-
-
Topics:
Well, the Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of Elements by Sam Kean might just be the greatest collection of chemistry campfire stories. The author works his way through the periodic table element by element with tales of how each one has influenced history through its discovery, use, or the people surrounding it. The author gives each element a backstory, providing enough technical detail to interest scientists and enough drama and intrigue to keep newcomers turning the pages. Included in this great Chemistry 101 class are flashes of history, lexicography, linguistics, medicine, anthropology, economics, accounting, and anatomy. The tales of the elements (and often accompanying scientists) span from early days when all science was lumped together and an individual could know everything there is to know, to the modern day of vast laboratories stocked with amazing equipment and highly specialized scientists.
The elements are often grouped by reaction, geographic, or historical context and this can lead to some awkward transitions. These areas expose some of the weaker writing, but given the author's skill at delivering fascinating story lines, I think these are easily overlooked minor hiccups.
Despite being a book about the elements, many of the stories involve people and societies that are intimately intertwined with the discovery and application of these elements. How people react with elements (or other people) is just as important and interesting as how the actual chemistry works. How it is possible to track the Lewis and Clark Expedition by following a trail of mercury. How the Washington monument was capped with one of the most expensive materials of its time--aluminum. How Marie Curie got a scandalous reputation by inviting other scientists into dark rooms to look at her glowing experiments. There are some stories with a less elemental focus delving into the social circles of those early "rock-star" chemists, the gossip, the intrigue, and other assorted drama. Then there are the few that I found completely astounding, like the existence of naturally controlled fission reactor that ran for millions of years (almost as amazing is the analysis that discovered it).
The book ends with a few tantalizing stories about the future of the field--how elemental research is still relevant today. There is potential to build mega-atoms with hundreds of protons based on the stable octet framework, or maybe octets of octets. It also discusses how elemental research might be able to confirm or disprove time-space constants upon which all modern physics is built on.
This book contains many interesting stories about the elements and how they have influenced our lives and how there are still many amazing stories yet to be told. It is a collection of stories that happen to involve chemistry--great for scientists, history buffs, or just anyone looking for a good story.