PDF Ebook The Periodic Table: A Very Short Introduction, by Eric Scerri
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The Periodic Table: A Very Short Introduction, by Eric Scerri
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In this authoritative Very Short Introduction to the periodic table, Eric Scerri presents a modern and fresh exploration of this fundamental topic in the physical sciences, considering the deeper implications of the arrangements of the table to atomic physics and quantum mechanics. Scerri looks at the trends in properties of elements that led to the construction of the periodic table, and how the deeper meaning of its structure gradually became apparent with the development of atomic theory and quantum mechanics, so that physics arguably came to colonize an entirely different science, chemistry.
- Sales Rank: #67543 in Books
- Published on: 2012-01-13
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 4.40" h x .40" w x 6.80" l, .37 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 168 pages
Review
"Entertainingly historical and touches on quite large themes like the nature of the scientific method...Overall this stylish and snappy book will entertain and enlighten you, and its convenient size means it can do so while you're on the go." -- Chemistry World
"Although entitled A Very Short Introduction, this book of 140 or so pages still manages to pack in a substantial amount of information. Usefully proportioned, so as to fit neatly in my raincoat pocket, I found that during spells waiting to catch a train, I could learn an awful lot from it." -- Josh Howgego, Royal Society of Chemisty
"The reader will have a good understanding of the main features of the periodic table's development, and will certainly be left with the impression that the story of the table has by no means ended." - Peter Hodder, HodderBalog Social and Scientific Research, Wellington, New Zealand
"I especially was fascinated by the discussion of the many alternative forms of the periodic table -- ranging from trees to spirals -- both from a scientific and philosophical point of view. By the telling the multi-faceted story of the periodic table, the reader gains an appreciation for the scientific method and for how science is really done." -- The Guardian
"The author's personal enthusiasm for the subject and his wide ranging historical and philosophical perspectives are clear in the text and add greatly to the appeal of this book. This book should be on the reading list for all chemists." -- Alan Goodwin, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK, Journal of Science Education
Outstanding Academic Title by Choice Library Review
"Despite its pocket size, this brief book offers rich, fascinating historical accounts of the scientific achievements associated with the periodic table...Highly recommended. All levels/libraries." -- M. W. Han, Columbus State Community College, Choice
"Scerri's writing is lively, engaging, and accessible. Although written for a general audience ... The Periodic Table, A Very Short Introduction is recommended as a supplementary text for high school chemistry courses, introductory chemistry course for undergraduates, and courses in the history and philosophy of science." --Journal of Chemical Education
"I am pleased to recommend highly Scerri's contribution to the [Very Short Introductions] series, which would make an ideal modestly priced gift to anyone interested in the 'central icon' of the 'central science,' especially students and young persons in general." --Foundations of Chemistry
From the Author
In writing this book I took the opportunity to update and correct many points from my earlier more in-depth book on the periodic table.� That book has been reviewed in about 60 journals in chemistry, history of science, philosophy of science and science education.� It is a privilege to be invited to write for the Oxford VSI or "Very Short Introduction" Series and I thoroughly enjoyed the process.� I could not have asked for better support from the people at Oxford University Press.
One whole area that was not mentioned very much in the first book was the synthesis of elements beyond element 92.� There is an entire chapter devoted to this topic in my VSI on the periodic table.� There is also an extended discussion of alternative forms of the periodic table, from a scientific and philosophical point of view.
regards,
Eric Scerri
Please visit my new website at
ericscerri.com
for more information about my work, the periodic table and the elements.
About the Author
Eric Scerri is a lecturer in chemistry as well as history and philosophy of science at the University of California, Los Angeles.� He has authored several books and over 100 scholarly articles in history and philosophy of science, especially in the area of chemistry. � He is also the founder and editor-in-chief of the Springer journal "Foundations of Chemistry".�
See Scerri's new website which contains many resources at
ericscerri.com/
Most helpful customer reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful.
A Very Fine Book About an Extremely Profound Idea
By Jon Jacobs
Dr. Scerri's book is, to a great extent, about what most of us glossed over when we studied Chemistry in college.
I read the introductory portions of chapters in Chemistry books that covered the history and philosophy pertaining to what the chapter was about when I studied Chemistry in college but I only read those portions once. I read the parts of the chapters that were being tested on over and over again of course.
Now that I'm not striving for good grades in Chemistry the history and philosophy of the periodic table is something I find to be profound, true, and beautiful.
This Short Introduction is a beautifully written book that explains how and why the periodic table was discovered. The discovery process turns out to be a good read. I can't get over the fact that Mendeleev, the Russian genius who was most instrumental in discovering the periodic table, didn't believe in the existence of atoms!!
My only warning involves the need to have studied a bit of Chemistry to understand the book. I'm fairly certain that rudimentary knowledge of Chemistry is assumed as the basis for the book.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful.
An introduction to the map of nature's most basic building blocks
By STEPHEN PLETKO
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"The periodic table ranks as one of the most fruitful and unifying ideas in the whole of modern science, comparable perhaps with [Charles] Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. After evolving for nearly 150 years through the work of numerous individuals, the periodic table remains at the heart of the study of chemistry.
This is mainly because it is of immense practical benefit for making predictions about all manner of chemical and physical properties of the elements and possibilities for bond formation.
Instead of having to learn the properties of the 100 or more elements, the modern chemist, or the student of chemistry, can make effective predictions from knowing the properties of typical members of each of the eight main groups [or columns of elements] and those of the transition metals and rare earth elements [all found neatly arranged on the periodic table]."
The above extract comes from this slim book by Dr. Eric Scerri. Scerri is a chemist and a leading science philosopher specializing in the history and philosophy of the periodic table. He is presently a lecturer with the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UCLA. (He's also a musician who plays one mean electric guitar as well as the acoustic piano.)
This book is part of the "Very Short Introductions" series (which began in 1995) that are books for anyone wanting a "stimulating and accessible way in to a new subject."
A modern definition of the periodic table might be an arrangement of the chemical elements according to their atomic numbers (the number of protons in the nucleus of an element's atom) to exhibit the periodic law (principle that the properties of the chemical elements recur at regular intervals).
Scerri describes how this modern definition came to be. In his narrative, he does not only discuss the scientific but also considers the historical and philosophical as well. Blending these three aspects makes for interesting reading especially for those who are not very familiar with the periodic table.
Before examining the periodic table, Scerri considers its main building blocks, the elements (those substances that cannot be separated into different substances; a pure substance like gold, silver, copper, carbon, aluminum, etc.) Then he takes a brief look at the modern periodic table and some of its variants. Having thus laid important thematic foundations and defined some essential terms he begins the story of the development of the modern periodic system that began with its birth in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, culminating with an entire chapter devoted to "the Russian genius" named Dimitri Mendeleev (1834 to 1907). (Mendeleev has an element named after him called mendelevium.)
After this, Scerri tells us how "physics invades the periodic table." That is, how atomic research, as well as other key discoveries in twentieth century physics influenced the understanding of the periodic table. In these sections, attention is paid to aspects of classical physics as well as quantum theory and quantum mechanics.
This book concludes with a discussion of the synthesis of elements beyond element 92 (uranium) and with a good discussion of alternative forms of the periodic table.
This book has over 40 illustrations with many of these illustrations being, not surprisingly, periodic tables.
When reading this book, I had an alphabetical list of the elements with their symbols, atomic weights (average weight of all the different types of an element), and atomic numbers handy. This was so I could follow Scerri's discussion closely, and thus get maximum value from this book. For example, the element uranium mentioned above has the symbol "U," atomic weight 238.03, and atomic number 92. (Note that you can read this book without such a list.)
The only problem I had with this book is that there is no picture of Mendeleev. Why? Scerri says that "the name of Mendeleev is inextricably linked with the periodic table in much the same way that evolution by natural selection and relativity theory are linked with Darwin and Einstein respectively."
Finally, there are two books I recommend after reading this one:
(1) "The Elements: a very short introduction" (2004)
(2) "The Periodic Table: its story and its significance" (2007)
In conclusion, Shakespeare tells us that "Brevity is the soul of wit." Dr. Scerri has shown us his wit by reducing the complicated story of the periodic table to a few pages!!
(Also, I think if he decides to form his own musical band, he should name it "The Scerriums.")
{first published 2011; acknowledgements; list of illustrations; preface; 10 chapters; main narrative 135 pages; further reading; index}
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful.
Another fine installment in the "A Very Short Introduction" Series
By R. M. Peterson
The last time I gave any focused attention to the periodic table was in high school chemistry, back in 1966. I vaguely remembered it as an aesthetically pleasing intellectual construct, so when I stumbled across this installment in Oxford University Press's "A Very Short Introduction" series, I decided to revisit it. I am glad I did.
Eric Scerri lectures in chemistry and the history and philosophy of science at UCLA. For a writer on scientific matters, he writes well and lucidly. The organization of THE PERIODIC TABLE is indicated by its chapters:
1. The elements
2. A quick overview of the modern periodic table
3. Atomic weight, triads, and Prout
4. Steps towards the periodic table
5. The Russian genius -- Mendeleev
6. Physics invades the periodic table
7. Electronic structure
8. Quantum mechanics
9. Modern alchemy: from missing elements to synthetic elements
10. Forms of the periodic table
Thus, the overall approach is an historical one -- from concepts involved in the periodic system, to precursors of the table, to the discovery of the periodic system by Mendeleev, to the prediction of new elements and the filling in of gaps in the periodic table, to the synthesis of elements beyond uranium, to contemporary alternative forms of the periodic table.
I don't remember Mendeleev from my high school chemistry class. Yet Scerri writes that "the name of Mendeleev is inextricably linked with the periodic table in much the same way that evolution by natural selection and relativity theory are linked with Darwin and Einstein respectively." Could it be that my high school chemistry course ignored Mendeleev because we were then near the height of the Cold War?
As probably need not be said, I am not a scientist. For someone like myself, THE PERIODIC TABLE: A VERY SHORT INTRODUCTION gives sufficient background and it strikes the appropriate level of detail. In addition to the periodic table itself, I also learned about or was reminded of various matters or developments in chemistry and physics. Even for practicing chemists, the book may be worth reading because of its historical orientation and the occasional discussion of issues philosophical in nature.
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