Synopsis
Discusses the history of the periodic table of the elements, includes biographies of major figures in the field of chemistry, and provides information on each element.
Hazel Buys - Children's Literature
The two major parts of this book, "The Biography of a Science" and "The Lore of the Elements," together offer a comprehensive description of the development of the periodic table, including the discovery of each element in the table and each element's attributes. Part I includes short biographies of philosopher/scientists who contributed to the development of the science of chemistry. It begins with Greek philosopher Democritus who speculated on the nature of matter in 465 B.C. and gave us the word "atom." The ideas of Aristotle, however, who wrote during the same era and on a wider range of topics, predominated until the 17th century when the dawn of the scientific method, employed by Pierre Gassendi, began to illuminate the true nature of the elements. In the ensuing centuries data accumulated more swiftly. The contributions of van Leeuwenhoek, Boyle, Newton, Lavoisier, Mendleyev, Dalton, Avogadro, Rutherford, Roentgen, Becquerel, and the Curies, among others, are presented. The role each played in furthering our understanding of the chemical sciences is explained succinctly and within the context of the whole. In Part II each element in the periodic table, as the table is currently defined, is described with its attributes, origin of its name, discoverer, atomic weight, and melting point. The photos and graphics that accompany Part I and Part II illustrate the text well and help create a book that is visually appealing with content that is demystified and accessible. This book would be a good addition to any high school science class. 2006, Twenty-First Century Books/Lerner Publishing Group, Ages 14 to 18.