A Tale of Seven Elements Hardcover – June 20, 2013

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Review ------ * Peter Pesic in Wall Street Journal, October 21, 2013 Mr. Scerri's outstanding book helps us understand the special spirit of chemistry, whose contribution to science and human experience emphasizes the crucible of experiment. The days of discovery aren't over: Beyond uranium, two dozen more elements have been produced artificially. Mr. Scerri notes that chemists have no secure consensus about how many elements are possible: Some say 137; others 173. The periodic table, as imposing as it looks, is still a work in progress. What further surprises might it disclose? * Alan Rocke, in Times Higher Education. Eric Scerri offers us a fascinating account of the discovery of these seven elements. Author of The Periodic Table: Its Story and Its Significance(2007), Scerri is superbly qualified for this task: chemist, philosopher of science and historian, he is the foremost contemporary analyst of the periodic table. The cast of his engrossing tale includes dozens of scientists in many countries, avidly pursuing these last remaining prizes in the classic table of the elements. * Andrea Sella in New Scientist In recent years, there have been many books about the elements, either encyclopedic surveys, or quirkier and more readable companions. Now we have a very different offering: A Tale of Seven Elements by Eric Scerri, one of the foremost authorities on the history of the periodic table. This is the remarkable story of the seven elements still "missing" from the periodic table by the early 20th century and how they were found. Read more ( javascript:void(0) ) From the Author --------------- This book is about social aspects of scientific discovery. It's about priority disputes and why they occur so frequently. It's about how nationalism and many other factors still persist in the all too human activities of scientists. Read more ( javascript:void(0) ) See all Editorial Reviews ( /dp/product-description/0195391314/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books&isInIframe=0 )