The Ingredients: A Guided Tour of the Elements

by Philip Ball

In The Ingredients , Philip Ball blends history and science as he offers an illuminating look at our centuries-long struggle to understand the nature of the physical world.
It's been a long journey from the ancient belief in four elements--earth, water, fire, air--to the hundred plus elements that occupy the modern periodic table, and Ball makes a perfect tour guide, highlighting the many points of interest on the way. He introduces us to key scientists such as
Lavoisier, who named oxygen, proved that water is not an element, demolished the ancient 4-elements theory, and lost his head to the guillotine. Ball highlights the unexpected opportunities for making useful things from the riches found on the periodic table. We learn, for instance, that the
seemingly useless argon (after the Greek argos , 'lazy'--because it did nothing) makes perfect filler for light bulbs, because no matter how hot the bulb gets, argon won't react. Likewise, silicon, a very poor conductor of electricity (hence the label semiconductor) is perfect for computer chips,
because the slow movement of electrons is easier to manipulate. Ball shows us how to read the periodic table and he recounts Mendeleyev's tale of discovering the correct form to the table "in a dream." He also explains the difficulties of defining and identifying the elements, the principles behind
the formation of synthetic elements, and the ways in which particular elements (gold, iron, oxygen) shaped culture and technology.
From the alchemical quest for the Philosopher's Stone to the legend of the Midas touch, The Ingredients provides an engaging look at the elements that make up the world we live in.

Genres: Science, Chemistry, Nonfiction, Popular Science

228 pages, Hardcover

First published September 12, 2002

About the author

Philip Ball (born 1962) is an English science writer. He holds a degree in chemistry from Oxford and a doctorate in physics from Bristol University. He was an editor for the journal Nature for over 10 years. He now writes a regular column in Chemistry World. Ball's most-popular book is the 2004 Critical Mass: How One Things Leads to Another, winner of the 2005 Aventis Prize for Science Books. It examines a wide range of topics including the business cycle, random walks, phase transitions, bifurcation theory, traffic flow, Zipf's law, Small world phenomenon, catastrophe theory, the Prisoner's dilemma. The overall theme is one of applying modern mathematical models to social and economic phenomena.

Reviews

[Todd]

not bad for a brief introduction to the Elements. A little random though in terms of what he chose to include --lots of quirky, trivial tidbits about discoverers/ history of science. (He spends a lot of this book mentioning noble prize winners and their accomplishments.) There's only 7 chapters --Gold, Iron, maybe silicon being the only specific elements he focuses on. But he does touch on the elements created in the lab. through fusion/fission, etc. Maybe I would have liked/was expecting a chemistry refresher and more thorough/easy to understand explanation of the periodic table --beyond the fact that Mendeleyev came about it in a dream...

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and filled with tidbits and anecdotes. The most interesting piece was a reminder (because I must have known in high school and/or college science) that the primary colors for light are RBG and not RBY as they are for an artist's palette because of the way light combines versus the way physical media combine. If you like science for laypeople, this is a short and solid one. (As opposed to a gas or liquid. Nyuck, nyuck, nyuck.)

[Mike Parkes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written but rather brief and elementary (ha-ha) overview of the periodic table and our understanding of what an element is. If you already know the basics, you might find Eric Scerri's "The Periodic Table" (theory and history of the Periodic Table) or John Emsley's "Nature's Building Blocks" (encyclopedic A-Z guide of the properties of each element) more what you are looking for.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chemistry is not an arcane subject solely practiced in a lab with flasks of mysterious looking fluids. It is nothing less than the study of what everything is made of, and how the elements work together. In The Ingredients, Nature editor Phillip Ball introduces readers to the human story of chemistry -- its history, importance, and some fundamental concepts.

The title is partially misleading; Ball's work isn't a comprehensive catalogue of the elements, but an introduction to appreciating the field. He begins with the Greeks,, then uses the discovery of oxygen to cover the birth of modern chemistry. A following chapter on gold illustrates the fact that attempts at chemistry have been pervasive throughout human history. Subsequent chapters introduce the periodic table, and thus our modern understanding of chemistry, and establishes its basis in physics by examining the basic parts and how they came to be discovered. "The Chemical Brothers" covers isotopes -- different 'flavors' of particular elements, like Carbon-14 and Uranium-236 -- which have practical uses, from dating to nuclear energy. The final section ("For All Practical Purposes") examines the role of various sundry elements, many of which are not commonly known by the public, as parts of products we use every day. Ball accomplishes the same thing here that Spangenburg and Moser did in their "On the Shoulders of Giants" series: he imparts to the reader an understanding of the fundamentals of chemistry and the personalities that shaped it, while never coming off like a lecturer. The result is a breezily fun but thorough grounding in the subject, and one worth your while in the interests of general scientific literacy.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite chemistry book. I can read it over and over again (and so can you!) This is a guided tour through the cultural history of chemistry that contains hundreds of neat stories about discoveries, discoverers, and the elements themselves. Philip Ball has a comfortable writing style and explains all the technical details precisely but simply. It also makes me want to go to school in Britain, but that's OK...

A great read for impressing people at parties with authentic nerdiness about science trivia.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cultural history of the elements. Ball develops conceptual understanding using a historical perspective with plenty of entertaining (for a chemistry teacher) anecdotes. From Aristotle's four elements to nuclear chemistry, the book explains our understanding of matter through the historical development of atomic theory and the periodic table.

I plan on using the paperback (The Elements: A Very Short Introduction) in my chemistry class this year, so we'll see what the kids think.

[Brendan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not at all what it says it is. Mostly a colletction of science related trivia, interesting but not really helpful, except for the last chapter, which has some interesting bits about semi-conductors and palladium.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

History of the elements, and explains periodic table.

[totalwitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

a very thorough-and delightful to read-look at the history of how we came to have the Elements as they are known today

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, quick read about the periodic table of elements and how the protons, neutrons, and electrons control each elements properties.

[Adam Hutchinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much fun to read and very interesting. An anecdotal account of the elements.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A far superior treatment of the subject than The Disappearing Spoon.