Elemental: How the Periodic Table Can Now Explain (Nearly) Everything

My son, a science/math nerd, asked for this for his birthday. His nose is constantly in the book, and he says it's fun to read and very entertaining.

My last chemistry class was my freshman year of college in 1979. Had a year of chemistry in high school a few years earlier. Lots of numbers and balancing equations. The author takes us through a fun history Domo of discovery and invention, with spicy stories of death and destruction, and the ways in which chemistry advanced the human condition.Many negative reviewers here: I think they are taking themselves and chemistry too seriously. This book will make chemistry more accessible to readers of any age. I think many middle school kids would enjoy and benefit from this book.

This book gives a good overview of how the element chart came to be along with some clever interpretations and descriptions of the elements and their impact on life. The book could use a better editor however, since .00001 is ten to the minus five, not ten to the minus six (same with the negative log).

The most concretely way to explain how to reach sustainability when you are in the field of Science, technology, engineering and maths.

I am very great ful to Tim James for making to me more sense of the world. Some very basic things that I did not know were presented.

I get the impression that James greatly enjoyed writing this book and wants to share that joy with us while providing numerous interesting observations about the periodic table and our lives today. I read many science books yet I found some new perspectives and facts here. The last chapter was particularly humorous. Wonderful book. I read the print version while listening to the audible.com version (narrated by Roger Davis) and found the accent and enunciation to be charming. It seems that Davis enjoyed reading it as much as James enjoyed writing it. Thanks to both of you.

This book provides something that most chemistry textbooks lack: an overall view of how chemistry and physics connect. Connections between chemistry and biology also come up. Therefore, it can be helpful for high school level students. Middle school students with a strong interest in science would also benefit. Although the book lacks details, it does help students make many connections that are only implied in most chemistry textbooks. For example, generalizations about the Big Bang, orbital theory, how electron behavior results in physical characteristics such as color, translucence. The book fills a need, I think. However, the book doesn’t provide any support for the broad statements it makes, so the statements just have to be accepted on faith. The writing style lacks organization and feels like a rollercoaster ride. References are listed for further reading on each chapter, as a starting point to understand at a deeper level.

This book is a really good explanation of the periodic table and how it came about. It is well written in a mostly non-technical style, yet when technical terms are necessary clear explanations are provided. It also has a number of annexes that go into great details, but they are not necessary for comprehension. While the author was at explaining the periodic table he also provided explanations on several common chemical processes that are interesting and and of themselves. Highly recommended.

I strongly recommend this book to everyone who wants to get to know more about chemistry or who just likes to read a well-written, informative book!

As someone who sat in Chemistry class at school wondering what on earth the teacher was talking about I've never had much of a grasp of any of the subject. If only Tim James had been the teacher I might have done better!He approaches the subject of the periodic table with excitement and enthusiasm and explains everything so that it always becomes clear. We learn about the elements and all the fascinating people who discovered them. We even learn about why the periodic table is the shape that it is. I've been living with the impression that chemistry was about mixing various things in test-tubes but the way Tim James tells it, it's about explosions and light and fire, things changing shape and colliding and electrons which dance, there's also the tale of a floating boy whose face generates sparks (don't ask, read the book!). All very exciting. We also get to explore some quantum chemistry.We go on a journey and are told about the most flammable substance ever, which sets fire to absolutely everything it touches and the most unstable substance ever, created just a few years ago which explodes almost when you look at it. There is nothing boring about this book, it is brilliant and enjoyable and written with humour and intelligence. It has helped me understand what my chemistry teacher couldn't even begin to tell me about.It has a fascinating series of Appendices which are enjoyably mind-boggling, those more scientific than I am will probably understand them.All I can say, is read this book, everyone needs to read it, it made me laugh and think and exclaim with surprise.

Excelente descripción de la tabla, a nivel de comprensión adecuado para cualquier persona. Didáctico y entretenido, captura la atención del mas inquieto investigador del origen de la vida.

Wonderful book for kids and adults to get to know the elements better. My kids loved it. I've recommended it to many friends and their kids loved it too.

Most chemistry books are a heavy read, but not this one. The author has made chemistry fun and interesting by introducing the nature of elements through stories, history and the injection of humour. I read sections of the book to my son and he enjoyed it thoroughly. Here's an example:"... On an unknown night in 1669, Brandt was boiling vast quantities of urine in his lab (you’ve got to have a hobby), probably because urine is gold-coloured and he was hoping to make a fortune by solidifying it into the precious metal... His discovery marked a crucial moment for chemistry..."This book would be a great addition to the book list for young high school students to inspire them to learn more about the field of chemistry.