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Wait, don't skip this one: the Periodic Table was probably the bane of your high school chemistry class. You could hardly figure out what the heck it was and it drove you crazy. This is an opportunity to fix that. Chemist Theodore Gray knew that, and he built it -- as an actual table depicting the elements. But this site takes it one better: click any element and not only get a description of what it is, but what it's good for. Lithium, for example: it's a metal light enough to float on water, but you don't want to do that because water makes it explode. But you can make great lightweight (and long life) batteries from it, and plenty more. Amaze your friends at parties with a bit of knowledge about what makes the world around you. From This is True for 30 September 2007 Suggestions for further reading:
 By: Peter J. Mikulecky PhDKatherine BrutlagMichelle Rose GilmanBrian Peterson List Price: $19.99 Amazon Price: $13.59 Editorial Review: From liquids and solids to acids and bases - work chemistry equations and use formulas with ease Got a grasp on the chemistry terms and concepts you need to know, but get lost halfway through a problem or, worse yet, not know where to begin? Have no fear - this hands-on guide helps you solve many types of chemistry problems in a focused, step-by-step manner. With problem-solving shortcuts and lots of practice exercises, you'll build your chemistry skills and improve your performance both in and out of the science lab. You'll see how to work with numbers, atoms, and elements; make and remake compounds; understand changes in terms of energy; make sense of organic chemistry; and more! 100s of Problems! Know where to begin and how to solve the most common chemistry problems Step-by-step answer sets clearly identify where you went wrong (or right) with a problem Understand the key exceptions to chemistry rules Use chemistry in practical applications with confidence  By: Adrian DingleSimon Basher List Price: $8.95 Amazon Price: $8.95 Editorial Review: The Periodic Table introduces budding chemists to the world of the elements as it's never been seen before. Designed to resemble popular networking Web sites, the pages of this book feature "homepages" for each of the chemical elements -- complete with witty and informative profiles written by the elements themselves, plus a personally chosen picture.  By: Benjamin WikerJeanne Bendick List Price: $14.95 Amazon Price: $10.17  By: Eric R. Scerri List Price: $35.00 Amazon Price: $27.27 Editorial Review: The periodic table is one of the most potent icons in science. It lies at the core of chemistry and embodies the most fundamental principles of the field. The one definitive text on the development of the periodic table by van Spronsen (1969), has been out of print for a considerable time. The present book provides a successor to van Spronsen, but goes further in giving an evaluation of the extent to which modern physics has, or has not, explained the periodic system. The book is written in a lively style to appeal to experts and interested lay-persons alike. The Periodic Table begins with an overview of the importance of the periodic table and of the elements and it examines the manner in which the term 'element' has been interpreted by chemists and philosophers. The book then turns to a systematic account of the early developments that led to the classification of the elements including the work of Lavoisier, Boyle and Dalton and Cannizzaro. The precursors to the periodic system, like Dvbereiner and Gmelin, are discussed. In chapter 3 the discovery of the periodic system by six independent scientists is examined in detail. Two chapters are devoted to the discoveries of Mendeleev, the leading discoverer, including his predictions of new elements and his accommodation of already existing elements. Chapters 6 and 7 consider the impact of physics including the discoveries of radioactivity and isotopy and successive theories of the electron including Bohr's quantum theoretical approach. Chapter 8 discusses the response to the new physical theories by chemists such as Lewis and Bury who were able to draw on detailed chemical knowledge to correct some of the early electronic configurations published by Bohr and others. Chapter 9 provides a critical analysis of the extent to which modern quantum mechanics is, or is not, able to explain the periodic system from first principles. Finally, chapter 10 considers the way that the elements evolved following the Big Bang and in the interior of stars. The book closes with an examination of further chemical aspects including lesser known trends within the periodic system such as the knight's move relationship and secondary periodicity, as well at attempts to explain such trends.  By: School Specialty Publishing List Price: $1.99 Amazon Price: $3.98 Editorial Review: Many charts have extra information or reproducible activities on the back. Large 17" x 22" size! |
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