From Arsenic to Zirconium Paperback by Peter Davern

Product Details

• Publisher: No Starch Press (2020-05-26)
• Language: English
• Paperback: 296 pages
• ISBN-13: 9781718500273
• Item Weight: 442.26 grams
• Dimensions: 9.0 x 6.06 x 0.84 cm

93 short poems that teach about the elements of the periodic table.

Indulge your love of the periodic table with this collection of poems and fun facts about the chemical elements that make up our world. From arsenic to zirconium, this book describes the characteristics, history, and quirks of each element. The poems are a launching point for a guided tour of the elements filled with fascinating scientific trivia. For instance:

Antimony, used to treat constipation in the Middle Ages, may have killed Mozart.

There's arsenic in your prawns! (But don't worry, it won't harm you.)

Erbium is used to "dope" optical fiber amplifiers that make your YouTube videos download faster.

Iridium was key to the meteor theory of why dinosaurs went extinct.

You'll find potassium in both bananas and gunpowder.

Sulfur plays a role in whether your hair is curly or straight.

Expand your library of scientific literature with this playful and poetic romp through the periodic table.

About the Author

Dr. Peter Davern is a lecturer in the Department of Chemical Sciences at the University of Limerick, Ireland. He has been fascinated by the periodic table: its form, layout, the repeating patterns of chemical properties among groups of elements. Davern has spent the last 5 years researching interesting and useful properties about the elements and then transforming them into a collection of short, easy-to-remember poems.