The Periodic Table : Its Story and Its Significance
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Review
...valuable for students and teachers in sciences, as well as in the philosophy, and any other discipline that has some reference to chemistry. (Ivan Jurani'c JSCS )
Every chemist educator should read this book..[...] By writing this book and describing his philosophy, Scerri has done us a significant service. He has prompted us to think and argue. We need not agree with every conclusion he draws, but his ideas will certainly set us thinking, which, of course, is what good science is all about. He has broadened our minds. (Struc Chem 2008 )
Eric Scerri's first book is timely, fluently written, and full of interesting ideas. This book is essential reading for any school chemistry teacher and is recommended for college or university chemistry lecturers. (Metascience (2008) 17:155-157 )
Every chemist should read this book. It will also prove valuable for those who teach chemistry. By writing this book Scerri has done us a significant service. (Chemical Educator, Volume 12. No.6, 2007 )
Strangely, relatively few books have been devoted to it, [the Periodic Table] which makes Scerri's particularly welcome - all the more so since not only does he recount events leading up to its discovery, but also analyses its underlying meaning and implications. (John Emsley, TLS )
This is undoubtedly a book that every practising chemist and chemistry educator should read because of its far-reaching implications for understanding the nature of the periodic law and the challenges it presents to contemporary portrayals of the Periodic Table. (Kevin Berg, Newsletter of International History, Philosophy and Science Teaching Group )
...the quality is not merely skin deep, there is a real scholarship inside...I would have been proud to have written this book rather than just contributing one image. (Gordon Woods, Education in Chemistry, )
A book that is truly the definitive work in its field: The Periodic Table by Scerri. (Foundations of Chemistry, Vol 9, 2007 )
It is an essential item on every chemist's bookshelf. (Foundations of Chemistry, Vol 9, 2007 )
To a chemist, the periodic table is a tool and Leitmotif in the same way that word and letters are the trade of the literary world. Like most tools, constant use and exposure tends to make one blase about the inherent and intellectual beauty. In this book, Eric Scerri manages to walk the delicate balance between academic rigor and a gripping story in presenting the history and philosophy of the periodic table. This is a book that anyone with an interest in science in general and chemistry in particular should read. (Ed Constable, Switzerland, Amazon UK, 14 January 2007 )
...well written and represents a valuable new compilation of existing knowledge on the subject. (Denis Rouvray, Chemistry World, 1 May 2007 )
Eric Scerri is something of a rara avis. Scerri's philosophical orientation enriches the text by raising a number of thought-provoking issues ... The book under review here is clearly and engagingly written and meticulously researched with 42 pages of notes. (Journal of Chemical Education, 2007. )
Every chemist educator should read this book..[...] By writing this book and describing his philosophy, Scerri has done us a significant service. He has prompted us to think and argue. We need not agree with every conclusion he draws, but his ideas will certainly set us thinking, which, of course, is what good science is all about. He has broadened our minds. (Struc Chem 2008 )
Eric Scerri's first book is timely, fluently written, and full of interesting ideas. This book is essential reading for any school chemistry teacher and is recommended for college or university chemistry lecturers. (Metascience (2008) 17:155-157 )
Every chemist should read this book. It will also prove valuable for those who teach chemistry. By writing this book Scerri has done us a significant service. (Chemical Educator, Volume 12. No.6, 2007 )
Strangely, relatively few books have been devoted to it, [the Periodic Table] which makes Scerri's particularly welcome - all the more so since not only does he recount events leading up to its discovery, but also analyses its underlying meaning and implications. (John Emsley, TLS )
This is undoubtedly a book that every practising chemist and chemistry educator should read because of its far-reaching implications for understanding the nature of the periodic law and the challenges it presents to contemporary portrayals of the Periodic Table. (Kevin Berg, Newsletter of International History, Philosophy and Science Teaching Group )
...the quality is not merely skin deep, there is a real scholarship inside...I would have been proud to have written this book rather than just contributing one image. (Gordon Woods, Education in Chemistry, )
A book that is truly the definitive work in its field: The Periodic Table by Scerri. (Foundations of Chemistry, Vol 9, 2007 )
It is an essential item on every chemist's bookshelf. (Foundations of Chemistry, Vol 9, 2007 )
To a chemist, the periodic table is a tool and Leitmotif in the same way that word and letters are the trade of the literary world. Like most tools, constant use and exposure tends to make one blase about the inherent and intellectual beauty. In this book, Eric Scerri manages to walk the delicate balance between academic rigor and a gripping story in presenting the history and philosophy of the periodic table. This is a book that anyone with an interest in science in general and chemistry in particular should read. (Ed Constable, Switzerland, Amazon UK, 14 January 2007 )
...well written and represents a valuable new compilation of existing knowledge on the subject. (Denis Rouvray, Chemistry World, 1 May 2007 )
Eric Scerri is something of a rara avis. Scerri's philosophical orientation enriches the text by raising a number of thought-provoking issues ... The book under review here is clearly and engagingly written and meticulously researched with 42 pages of notes. (Journal of Chemical Education, 2007. )
Product Description
The periodic table is one of the most potent icons in science. It lies at the core of chemistry and embodies the most fundamental principles of the field. The one definitive text on the development of the periodic table by van Spronsen (1969), has been out of print for a considerable time. The present book provides a successor to van Spronsen, but goes further in giving an evaluation of the extent to which modern physics has, or has not, explained the periodic system. The book is written in a lively style to appeal to experts and interested lay-persons alike. The Periodic Table begins with an overview of the importance of the periodic table and of the elements and it examines the manner in which the term 'element' has been interpreted by chemists and philosophers. The book then turns to a systematic account of the early developments that led to the classification of the elements including the work of Lavoisier, Boyle and Dalton and Cannizzaro. The precursors to the periodic system, like Döbereiner and Gmelin, are discussed. In chapter 3 the discovery of the periodic system by six independent scientists is examined in detail. Two chapters are devoted to the discoveries of Mendeleev, the leading discoverer, including his predictions of new elements and his accommodation of already existing elements. Chapters 6 and 7 consider the impact of physics including the discoveries of radioactivity and isotopy and successive theories of the electron including Bohr's quantum theoretical approach. Chapter 8 discusses the response to the new physical theories by chemists such as Lewis and Bury who were able to draw on detailed chemical knowledge to correct some of the early electronic configurations published by Bohr and others. Chapter 9 provides a critical analysis of the extent to which modern quantum mechanics is, or is not, able to explain the periodic system from first principles. Finally, chapter 10 considers the way that the elements evolved following the Big Bang and in the interior of stars. The book closes with an examination of further chemical aspects including lesser known trends within the periodic system such as the knight's move relationship and secondary periodicity, as well at attempts to explain such trends.
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
To a chemist, the periodic table is a tool and Leitmotif in the same way that word and letters are the trade of the literary world. Like most tools, constant use and exposure tends to make one blasé about the inherent and intellectual beauty. In this book, Eric Scerri manages to walk the delicate balance between academic rigor and a gripping story in presenting the history and philosophy of the periodic table. This is a book that anyone with an interest in science in general and chemistry in particular should read.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The book begins with an overview of the importance of the Periodic Table, taking the reader on a journey of the early development of the chemical elements and their classification from Lavoisier, Boyle and Dalton and Cannizzaro to Mendeleev, Bohr and Lewis and Bury.
Unsurprisingly, the book has gained much praise and it's easy to see why. It's informative, but Scerri's style is informal and engaging and it's no wonder it's been labelled as a must read for all chemists, but it's certainly an equally enjoyable read for anyone with an interest in chemistry and the Periodic Table.
Unsurprisingly, the book has gained much praise and it's easy to see why. It's informative, but Scerri's style is informal and engaging and it's no wonder it's been labelled as a must read for all chemists, but it's certainly an equally enjoyable read for anyone with an interest in chemistry and the Periodic Table.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
9 reviews
49 of 50 people found the following review helpful
Beautiful Patterns
4 Jan 2007
Format:Hardcover
Humans are exquisitely good at finding patterns. Sometimes those patterns turn out to be illusory, such as the constellations. Sometimes they turn out to be very real, such as the patterns illustrated by the periodic table of the elements. Eric Scerri, in his book The Periodic Table, has done an excellent job of presenting a "warts and all" history of the periodic table. Instead of presenting the "heroes only" version of the history of the periodic table [speaking of illusory patterns] found in most high school and college textbooks, he gives us a full historical view with all the players, big and small, and shows how even ideas that turned out to be wrong had a positive effect on getting us to the periodic table we use today. Although scientists may someday show that the periodic table ultimately reduces to quantum mechanics, Professor Scerri shows us why we can't say that with the level of certainty with which it is often presented in chemistry classes [the next time I find chemistry among my preps at the high school where I teach, I will be much better prepared to deal with the periodic table]. The interested lay reader should find the book quite accessible, but a knowledge of high school chemistry, especially in the later chapters where electron configurations are presented [idea for the paperback - include an appendix that covers some chemistry basics like electron configurations], will help. Knowledge of the terminology used in the study of philosophy will also help the reader. This book should be of interest to folks with an interest in the history and philosophy of science, even if they don't have a specific interest in chemistry and the periodic table, especially fans of Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. I strongly suggest that The Periodic Table become required reading for all high school chemistry teachers! John Emsley is still my favorite writer on chemical topics, but Eric Scerri moves to a place not far behind.
31 of 31 people found the following review helpful
A brilliant achievement
28 Dec 2006
Format:Hardcover
Scerri's work is a rich and fascinating account of the history, development and current significance of the Periodic Table: if you have any interest in chemistry you should read it. In his book he describes how the Period System was discovered (giving due credit to Mendeleev, but also to many others who deserve their place in the history of discovery),showing how it was received by other chemists. The most interesting part for me is in the brilliant later chapters, where the role of the Periodic System in influencing Bohr's ideas on the atom, and the nature of the relationship between quantum theory and empirical evidence is presented as clearly as you will find anywhere. Chemistry emerges not (as Dirac once claimed) entirely reduced to physics, but as a still-developing science in which quantum mechanics plays an important but not yet wholly reductive role.
31 of 32 people found the following review helpful
An instant classic
3 Jan 2007
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The Periodic Table is one of the most iconic symbols in our culture. Every person interested in the physical world in which we live will want to read this book. It is also a masterful history of the people involved in the establishment of the periodic law of chemistry. The gradual growth in awareness of the regularities of the elements is the main theme of this work. It is already a classic in its first year in print!
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