Research Catalog

The periodic kingdom : a journey into the land of the chemical elements

Title
The periodic kingdom : a journey into the land of the chemical elements / P.W. Atkins.
Author
Atkins, P. W. (Peter William), 1940-
Publication
  • New York : BasicBooks, [1995]
  • ©1995

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StatusFormatAccessCall NumberItem Location
TextUse in library QD466 .A845 1995Off-site

Details

Description
ix, 161 pages : illustrations; 24 cm.
Summary
"Just how does the periodic table help us make sense of the world around us? Using vivid imagery, ingenious analogies, and liberal doses of humor, P.W. Atkins answers this question. He shows us that the Periodic Kingdom is a systematic place. Detailing the geography, history, and governing institutions of this imaginary landscape, he demonstrates how physical similarities can point to deeper affinities, and how the location of an element can be used to predict its properties." "Atkins tells us about the cosmic origins of the elements and introduces the intrepid explorers and cartographers who expanded the frontiers of the kingdom: Humphry Davy, the nineteenth-century chemist who identified and catalogued several of the common metallic elements; Dmitri Mendeleev, the Russian scientist who (legend has it) saw in a dream the prototype of the modern periodic table; and the Manhattan Project scientists who originated the techniques still used today to map the dangerously radioactive regions."--Jacket.
Series Statement
Science masters series
Uniform Title
Science masters series.
Subject
  • Chemical elements
  • Periodic law
  • Elements
  • Elementen (chemie)
  • Periodiek systeem der elementen
  • Chemistry
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references (p. [151]-152) and index.
Contents
Geography: The terrain -- The products of the regions -- Physical geography -- History: The history of discovery -- The naming of the regions -- The origin of the land -- The cartographers -- Government and institutions: laws of the interior -- The laws of the exterior -- Regional administration -- Liaisons and alliances -- Epilog.
ISBN
  • 0465072658
  • 9780465072651
  • 0788155180
  • 9780788155185
  • 0465072666
  • 9780465072668
LCCN
95007362
OCLC
  • ocm32091349
  • 32091349
  • SCSB-2070878
Owning Institutions
Princeton University Library