The Periodic Table, Eric R. Scerri
The Periodic Table, Eric R. Scerri
List: $12.99 | Sale: $9.10
Club: $6.49

The Periodic Table
A Very Short Introduction

Author: Eric R. Scerri

Narrator: Eric R. Scerri

Unabridged: 4 hr 9 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 06/29/2021

Synopsis

The periodic table of elements, first encountered by many of us at school, provides an arrangement of the chemical elements, ordered by their atomic number, electron configuration, and recurring chemical properties, and divided into periodic trends. In this Very Short Introduction Eric R. Scerri looks at the trends in properties of elements that led to the construction of the table, and shows how the deeper meaning of the table's structure gradually became apparent with the development of atomic theory and, in particular, quantum mechanics, which underlies the behavior of all of the elements and their compounds.

This new edition celebrates the completion of the seventh period of the table, with the ratification and naming of elements 113, 115, 117, and 118 as nihonium, moscovium, tennessine, and oganesson. Eric R. Scerri also incorporates new material on recent advances in our understanding of the origin of the elements, as well as developments concerning group three of the periodic table.

About Eric R. Scerri

Eric R. Scerri is a leading philosopher of science specializing in the history and philosophy of chemistry and especially the periodic table. He is also the founder and editor in chief of the international journal Foundations of Chemistry and has been a full-time lecturer at UCLA for the past twenty years where he regularly teaches classes of 350 chemistry students as well as classes in history and the philosophy of science. Altogether, Scerri has authored or edited a total of eleven books and over 150 journal articles.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Chris

I really liked this book. This one book, more than any other non-textbook, has convinced me that I need to change the content of my college level General Chemistry lectures. There are dozens of things that I realize now that were historically inaccurate in nearly every General Chemistry book I've ev......more

Goodreads review by Skylar

This is not a discussion of individual chemical elements, rather it is a discussion of the centuries of research (some ongoing!) into the relationships between these elements. Along the way, Scerri expertly separates the physics from the chemistry from the philosophy. I would highly recommend this t......more

Goodreads review by Mike

Brilliant book on the theory and history of the periodic table (not so much the properties of individual elements). Scerri’s book and Brock’s “Norton History of Chemistry” are the two must-reads I have come across for a historical look at the foundations of chemistry. This has got it all – from the......more

Goodreads review by David

Scerri is a fantastic chemistry historian; especially when it comes to the formation of the Periodic Table of Elements. As a person with my Master's degree in Chemistry, as well as my current occupation as a Chemistry Professor; I learned SO MUCH from this book. I honestly can't wait to include the in......more

Goodreads review by Binit

Brilliantly written, but gives in to detailed technicalities after halfway. But for anyone who wants to know the story of the periodic table, the first part (up to chapter six) is very informative, flows in a coherent manner and is interesting. All in all, a must-read for anyone interested in the fi......more

Add to Cart
Add to Wish List