Why did Gandhi hate iodine (I, 53)? Why did the Japanese kill Godzilla with missiles made of cadmium (Cd, 48)? How did radium (Ra, 88) nearly ruin Marie Curie's reputation? And why did tellurium (Te, 52) lead to the most bizarre gold rush in history? The periodic table is one of our crowning scientific achievements, but it's also a treasure trove of passion, adventure, betrayal and obsession. The fascinating tales in "The Disappearing Spoon" follow carbon, neon, silicon, gold and every single element on the table as they play out their parts in human history, finance, mythology, conflict, the arts, medicine and the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them. Why did a little lithium (Li, 3) help cure poet Robert Lowell of his madness? And how did gallium (Ga, 31) become the go-to element for laboratory pranksters? "The Disappearing Spoon" has the answers, fusing science with the classic lore of invention, investigation, discovery and alchemy, from the big bang through to the end of time.

Like the alphabet, the calendar, or the zodiac, the periodic table of the chemical elements has a permanent place in our imagination. But aside from the handful of common ones (iron, carbon, copper, gold), the elements themselves remain wrapped in mystery. We do not know what most of them look like, how they exist in nature, how they got their names, or of what use they are to us. Welcome to a dazzling tour through history and literature, science and art. In Periodic Tales, you'll meet iron that rains from the heavens and neon as it lights its way to vice. You'll learn how lead can tell your future and why zinc may one day line your coffin. You'll discover what connects the bones in your body with the White House in Washington, the glow of a streetlight with the salt on your dinner table. From ancient civilizations to contemporary couture, from the oxygen of publicity to the phosphorous in your pee, the elements are near and far and all around us. Unlocking their astonishing secrets and colorful pasts, Periodic Tales is a passionate journey through mines and artists' studios, to factories and cathedrals, into the woods and to the sea to discover the true stories of these fascinating but mysterious building blocks of the universe.

This 6-page study guide contains basic chemistry analysis and concepts designed specifically to aid science students. Topics covered include: - basic skills&math review - statistics - atomic data - chemical formula calculations - stoichiometry - gas law calculations - solids&liquids - thermodynamics - acid-base&equilibrium calculations - kinetics This guide is laminated and comes with 3 punched holes for easy use.

Best-selling quick reference to chemistry. Chemistry essentials for students just beginning in chemistry or as an excellent reference throughout higher-level courses. 4-page laminated guide includes: • atomic structure • nuclear chemistry • atomic quantum numbers/orbitals • electronic atoms • types of matter/reactions • physical processes • nomenclature/stoichiometry • chemical interactions/bonding models • gases/thermodynamics/theories • and much more...

This highly readable text provides the essentials of Inorganic Chemistry at a level that is neither too high nor too low. Praised for its coverage of theoretical inorganic chemistry, it discusses molecular symmetry earlier than other texts and builds on this foundation in later chapters. Plenty of supporting book references encourage you to further explore topics of interest.

The ultimate goal of Introduction to General, Organic&Biochemistry is to teach the chemistry of the human body, while trying to show that each subsection of chemistry is important in its own right. In its entirety it can be used for a one-year course in chemistry, or parts of the book can be used in a one-term chemistry course. It is intended for nonchemistry majors, mainly those entering health science and related fields, such as nursing, medical technology, physical therapy and nutrition. Introduction to Organic&Biochemistry requires some general chemistry background. Features: * A large amount of boxed applications of chemical concepts highlight the important information of the text more clearly for the student. * The definition of each term in the Glossary-Index is given along with the index entry and the page number. * Lists of key terms at the end of each chapter, with notation of the section number make these terms more accessible study guides for students. * Numerous problems are included at the ends of each chapter--higher level problems are indicated New to this edition: * New material has been added, including the isoelectric points of amino acids, non-coding DNA satellites and transcription factors and their role in gene regulations. * New examples have been added of exceptions to the octet rule. * Enlarged discussion on immunochemistry, detailing the role of B and T cells.

The periodic table is one of the most potent icons in science. It lies at the core of chemistry and embodies the most fundamental principles of the field. The one definitive text on the development of the periodic table by van Spronsen (1969), has been out of print for a considerable time. The present book provides a successor to van Spronsen, but goes further in giving an evaluation of the extent to which modern physics has, or has not, explained the periodic system. The book is written in a lively style to appeal to experts and interested lay-persons alike. The Periodic Table begins with an overview of the importance of the periodic table and of the elements and it examines the manner in which the term 'element' has been interpreted by chemists and philosophers. The book then turns to a systematic account of the early developments that led to the classification of the elements including the work of Lavoisier, Boyle and Dalton and Cannizzaro. The precursors to the periodic system, like D�bereiner and Gmelin, are discussed. In chapter 3 the discovery of the periodic system by six independent scientists is examined in detail. Two chapters are devoted to the discoveries of Mendeleev, the leading discoverer, including his predictions of new elements and his accommodation of already existing elements. Chapters 6 and 7 consider the impact of physics including the discoveries of radioactivity and isotopy and successive theories of the electron including Bohr's quantum theoretical approach. Chapter 8 discusses the response to the new physical theories by chemists such as Lewis and Bury who were able to draw on detailed chemical knowledge to correct some of the early electronic configurations published by Bohr and others. Chapter 9 provides a critical analysis of the extent to which modern quantum mechanics is, or is not, able to explain the periodic system from first principles. Finally, chapter 10 considers the way that the elements evolved following the Big Bang and in the interior of stars. The book closes with an examination of further chemical aspects including lesser known trends within the periodic system such as the knight's move relationship and secondary periodicity, as well at attempts to explain such trends.

Three hundred million years ago, dragonflies grew as big as seagulls, with wingspans nearly a yard across. Researchers claim they could have flown only if the air had contained more oxygen than today-probably as much as 35 per cent. But oxygen is a toxic gas. Fruit flies raised at twice the normal level of oxygen live half as long as their siblings. If atmospheric oxygen reached 35 per cent in the Carboniferous, why did oxygen promote exuberant growth, instead of rapid aging and death? This is just one of the puzzles Nick Lane answers in Oxygen. Lane takes the reader on an enthralling journey, as gripping as a thriller, as he unravels the unexpected ways in which oxygen spurred the evolution of life and death. The book explains far more than the size of ancient insects: it shows how oxygen underpins the origin of biological complexity, the birth of photosynthesis, the sudden evolution of animals, the need for two sexes, the accelerated aging of cloned animals like Dolly the sheep, and the surprisingly long lives of bats and birds. Drawing on this grand evolutionary canvas, Oxygen offers fresh perspectives on our own lives and deaths, explaining modern killer diseases, why we age, and what we can do about it. Advancing revelatory new ideas, following chains of evidence, the book ranges through many disciplines, from environmental sciences to molecular medicine. The result is a captivating vision of contemporary science and a humane synthesis of our place in nature. This remarkable book will redefine the way we think about the world.

Organotransition Metal Chemistry From Bonding to Catalysis provides a selective, but thorough and authoritative coverage of the fundamentals of organometallic chemistry, the elementary reactions of these complexes, and many catalytic processes occurring through organometallic intermediates. Built upon the foundation established by the classic text by Collman, Hegedus, Norton and Finke, this text consists of new or thoroughly updated and restructured chapters and provides an in-depth view into mechanism, reaction scope, and applications.

This bestselling text introduces descriptive inorganic chemistry in a less rigorous, less mathematical way.  The book uses the periodic table as basis for understanding chemical properties and uncovering relationships between elements in different groups.  Unique in Descriptive Inorganic Chemistry is the chapter tying numerous trends and commonalities between the groups.   Rayner-Canham and Overton's text also familiarizes students with the historical background of inorganic chemistry as well as with its crucial applications (especially in regard to industrial processes and environmental issues), resulting in a comprehensive appreciation and understanding of the field and the role it will play in their fields of further study.