The Elements

All the chemical elements that make up the universe—pictured, analyzed, and explained.

Every atom in the universe belongs to one of 118 different types, and each of these builds an elemental substance. Some elements, such as copper and gold, are unreactive and have been extracted intact from Earth’s crust by miners since prehistory. More elusive elements including arsenic and phosphorus were revealed by medieval alchemists. Since then, scientists and chemical engineers have isolated many more elements that were invisible, hidden, rare, or unstable. Once enough elements were revealed, scientists noticed patterns that chimed like notes on a keyboard, and arranged the elements into eight columns, according to the “law of octaves.” This became the Periodic Table, now 118 elements strong, that partly describes and explains the nature of these fundamental substances.

The Elements tells this story, element by element, from the lead and carbon of antiquity to the latest radioactive elements flickering briefly into existence in the lab. With beautiful, clear graphics, it looks at why each is different, showing how each type of atom leads to the unique chemistry of its element. Every element has: graphics of its atoms or chemical reactions, gorgeous images of the element in nature and in use by humans in technology or culture, and a big infographic data file including key information such as how it was created in the universe and where it crops up on Earth or in the human body.

If you want to unlock the secrets of matter itself, open The Elements.