A Guide to the Elements

by Albert Stwertka

Newly updated with the stunning discovery of two new elements, A Guide to the Elements, 2nd Edition is still the easy-to-read, easy-to-understand resource to the periodic table that students and teachers of the physical sciences expect. A Guide to the Elements, Second Edition begins with an
introductory section that explains some of the basic concepts of chemistry and traces the history and development of the periodic table of the elements. In clear, nontechnical language, Albert Stwertka takes complex ideas and terms easily understandable. Complemented with historical anecdotes and
everyday examples, each fascinating article examines one element and is accompanied by photographs many in full color of practical applications. Middle school and high school students will find this a welcome reference, as will adults with no background in chemistry.
This new edition
* A comprehensive list of informative websites
* An epilogue on recent near-discoveries of new elements
* An extensively updated further-reading list
An excellent "look up" resource as well as a superb introduction to chemistry, A Guide to the Elements, Second Edition is a good beginning step on the road to chemical literacy.

Genres: Science, Chemistry, Nonfiction, Physics, Reference, Education

248 pages, Hardcover

First published December 12, 1996

Reviews

[Britty Kitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.

Only thing that bugged me was the basically same couple sentences that was basically copy/paste'd for each rare earth metal stating that most of the world's rare earth metals come from Mongolia, but some are found in... blah blah zzzZZZZzz. It got really annoyed reading that over and over.


The book could use some updates. (I read the third addition). I had to laugh that in one of the earlier elements it was like 'you'll find this frequently in your home electronics' - then went on to list VCR players. There were also quite a few elements used in CRT TV's - I mean, I guess if they aren't really used for anything else today, you might as well leave it in. /shrug

Overall though, I thought it was really great. I learned a lot and made lots of notes about interesting bits of knowledge I learned while reading this book.

[Paige McLoughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I once had the periodic table memorized by atomic number to the element. I have forgotten a few elements but I still have a lot of the elements and their numbers still in my memory at least the more common ones. A fun book to brush up on the hundred or so odd elements that everything is made of at least on earth.

[Belle Meade School]

546.8

[Fred Baerkircher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great concept, but I wish there had been more about the structure of the periodic table itself. Also, despite several revised editions, parts feel really dated.

[LeAnn Sipple · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick and easy to read write up of the history and use of each element. Dated since this was the original version, but still interesting!

[Logan S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

“A Guide to the Elements Second Edition” by Albert Stwertka is an indispensable resource to learn about each of the elements with mind-blowing factual information that you do not know about. At the beginning of this book there is a tutorial of the basics of how to understand how the periodic table is set up. The Guide to the Elements is organized by the atomic number of the element and tells astounding facts about every one of the 114 elements known to man. The facts are like who discovered this element, how this specific element contributes to our lives, different isotopes and versions, characteristics of the pure element, and how it functions. “Californium is one of the most expensive elements in the world, with a cost of 10 dollars per millionth of a gram.”(Stwertka 213) “Because tungsten has the highest melting point of any metal, it is used in the filaments of ordinary light bulbs”(Stwertka 171) These are examples of some of the facts in this book.
I really like this book because I am fascinated with chemistry and other types of science subjects. The author did a really fantastic job writing this book because researching all these facts about all of the 114 elements is easier said than done. For each of the 114 elements there is a long report for each of them. “Silver was known in ancient times and derives its chemical symbol, Ag, from the Latin word argentum, which means silver.” (Stwertka 127) An example like this you can not just make it up.
I would give this book 5 out of 5 stars because I gained a lot of knowledge from reading this book and everyone gain some from reading the first page of the tutorial at the beginning. I think that anyone that thinks science is very interesting than they will love this book. I think that this book would be confusing to some people that familiar with chemistry. I recommend this book this book to those who want an informal chemistry book.

[Orion · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides an overview of the periodic table, followed by a page (or two or three) describing each element. The descriptions generally include rough characteristics of the element, its discovery, and its commercial uses. The book format is more like a reference book than a narrative, but its interesting style made it enjoyable, easy reading from cover to cover.

This is "sandbox" chemistry, but the book is amply interesting for the non-technical reader or for the less sophisticated student. I found this 2002 edition at the library, but it has been superseded by a 2012 edition.

I was struck by the arbitrariness of the table; that two elements, side by side, can have widely varying concentrations in the earth's crust and practical applications. Among the interesting nuggets of information presented was one in the description of helium, that it and hydrogen comprise 99.9 percent of all the elements of the universe.

[Cathy Douglas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has nice little stories about all the elements, focusing especially on what products and industries use each of them. Stwertka also covers the timeline of discovery, ores, and physical properties. The common elements get interesting write-ups, but once you get down to the rare earth elements and the actinide sequence they all start to sound the same. Overall, a pretty good book for getting to know the kinds of atoms that make up the Universe.

Incredibly, my edition has an error in its reference copy of the periodic table, listing both titanium and tantalum as "Ti". I'm sure that's been changed in more recent editions.

[Thomas Rickels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall this book covers all the elements on the periodic table. It gives in detail some of the properties, uses and history of each element. This book really helped with gaining a general understanding of each element.

[Astra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good. Lots of information.

[Semih]

well

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

informative

[Mels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of interesting tidbits for anyone craving a bit of basic knowledge and trivia.

[Belle Meade School]

546.8