In this readable, informative, and fascinating guide to the elements are entries on each of the 100-odd chemical elements, arranged alphabetically from actinium to zirconium. Each entry comprises an explanation of where the element''s name comes from, followed by Body element (the role it plays in living things), Element of history (how and when it was discovered), Economic element (what it is used for), Environmental element (where it occurs, how much), Chemical element (facts, figures, and narrative), and Element of surprise (an amazing, little-known fact). Since publication of the first edition there have been a number of developments. Three new chemical elements have been named and validated: darmstadtium, roetgenium, and copernicium and the section on ''transfermium elements'' has now been incorporated into the main part of the book. Economic uses of elements have grown, and some quite rare elements such as Scandium are now economically important, along with updates to elements such as gold due to new roles in industry. Fully revised and updated for 2010, this browsable compendium holds a wealth of useful information.
^John Emsley (2012). Nature's Building Blocks: An A-Z Guide to the Elements, Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199605637 (revised Sep 2015)
^John Emsley (2012). Nature's Building Blocks: An A-Z Guide to the Elements, Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199605637 (revised Aug 2013)
^John EmsleyNature's Building Blocks : An A-Z Guide to the Elements by John Emsley (2011, Paperback, New Edition)ISBN 9780199605637 (revised Sep 2016)
^Emsley, John (2014). Nature's Building Blocks : An A-Z Guide to the Elements, Oxford University Press, USA. BiggerBooks. ISBN 9780199605637 (revised Dec 2023)
John Emsley writes excellent books on chemistry and Emsley's The Elements 3rd is an indispensable guide to the chemical elements for scientists. However, a layperson delving into The Elements may find it tough going because of its myriad numbers and tiny tidbits of text. In Nature's Building Blocks, Emsley dispenses with most of the numbers and expands the tidbits of text into page length essays on each element. Even though the book is clearly a reference book, the section on each element is an enjoyable ..
I was looking for a good book on the elements over the last few years and kept drawing a blank. The few I found were too technical, too simple, or involved strange treatments. Than I found this book! It was exactly what I wanted. A complete treatment of the elements of the periodic table alphabetically arranged. When I first found it I thought I would test it out by checking a rather obscure biological fact- certain tunicates (ascidians) concentrate vanadium in their blood. On p. 486 I found the referen..
There's got to be a lot of folks out there like myself who at one point or another had some genuine interest in science as a topic but had that enthusiasm crushed by what passes for "science education" in our schools. Between nerdy and boring teachers in middle and high school and science texts whose only real point seems to be rendering the reading of statutory tax law or specifications for sewer pipe manufacturing seem exciting. People who were not necessarily destined to be scientists but who gladly wo..
