Nature's Building Blocks: An A-Z Guide to the Elements [Paperback]

"An astonishingly comprehensive survey of nature's fundamental ingredients.... By combining juicy anecdotes and fun with a wealth of up-to-date reference material, 'Nature's Building Blocks' hits the spot."--Malcolm Browne, New York Times

"A marvel--encyclopedic in scope, but so full of enthusiasm, so engagingly written, that one can open it at any point and read for sheer delight.... I have read and possess many books on the elements, but it is Dr. Emsley's new book which will now sit next to me on my desk."--Oliver Sacks

"An engaging gadgeteer of the elements."--George Johnson, New York Times

"A delightful, idiosyncratic survey of the known elements, this guide also includes many nuggets of surprising information--for example, the use of fluorine (found in our bones and teeth) in the development of the nonstick frying pan."--Natural History

"John Emsley's colorful account of all the elements in the universe is a succinct history of everything.... Emsley dr

A readable, informative, fascinating entry on each one of the 100-odd chemical elements, arranged alphabetically from actinium to zirconium. Each entry comprises an explanation of where the element's name comes from, followed by Body element (the role it plays in living things), Element of history (how and when it was discovered), Economic element (what it is used for), Environmental element (where it occurs, how much), Chemical element (facts, figures and narrative), and Element of surprise (an amazing, little-known fact about it). A wonderful 'dipping into' source for the family reference shelf and for students.

John Emsley lectured in chemistry for twenty-five years at in the University of London, and he is the author of over a hundred research papers. He is now Science Writer in Residence in the Chemistry Department at the University of Cambridge. Emsley's 'Molecule of the Month' column for The Independent, which ran from 1990 to 1996, brought home to a wide readership how chemistry impinges on every aspect of our daily lives. In 1993 he received a Glaxo Award for science
writing, and in 1994 won the Chemical Industries Association's President's Award for science communication. John Emsley's much praised book The Consumer's Good Chemical Guide won the Rhone-Poulenc Science Book Prize in 1995. He lives in London. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.