The Secret Life of the Periodic Table: Unlocking the mysteries of all 118 elements

by Dr Ben Still, Hamlyn

Every element has character, be it volatile, aloof, gregarious or enigmatic. They also have incredible stories of how they came to be, how they were discovered and how their qualities have been harnessed to make everything we have in the world.

Dr Ben Still takes you through all the groups, revealing the fascinating circumstances of their discoveries and explaining their characteristics and behaviour, often delving inside the atom to explain their structure in a way easily accessible to everyone. Insightful illustrations help you to understand even the most complex-looking aspects of quantum physics, bringing the periodic table to life.

Incredibly enlightening, The Secret Life of the Periodic Table will entertain and inform in equal measure. Take a trip through the ages of exploration, enjoying the story of how Mendeleev's table came to be; it is the story of one the greatest pattern-seeking accomplishments of humankind.

Contents
- Atomic physics
- The quantum atom
- Trends and patterns
- Alkaline earth metals
- Metalloids
- Future elements

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Science Nature, Popular Science, History, Chemistry

343 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 17, 2025

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it with good info

[Chris Jaffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice, easy to read book covering each of the elements. It's a bit slow early on, and the elements due tend to blur together, but by and large the book delivers. It the title sounds appealing, then you'll find the book appealing.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book offered a lovely and encompasing trip around each element in an elegant and pretty simple to grasp way (given the complexity of the actual subject) for an average consumer like me. It pretty much left me with a desire to learn more and dive even deeper.

[Robert Lister · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book gave an interesting account of each element their discovery and uses in past, present and future technologies.

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full of fascinating tidbits and cute illustrations, this is a rollicking introduction to the individual elements and thier physics. While well-written and fairly clear, the visual material leaves something to be desired; charts are insufficiently labeled and some more diagrams would have been nice. Also, for some reason, the actinides don't have thier own introductory page, like all the other groups do explaining the properties and principles governing the constituent elements and it should be noted that elements 99 (Einsteinium) and higher are not covered as fully as the others.

With many kind thanks to Firefly Books who are responsible for this free review copy I have been enjoying.

[Vanessa Toth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very informative and informal way to learn more about the elements. Not at all like a textbook.

My only problem is that this edition (the first edition) has some editing issues - font size changes, spelling errors (especially the scientists' names) and not having both imperial and metric measurements through out the whole book. These issues made it a bit frustrating to read.

[knoba · Rating 3 out of 5]

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Introduction : Seeking Patterns
1. Constructing The Table
2. Mendeleev And The Modern Table
3. The Periodic Table
4. Atomic Physics
5. The Quantum Atom
6. Trends And Patterns
7. Trends Table
8. Hydrogen
9. Helium
10. Alkali Metals
11. Alkaline Earth Metals
12. Transition Metals
13. Post-Transition Metals
14. Metalloids
15. Non-Metals
16. Halogens
17. Noble Gases
18. Lanthanides
19. Atom Bomb
20. Atom Smashers
21. Actinides
22. Hall Of Fame
23. Future Elements
Index
Acknowledgments