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 (xxxiii, 270 pages) : illustrations.

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2025.

Summary:

In this updated and expanded edition, 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 25 new elements into the periodic table over the past 50 years and concludes with a new chapter on rare earth elements and the histories of their discoveries.

Notes:

Previously edition: 2013.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource and publisher information; title from PDF title page (viewed on May 14, 2025).

ISBN:

0-19-778535-2

0-19-778533-6

OCLC:

1519553540