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The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History
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The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements Paperback - 2011

by Sam Kean

The periodic table is a crowning scientific achievement, but it's also a treasure trove of adventure, betrayal, and obsession. These fascinating tales follow every element on the table as they play out their parts in human history, and in the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them.


From the publisher

From New York Times bestselling author Sam Kean comes incredible stories of science, history, finance, mythology, the arts, medicine, and more, as told by the Periodic Table. Why did Gandhi hate iodine (I, 53)? How did radium (Ra, 88) nearly ruin Marie Curie's reputation? And why is gallium (Ga, 31) the go-to element for laboratory pranksters? The Periodic Table is a crowning scientific achievement, but it's also a treasure trove of adventure, betrayal, and obsession. These fascinating tales follow every element on the table as they play out their parts in human history, and in the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them. The Disappearing Spoon masterfully fuses science with the classic lore of invention, investigation, and discovery -- from the Big Bang through the end of time. Though solid at room temperature, gallium is a moldable metal that melts at 84 degrees Fahrenheit. A classic science prank is to mold gallium spoons, serve them with tea, and watch guests recoil as their utensils disappear.

Details

  • Title The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements
  • Author Sam Kean
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition [ Edition: Repri
  • Pages 416
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Back Bay Books, New York
  • Date 2011-06-06
  • Illustrated Yes
  • ISBN 9780316051637 / 0316051632
  • Weight 0.8 lbs (0.36 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.2 in (20.83 x 13.97 x 3.05 cm)
  • Reading level 1300
  • Library of Congress subjects Chemical elements, Periodic law - Tables
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2011381769
  • Dewey Decimal Code 546

Media reviews

Citations

  • Entertainment Weekly, 06/17/2011, Page 103

About the author

Sam Kean is the New York Times bestselling author of Caesar's Last Breath, The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons, The Disappearing Spoon, and The Violinist's Thumb, all of which were also named Amazon top science books of the year. The Disappearing Spoon was a runner-up for the Royal Society of London's book of the year for 2010, and The Violinist's Thumb and The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons were nominated for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award in 2013 and 2015, as well as the AAAS/Subaru SB&F prize. His work has appeared in the Best American Nature and Science Writing, the New Yorker, the Atlantic, the New York Times Magazine, Psychology Today, Slate, Mental Floss, and other publications, and he has been featured on NPR's "Radiolab," "All Things Considered," and "Fresh Air."
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The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from...

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The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from...

The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements

by Kean, Sam

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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