Sounds cheesy but works brilliantly
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Peter Atkins describes the features of the chemical elements using the idea of a "kingdom" as an extended metaphor. He draws relief "maps" of the periodic table with elements shown as different heights according to their properties - for example, in one "map" the highest peaks are the elements with the largest atomic diameters; in another, they are the elements with the highest ionisation energies. It all sounds a bit Mickey Mouse, but it works surprisingly well. As someone who gave up chemistry at 16, I welcomed a book which refreshed - and considerably augmented - my understanding of the subject with minimal requirement of imaginative effort on my part. Obviously, this isn't a book for PhD students, but anyone else with a passing interest in this rudimentary field of science should find it very enlightening.
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Original, factual and well written
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A book which describes the periodic table as a country - I liked the idea. As a Chemistry student, the periodic table can seem a bit like a map of a strange foreign country, with a perculiar logic behind it's layout, and unpronouncable place names dotted around. This book is well written, and if you're interested in Chemistry then worth reading. It might be helpful to any student struggling with periodic trends and patterns, if they can be bothered to read through it!, as it has a novel approach to explaining things which may stick in your mind. Or totally confuse you. There's an extremely comprehensive index and even a couple of diagrams. It's a good idea and not badly written, presenting a highly factual content in an accessible way. Worth a read if you're interested in science.
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A truly magnificent book
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When asked to explain why a certain element behaves a certain way, chemists almost always reach for their well-worn periodic table. When asked to explain in more detail, sooner or later quantum mechanics enters into the discussion. At this stage, for the average person, the question has not been answered, since the answer is likely to be incomprehensible. Enter Atkins' book about the periodic table. Everybody will learn something from it, no matter how (in)experienced they are. Novices at chemistry will learn about the periodic table the right way, and will do so right from the start. Seasoned chemists and chemistry teachers will scratch their heads in amazement at Atkins' ability to turn something difficult into something logical. There's something in here for everybody; it's destined to become a classic.
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An amazing book.
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This book ingeniously explains the fundamental, though often hard to understand, concepts of chemistry, and is very easy to read. It explains the periodic table as a map to a fascinating land: The kingdom of the elements.
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The Periodic Kingdom is an excellent book.
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As a pharmacist, I've taken years of advanced chemistry courses. I wish that I'd had this book (The Periodic Kingdom) available during pharmacy school- it would have helped to elucidate some of the most fundamental, yet hard-to-grasp concepts in chemistry. Right now, I'm using Professor Atkins' insightful illumination of the atomic world to help explain these concepts to my 6th-grade son. It beats the dry 6th-grade text any day. I can't praise this book enough.
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