A tale of seven elements / Eric R. Scerri.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Scerri, Eric R., (author).

Series:

Oxford scholarship online.

Oxford scholarship online

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Periodic table of the elements.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2025.

Summary:

"In 1913, English physicist Henry Moseley transformed our understanding of the elements by organizing them by atomic number, from hydrogen to uranium. However, it soon became obvious that researchers had yet to discover seven completely unknown elements. In this updated and expanded edition of his acclaimed book, Eric Scerri presents the intriguing stories of these elements--protactinium, hafnium, rhenium, technetium, francium, astatine, and promethium. It follows their discoveries through the two world wars, starting with protactinium in 1917 and ending with promethium in 1945. Scerri details the research leading to each discovery, the pivotal experiments, the chemists involved, the properties of each element, and their applications. For example, hafnium alloys, named after Copenhagen (hafnia), have some of the highest boiling points and are used in rocket thrusters like those on the Apollo Lunar Modules. Scerri then examines the integration of twenty-five new elements into the periodic table over the past fifty years and concludes with a new chapter on rare earth elements and the histories of their discoveries. The Second Edition of A Tale of Seven Elements vividly portrays the journey of chemical research, from missteps and disputes to the thrill of discovery, illuminating the researchers behind the elements, as much as their breakthroughs." -- Publisher's description.

Contents:

From Dalton to the discovery of the Periodic System ; The invasion of the Perodic Tables by Physics

Element 91-Protactinium

Element 72-Hafnium

Element 75-Rhenium

Element 43-Technetium

Element 87-Francium

Element 85-Astatine

Element 61-Promethium

From Missing Elements to Synthetic Elements

The Rare Earth Elements.

Notes:

Previously edition: 2013.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0197785352

0197785336

9780197785355

9780197785331

0197785328

9780197785324

OCLC:

1519553540