Chemistry: Periodic Table

The Secret Life of the Periodic Table uncovers the fascinating stories behind the formulation of the table. It describes how and who discovered the 118 elements, and the competition and cooperation behind scientific advances.

This compact yet comprehensive guide outlines the history, development and workings of the table, shows how its design reflects and illuminates the organisation of all matter, and even explains what it has to tell us about the chemistry of distant stars and of our own bodies.

The Periodic Table looks at the fascinating story and surprising uses of each of those elements, whether solid, liquid or gas.

Examines the relationship between atomic structure and the properties of matter. Each title includes a closer look at some of the many patterns found in periods and groups of elements that combine to create the world around us.

More than 1,000 full-color photographs showcase the natural forms of each element, as well as a wide range of unexpected everyday objects in which it is found.

Organized into the nine major groups of the periodic table, including the alkali metals, the alkali earth metals, the transition metals, the nonmetals, the metalloids, the halogens, the noble gases, the actinides, and the lanthanides, Elements Vault includes all new text, new photographs, and even more information about the elements. Elements Vault also includes 20 removable historic documents related to the elements and the field of chemistry, such as Einstein's famous letter to Roosevelt explaining the potential of uranium for use in nuclear weapons, a genuine advertisement for lithium-laced 7UP soda, Mendeleev's original notes on the periodic table, and more. Also included inside the book are real samples of pure elements!

An eye-opening, original collection of gorgeous, never-before-seen photographic representations of the 118 elements in the periodic table.