Elementary: The Periodic Table Explained

by James M. Russell

Chemistry's most significant chart, the Periodic Table, and its 118 elements, is laid bare in this lively, accessible and compelling expose. The periodic table, created in the early 1860s by Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev, marked one of the most extraordinary advances in modern chemistry. This basic visual aid helped scientists to gain a deeper understanding of what chemical elements really were and the role they played in everyday life. Here, in the authoritative Elementary, James Russell uses his engaging narrative to explain the elements we now know about. From learning about the creation of the first three elements, hydrogen, lithium and helium, in the big bang, through to oxygen and carbon, which sustain life on earth – along with the many weird and wonderful uses of elements as varied as fluorine, arsenic, krypton and einsteinium – even the most unscientifically minded will be enthralled by this fascinating subject. This is the story of the building blocks of the universe, and the people who identified, isolated and even created them. Perfect for: • Readers interested in learning more about the elements in an accessible, engaging manner • Chemistry students

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

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2019

About the author

James M. Russell has a philosophy degree from the University of Cambridge, a post-graduate qualification in critical theory, and has taught at the Open University in the UK. He currently works as a freelance writer, designer and editor. He is the author of A Brief Guide to Philosophical Classics, A Brief Guide to Spiritual Classics and A Traveller's Guide to Infinity. He lives in north London with his wife, daughter and two cats.

Reviews

[Dan Driver · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book *periodically* over the last few months and I have to say, originally this book made me think "Na", but I kept reading and then I was like "K". But then the element of surprise kicked in! This book reached out and shouted "AU wanna read about gold?"
I got to the section on oxygen and then magnesium and I was like OMg. Finally I got to the page on yttrium and it made me question "Y"

I was satisfied with this read, very informative, I learned a lot about elements. Incredibly interesting and educational. Would recommend.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just over 150 years ago the Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev had the idea of collecting the elements together with similar properties and seeing if he could organise them in diagrammatic form. At this moment in time, only 62 elements had been discovered and no one knew if that was it if there were more to be discovered. He decided to arrange them in order by atomic number in a long line.

The key to his breakthrough was noticing that certain elements had broadly similar properties, so he took his line and started cutting it into shorter sections to line these up. His new table had a series of elements, sodium, lithium and potassium all on the left-hand side. From this, he developed his periodic law that argued that elements with similar properties occur at regular intervals. He published it in 1869 but continued to work on it and it was this extra work that both solved the puzzle but also created more questions. He realised Arsenic was in group 13, but its properties fitted group 15 better, so he moved it along. This left gaps, but in those gaps would be other elements, but these hadn’t been discovered yet.

In 1913 Henry Moseley proved that the order of the periodic table needed to be the atomic number, not the atomic mass, this revelation led to the discovery of more gaps in the table and the only logical thing to conclude was that there were unknown elements that still hadn’t been discovered. This simple table revealed so much about each element, the groups that they occupied and the way that these interacted with each other.

Almost everybody has heard of some of the elements, but there are lots that most people would have never heard of nor were even aware that they existed. Chemists have been discovering them for years, but it is only with the help of this brilliantly conceived table that they knew where to start looking for them. In this book, Russel has ordered them in ascending atomic number and collected some of the histories behind their discovery, a small table of facts and other interesting facts, such as why some elements have an utterly different letter to their given name.

It is a nicely put together little book that gives a good overview of each one of the elements along with detail on how they were discovered and by whom, those that have changed their name, for example, one well know element used to be called wolfram. This is a good place to start, but for those that want much more information than this, I can recommend The Periodic Table by Hugh Aldersey-Williams which is much more expansive.

[Francesca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Keeping up with the plan to try lots of different types of genres, this was an interesting book telling the story and key information of every element - the best is still francium though ✅

[Metodi Pachev · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled to find this book here - and no wonder. It's not very popular. This is one of the books that I think of: "Why on Earth do we need this in hardcover?" Disappointing. It's a brief survey of the known chemical elements. Yes, it's up to date and full of interesting information. But it does not explain some fundamental things - what is a chemical element, what is an isotope, allotrope, it does not give an overview of the different groups of chemical elements etc. This book could have been expanded and written in a better way.

[Sofie Leppälä · Rating 5 out of 5]

You would think that this book is a boring summary of all elements but that is not true at all. This book tells the story of all elements. How they are discovered, named and used throughout our history. I want to reread this book immediately, I loved it!

[Anthony Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Oops I forgot to set this as finished for like a week)

100% recommend this book if you have an interest in the history of chemistry and the periodic table.

The book is detailed enough to be interesting and fun to read, but doesn't go so in depth so as to be dull. The information is easy to parse with only a limited knowledge of the subject matter and it never felt like it dragged on for too long or dumbed anything down.

[Heilika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ця книжка нагадала курс хімії біогенних елементів, однак тут про всі елементи та більш поверхнева інформація. Легко та швидко читається

[Golven Leroy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting explanation of the periodic table, with quite a bit of history behind the discovery of each element. I appreciate the research done by the author! Although it was sometimes a bit surface level, I think this is good because it pushes the reader to do some homework. Good read for any science enthusiast !

[Potato · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title is misleading - "A brief history of all elements" would be more accurate.
The entire book doesn't contain a single periodic table and has very little explanation whatsoever. It is blatantly obvious that it was written by a journalist, not a scientist - it reads more like study material for a trivia quiz. The intended audience is most likely non-scientists who'd like to pretend they understand a little bit of chemistry. The actual audience also includes science/chemistry geeks like me.
That being said; I enjoyed reading many of the historic stories and discarded theories (like phlogiston). It lists when and where every single element was discovered, which is something I was never really invested in, but was enlightening at times. The little overlap with actual chemical facts meant that it kept pouring new useless facts into my brain instead of boring repetition.
One noteable thing is that some elements are hardly worth a page of words while others could fill a whole book on their own, which is why the attention to each element doesn't match their scientific interest - some elements already have three or four pages and still feel like they're barely being brushed over.

[E.J. J Doble · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great, quick overview of the elements in the periodic table, with descriptions of their nature, discoveries and applications in modern life. I appreciated the decision to vary the amount of information given for some groups of elements over others (like the lanthanides for example) to keep things concise and moving. For someone with a limited grasp on chemistry and science, the book was a perfect read to glean important information without being overwhelmed - however, I would have preferred some more detail on some of the more famous elements (gold, lead, silver etc.) and maybe an overview of some of the "key scientists" who contributed the most to the periodic table. That being said, it was still great!

[Kiara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily one of the best science books I’ve ever read: it’s fascinating for anyone, regardless of the chemistry knowledge you may hold. As someone with I’d say a decent amount of knowledge, this book was an easy read with some really cool fun facts I knew nothing about, while still navigating known territory. For any chemistry fans or periodic table enthusiasts as myself this is a MUST read, I adored it.

[Honey · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title is apt, because the book is rather… elementary. Factful, yes. A good enough introduction to the periodic table and elements, but if you’re looking for something new and more in-depth, this might bore you (although it is a fairly quick read).

A stocking filler you can give those who are interested in chemistry.

[xyz · Rating 2 out of 5]

there's no picture or anything to support (including periodic table itself), enough update to some new elements

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Had zo veel leuker kunnen zijn. Gemiste kans.

[Iona Sharma]

Bit Dorling Kindersley. Dutifully lists every element in the table and provides you with some trivia about it, some of which is kind of slapdash even to me with my decades-ago A-level. I had hoped for a solid piece of pop science, but this isn't it.

[Mariasilvia Santi · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable journey through 118 atomic elements. From Hydrogen to Lawrencium, each chapter's packed of historical anecdotes and fun facts around them. Probably Russell's book just scratches the surface, still it's helpful for newbies to get into the world of atoms.

[Rob · Rating 1 out of 5]

Beware of this book. Don’t buy it. It’s pretty dodgy. I’ve got to page 7 and without having a modicum of chemical knowledge, you could be led astray. For a start, who would put a group of elements on the front cover randomly atranged when the whole purpose of the periodic table is to explain elements’ underlying orderliness? Strike 1. Russell writes that Mendeleev’s periodic law groups elements with similar qualities such as “electronegativity, ionization energy, metallic character and reactivity” (p. 2) , all of which are difficult concepts with no additional explanation. Not a good introductory way with words. Strike 2. Hydrogen has been “burning in countless stars” (p. 7). No. Burning is a reaction between a material and oxygen. Nuclear fusion is what is happening between hydrogen atoms in stars. A chemistry book needs to be careful with language so please don’t say “burning”. Strike 3. And because it’s such a clanger, I have to go over to page 8 (skipping past the totally incorrect explanation of hydrogen bonding in water - ok strike 4, which admittedly doesn’t exist) to the total rubbish that when a candle burns it’s because the wax decomposes to release hydrogen atoms at high temperatures and the hydrogen burns. No. The wax hydrocarbons heat and combine with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water. Strike 5. And I haven’t got past the first element of the periodic table. Don’t give this to anyone. It’s mostly made up from stuff that the author misunderstands. I’m not reading any further. It’s going to the shredder.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

James M. Russell beschäftigt sich in dem Sachbuch "Das Periodensystem - 118 chemische Elemente einfach erklärt" mit den Grundlagen der einzelnen Elemente. In Anbetracht meines Studiums sowie meiner vorherigen schulischen Laufbahn beschäftige ich mich gerne mit Chemie und habe mich deshalb sehr gefreut, dieses Buch rezensieren zu dürfen.

Russell geht das Periodensystem horizontal durch und widmet jedem Element ca. 3-4 Seiten. Dabei thematisiert er nicht nur deren Eigenschaften, sondern beleuchtet außerdem die historische Perspektive. Ab und zu geht er auch auf gesellschaftliche, biologische und physikalische Sichten ein, sodass man sich ein umfassendes Bild machen kann.

Natürlich waren mir viele Punkte bereits bekannt, aber andere eben auch nicht. Die angewandte Sprache ist wirklich leicht verständlich, allerdings hätte ich mir manchmal bestimmte Fachbegriffe gewünscht, die meiner Meinung nach hätten genannt werden müssen, um die Informationen kognitiv besser vernetzen zu können. Trotzdem kann ich dieses Buch auf jeden Fall empfehlen, da Interessierte hier eine gute Wissensbasis finden, ohne erschlagen zu werden und Fortgeschrittene evtl. einzelne Wissenslücken füllen können.

[Siobhan Markwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cracker of a popular science book. A useful quick check for any budding chemist, this book is an easy read for the least scientifically minded of us and is full of fun facts that will give you a huge appetite to understand the building blocks of our universe. Here are a few of my favourite throwaways in the hopes they will send you to the library to borrow a copy, or even buy one...
Hydrogen and helium make up 98% of the universe...Jeez. How is there room for us?
You can destroy a diamond by putting under a strong microscope in the brilliant sunshine.
Aluminium was so funky when it was first isolated and made into objects that Napoleon III reserved aluminium plates for the very highest in the land. The second order nobles had to make do with gold ones!
Scientists think that somewhere in the universe there may be silicon-based life forms, as opposed to carbon-based ones like us, which would need ultra-low temperatures and an environment rich in ammonia to survive.
Enough spoilers. If you have the slightest interest in science, grab a copy. You can read it in an evening while the English summer gets on with raining.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

To keep the old grey material ticking over I'm trying to learn the Periodic table. When I saw this book I know it would be perfect! Not only has it helped me try and remember the names of everything, but it's full of information for most of the elements on the table. Set out in sections, it lists the elements 1-56, the Lanthanides, elements 72-94, elements 95-118 and elements 119 and beyond. The first section was great, full of facts and interesting snippets about that element, but as it moves on through the book, the information gets less (I presume because there is less to say about some of the more unknown ones - or perhaps there's too much to say to fit into the little book!). It is an interesting read, taught me some things that I didn't know and will help me learn them all!

[Andy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been picking my way through this for 5 years now (highlighting to me how it has failed to capture my attention). At some point I recall thinking it would be interesting to get a book about the periodic table and recall having a few options in the bookstore at the time. Not sure why I chose this one (it's a neat little hardcover which appeals) but it hasn't hit the mark. Both dry and flippant, it dedicates a page or two to the elements, provides a little factual data and a brief anecdote usually around the discovery. None of which is overly interesting. I suspect there is a better book out there, both about the elements and the people in their discovery. This isn't it.

[Sōfie Oxnafordes · Rating 3 out of 5]

A friendly, dip-in-and-out tour of the periodic table. Each element gets a short, readable entry covering its discovery, properties, and a few interesting uses, which makes it very easy to pick up and put down.

It’s aimed squarely at non-scientists, and that works well - nothing is too technical or intimidating - but the trade-off is that it never really builds a deeper picture of how the elements relate to each other. It’s more a cabinet of curiosities than a coherent narrative.

That said, I enjoyed it a lot. Light, informative, and pleasantly browsable - a nice way to reconnect with the periodic table without feeling like you’re studying

[Mischi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ein guter kurzer Überblick über die bislang bekannten 118 Elemente des Periodensystems. Leider enthält die deutsche Übersetzung neben einigen Rechtschreibfehlern (unter Anderem das bekannte das-/dass-Problem) auch Fehler bei den angegebenen Zahlen (bzw. bei deren Darstellung). Beispielsweise wird die Halbwertszeit von Bismut-209 als "2 x 1019" (was? Sekunden? Minuten? Jahre? Außerdem fehlt das "^") angegeben. Alles in Allem ein sehr schlechtes Lektorat, daher trotz interessantem Inhalt lediglich 3 Sterne.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

An introduction into each of the elements of the periodic table. For someone who has little knowledge outside of GCSE chemistry I found this slightly lacking as there was some assumption as to knowledge of different terms and what they meant. It would have been nice to have had a glossary/introduction for these. Otherwise it was an easy to read book which gave quick summaries into how the elements were discovered and by whom, what they are primarily used for and there position in the periodic table.

[John Isles · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title promises more than the book delivers. The periodic table isn't explained, but there are a couple of pages of data and history about each of the elements up to Plutonium, followed by short notes on the higher ones. I noted several errors and quite a few misprints. For example, the half-life of Bismuth-209 is given as "2x1019". This should read "2x10^19 years". There are no illustrations.

A much better introduction to the elements is "The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe" by Theodore Gray.

[Kester · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are a lot of interesting facts in this book but it suffers under the format of covering the elements one by one in order. The narrative suffers as elements discovered by the same people, with the same techniques, or from the same location are not necessarily adjacent to each other in the periodic table (or in order). And the clarity of the science also suffers as the families of elements are not discussed in one place, for example each alkali metal, halogen and noble gas appear so infrequently throughout the book that their shared properties are poorly discussed.

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

So interesting for a science nerd like me! I loved the little factoids about each element and especially loved learning all the backstories of how each were named (the Latin/Greek roots, jokes, people) each one was so unique! Overall riveting for science lovers, and easy to understand knowing nothing of chemistry so a win for anyone trying to dip their feet into some science non fiction & learn a little along the way!

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good summary of each element around a page and a half on each. Lots of useful facts on their discovery and properties. A few annoying little errors (such as the biggest nickel iron meteorite deposits being in Sudbury England rather than Canada), but over all pretty sound. Amazed that even the incredibly rare elements have been incorporated into various uses. (Who knew Polonium was used to power satellites and lunar vehicles?)
A handy reference.

[Federica Raguseo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love STEM fun facts and this books is full of them. Little history on how each of the elements of the periodic table were discovered and how they are used today. Can be a little boring if you read it all in one go - afterall its just a list of facts - but it was a lovely book to have during my tube journeys to work. I would highly recommend it for chemists-to-be as some of the fun facts in there might be quite useful to know for university interviews!

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book that gives the periodic table life and personality, full of stories that I'll love to try to work in to science lessons. Would be great to dip in and out of and reread.
Only reason I don't give five stars is editing issues, it's poorly proofread and has several errors. Hopefully a better edition will happen.