A Tale of Seven Elements: Plus Another 40 or So Others

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Eric R. Scerri (Lecturer in Chemistry and Philosophy of Science, Lecturer in Chemistry and Philosophy of Science, UCLA)

A Tale of Seven Elements

Plus Another 40 or So Others

Eric R. Scerri (Lecturer in Chemistry and Philosophy of Science, Lecturer in Chemistry and Philosophy of Science, UCLA)

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English

Oxford University Press Inc
02 September 2025

Scientific nomenclature & classification; History of science; Chemistry; Solid state chemistry

In 1913, English physicist Henry Moseley transformed our understanding of the elements by organizing them by atomic number, from hydrogen to uranium. However, it soon became obvious that researchers had yet to discover seven completely unknown elements.

In this updated and expanded edition of his acclaimed book, Eric Scerri presents the intriguing stories of these elements--protactinium, hafnium, rhenium, technetium, francium, astatine, and promethium. It follows their discoveries through the two world wars, starting with protactinium in 1917 and ending with promethium in 1945. Scerri details the research leading to each discovery, the pivotal experiments, the chemists involved, the properties of each element, and their applications. For example, hafnium alloys, named after Copenhagen (hafnia), have some of the highest boiling points and are used in rocket thrusters like those on the Apollo Lunar Modules. Scerri then examines the integration of twenty-five new elements into the periodic table over the past fifty years and concludes with a new chapter on rare earth elements and the histories of their discoveries.

The Second Edition of A Tale of Seven Elements vividly portrays the journey of chemical research, from missteps and disputes to the thrill of discovery, illuminating the researchers behind the elements, as much as their breakthroughs.

By: Eric R. Scerri (Lecturer in Chemistry and Philosophy of Science Lecturer in Chemistry and Philosophy of Science UCLA)
Imprint: Oxford University Press Inc
Country of Publication: United States [Currently unable to ship to USA: see Shipping Info]
Edition: 2nd Revised edition
Dimensions: Height: 208mm, Width: 144mm, Spine: 17mm
Weight: 367g
ISBN: 9780197785324
ISBN 10: 0197785328
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 02 September 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Preface An A-Z of Acknowledgments Introduction 1. From Dalton to the Discovery of the Periodic System 2. The Invasion of the Periodic Table by Physics 3. Element 91-Protactinium 4. Element 72-Hafnium 5. Element 75-Rhenium 6. Element 43-Technetium 7. Element 87-Francium 8. Element 85-Astatine 9. Element 61-Promethium 10. From Missing Elements to Synthetic Elements 11. The Rare Earth Elements Notes Bibliography Author Index Index

Eric Scerri is founder and editor-in-chief of the Springer journal Foundations of Chemistry. He has authored around 200 journal articles in the history and philosophy of science, chemistry and chemical education, in addition to five books. He has been teaching chemistry as well as history and philosophy of science at UCLA since the year 2000.