You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
I really liked the first half of this book, probably because after that point, it was a bit beyond my understanding of chemistry. Some really great stories about the history of chemistry discoveries as well as some cool facts about different elements! Perhaps someone smarter than me would also love the second half! I would definitely recommend it to all chemistry teachers!
Very explainy and not very fun. Brings in scientists names and inside jokes.
A fascinating collection of stories about how elements were discovered, named, and even created. Concepts like quantum foam, masers, and a natural nuclear fission reactor in Oklo, Gabon blew my mind. So many fun facts here…and some scary ones.
informative
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
I feel bamboozled. I was expecting funny/exciting stories about the periodic table of elements. Instead, this was an in depth look at the discovery of each element with some world history thrown in. There was no general timeline or narrative being followed, just a rambling and bizarre storytelling of each discovery. This author made good use of a thesaurus and often came up with wildly unnecessary ways to state a point. I’m also pretty confused at who the target audience of this book is. I have some basic university-level understanding of chemistry but I found this both too basic at times and way too advanced/detailed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Misogyny
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
informative
medium-paced