a picture。 The description page lists some basic info like melting and boiling points along with the etymology of both the name and the symbol， how it was discovered， ores it's found in， uses （if any） of the element， and some other interesting information about it。 The picture is either of a pure sample， an ore sample from w This is a faboo reference book which isn't really meant to be read from cover-to-cover for most people。 Every element up through atomic #100 has a one page describing it and a picture。 The description page lists some basic info like melting and boiling points along with the etymology of both the name and the symbol， how it was discovered， ores it's found in， uses （if any） of the element， and some other interesting information about it。 The picture is either of a pure sample， an ore sample from which it can be isolated， or in the case of the high atomic # elements， the equipment used to create it。Four elements are unnamed in the book but that's only because they were recently named and the book has a 2013 copyright。 It also has a glossary and an index。 The only negative I can find is a nitpick and is a personal one for me。 I dislike those circle electron valence shell diagrams！As I wrote above， this is a great reference book for anyone from a youngster interested in chemistry to chemistry instructors or just anyone who wants to know more about elements。 You can use it to look up a specific element or just randomly dip into it。 What really sells it and makes it interesting to me is:1） Nice， thick paper which makes it durable。2） Low price which makes it easily accessible to more people。3） The awesome pictures！This book goes right into my go-to section for chemistry bookshelves！ 。。。more
Harrison
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Good but a bit repetitive at times。 You don't need to tell me fifteen times in 30 pages that elements 57-71 are lanthanides and don't fit proper into the table。 Good but a bit repetitive at times。 You don't need to tell me fifteen times in 30 pages that elements 57-71 are lanthanides and don't fit proper into the table。 。。。more
Anthony Cleveland
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Good book for students and teachers of Chemistry。
Ali Hamza
，
good book
Martin Adams
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packed with interesting information about the properties of the elements， the naming of， and their historical discoveries。 Well presented and a joy to read， i think this book would surprise people who think science is boring and that a book on the elements could not be entertaining。 A fantastic journey through the periodic table。
David Brown
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Just read the chapters on various elements。 Good intro to common uses and key characteristic at a high level。
Planck Constant
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Very easy to read。 It is very informative though being quite brief in each element。 The history， the structure and the usage areas of each element is explained just in good proportion。 A great quick reference book。
John Bess
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Best read intermittently。 As expected， the book commences with light reading material and then evolved into discussions of heavier research matter。 This book contains excellent elemental trivia information that once properly absorbed would aid the reader in answering numerous random Jeopardy-like questions。
K-dizzle
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This is a very readable guide to each element on the periodic table。。。despite being a chemistry teacher there was a lot of history and applications of the elements I was not aware of and that made me enjoy reading this book。 I would especially recommend it to high school students interested in Chemistry
Wee Jiawei
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Very concise guide to the basic building blocks of chem！ love it
Grace
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I mean I got 103% on my element test so。。。。
David R。
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a delightful jaunt through the periodic table of elements through #100。 There is clear explanation of atomic shells and the use of the various elements in health and industry。 Not all of the photos are helpful， but that's a minor point。 a delightful jaunt through the periodic table of elements through #100。 There is clear explanation of atomic shells and the use of the various elements in health and industry。 Not all of the photos are helpful， but that's a minor point。 。。。more
Lisa
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Not a novel， but a reference book。 Wonderful for a quick peek at each element。 Of course， being published in 2014， it's already missing some new ones！ Elements 1-100， arranged by atmoic number。Includes for each:-image of raw element-element's electron shell diagram-atomic weight-melting/boiling point-crystal structure-phase-modern usesSometimes provides information on discovery and an explanation of the name （for instance， Erbium "derives its name from Ytterby， a village that， during the 19th ce Not a novel， but a reference book。 Wonderful for a quick peek at each element。 Of course， being published in 2014， it's already missing some new ones！ Elements 1-100， arranged by atmoic number。Includes for each:-image of raw element-element's electron shell diagram-atomic weight-melting/boiling point-crystal structure-phase-modern usesSometimes provides information on discovery and an explanation of the name （for instance， Erbium "derives its name from Ytterby， a village that， during the 19th century， became an epicenter for research into the fundamental chemical elements。" Also because it's "extracted from the gadolinium mineral deposits found near the village of Ytterby。" Iodine comes from the Greek word for violet。。。and other such facts that may help with remembering the elements。）Glossary in the back if you need it。 Nice graphic of the periodic table as a whole in the front， showing the element categories demarcated in color 。。。more
Robert
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It is a reference book， not so much a popular science book on chemistry （if you want something like that， I'd recommend 'Periodic Tales'）。 It is a reference book， not so much a popular science book on chemistry （if you want something like that， I'd recommend 'Periodic Tales'）。 。。。more
Wondra Vanian
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Informative， without being dull。 Good presentation。 Poor grammar lets it down a bit。
Jasper Elsley
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This book is a good book to have if you want to know more about the periodic table。 It's different than other periodic table books in the way that it explains about the elements of the periodic table one by one。 The top three things about the book are: 1。 For every element， it contains the atomic number， atomic weight， etc。 2。 For every element， the book explains why they are named， such as， xenon was named after the greek word xenos， stranger。 3。 For each element， it shows how how many electron This book is a good book to have if you want to know more about the periodic table。 It's different than other periodic table books in the way that it explains about the elements of the periodic table one by one。 The top three things about the book are: 1。 For every element， it contains the atomic number， atomic weight， etc。 2。 For every element， the book explains why they are named， such as， xenon was named after the greek word xenos， stranger。 3。 For each element， it shows how how many electrons the element has and how they orbit around the element。 If I had written this book， I would write more information about each element。 。。。more
Mehsi
，
Maybe I will continue this one next year， but for now， I am just not in the mood to read this kind of book。 It is a good book， but just not meant to be read in one or multiple goes。 It is more like something you should check at times。
James Webster
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Does drag on a bit but pretty much every element has its own entry so what to expect？ However， lots of fascinating nerdy facts to bore friends and relations with。 Did you know that there has never been enough Fermium manufactured to see with the naked eye？
Lori
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