![]() ![]() In 1939, the American physicist Luis Alvarez heard about the German scientist Otto Hann’s research into nuclear fission, the process of splitting a uranium atom. He also developed a method of capturing nitrogen that was used to make ammonia, a fertilizer that has grown food for billions of people around the world. One German scientist, Fritz Haber, dedicated himself to developing particularly brutal chlorine and bromine weapons that had horrifying effects on victims. Kean shifts to discuss chemical warfare, which was used all the way back in Ancient Greece but only became advanced during World War I. The age of Earth was first accurately calculated by a graduate student named Clair Patterson, who used the system of radioactive dating to produce the number 4.55 billion years. The solar system was formed when a star imploded and exploded again, becoming a supernova, and released a dust cloud that formed into our sun and planets. All the rest of the elements were formed inside stars. However, this theory then shifted to an understanding that at the very beginning of the universe, during the Big Bang, the only elements that existed were hydrogen, helium, and lithium. However, it was only after this that Dmitri Mendeleev just developed the first version of the periodic table, which would be subject to much revision in later years.įor a long time, scientists assumed that all the elements had always existed. Kean tells the story of Robert Bunsen, after whom the Bunsen burner is named, used a spectroscope to study the light produced by elements, which led to huge advances in them. Ultimately, silicon won (hence the name “Silicon Valley”). Kean also discusses germanium, an element which, together with silicon, had a chance to become widely used in electronic technology. While this is plausible to a degree, silicon also has properties that make it an unlikely basis for life-forms. Kean states that life on Earth is carbon-based but that some science fiction writers have speculated alien life-forms might be based on silicon, the element below carbon on the periodic table. He describes the different parts of the period table, which contain groups of elements such as noble gases, halogens, rare earths, acids, alkalis, and transition metals. Kean then explains the structure of atoms, which are made up of particles called protons, neutrons, and electrons. He also explains that for the elements, “geography is destiny,” meaning that their position on the periodic table determines what properties they have. Kean explains basic features of the table, such as the fact that every element is necessary-if a single one were removed, the whole thing would no longer make sense. Most people are familiar with the table but they might be intimidated or uninspired by it. In The Disappearing Spoon, Kean hopes to tell stories about the ways in which the periodic table interacts with human culture. ![]() Discovering mercury was an element prompted his interest in the periodic table. In the introduction, Kean recalls how he was fascinated by the mercury inside thermometers as a child. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |