Synopses & Reviews
In
The Ingredients, Philip Ball blends history and science as he offers an illuminating look at our centuries-long struggle to understand the nature of the physical world.
It's been a long journey from the ancient belief in four elements earth, water, fire, air to the hundred plus elements that occupy the modern periodic table, and Ball makes a perfect tour guide, highlighting the many points of interest on the way. He introduces us to key scientists such as Lavoisier, who named oxygen, proved that water is not an element, demolished the ancient 4-elements theory, and lost his head to the guillotine. Ball highlights the unexpected opportunities for making useful things from the riches found on the periodic table. We learn, for instance, that the seemingly useless argon (after the Greek argos, 'lazy' because it did nothing) makes perfect filler for light bulbs, because no matter how hot the bulb gets, argon won't react. Likewise, silicon, a very poor conductor of electricity (hence the label semiconductor) is perfect for computer chips, because the slow movement of electrons is easier to manipulate. Ball shows us how to read the periodic table and he recounts Mendeleyev's tale of discovering the correct form to the table "in a dream." He also explains the difficulties of defining and identifying the elements, the principles behind the formation of synthetic elements, and the ways in which particular elements (gold, iron, oxygen) shaped culture and technology.
From the alchemical quest for the Philosopher's Stone to the legend of the Midas touch, The Ingredients provides an engaging look at the elements that make up the world we live in.
Review
"[Ball] manages to lucidly...impart quite a bit of information on such topics as the structure of atoms, stellar evolution, radio-carbon dating and scientists' embarrassing infatuation with the will-o'-the-wisp of cold fusion." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Elegantly written....It could become a classic." New Scientist
Review
"Solid scientific history, entertainingly presented." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Ball brings the periodic table to life." Discover Magazine
Review
"With topical range and technical clarity, Ball ensures an audience for his enjoyable survey." Booklist
Review
"A beautifully written and elegantly illustrated synthesis of chemistry and culture. Popularization of science at its best." Sir John Meurig Thomas, University of Cambridge
Synopsis
Ball blends history and science as he offers an illuminating look at the centuries-long struggle to understand the nature of the physical world. It's been a long journey from the ancient belief in four elements earth, water, fire, air to the 100-plus elements that occupy the modern periodic table, and Ball makes a perfect tour guide, highlighting the many points of interest on the way. Illustrations.
About the Author
Philip Ball is a science writer and consultant editor for Nature. He is the author of Self-Made Tapestry, Designing the Molecular World, Stories of the Invisible: A Guided Tour of Molecules, and Life's Matrix: A Biography of Water. He lives in London.
Table of Contents
1. Aristotle's Quartet: The elements in antiquity
2. Revolution: How oxygen changed the world
3. Gold: The most desirable element
4. The Eightfold Path: Arranging the elements
5. The Atom Factories: Making new elements
6. The Chemical Brothers: Why isotopes are useful
7. For All Practical Purposes: Technologies of the elements
End notes
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