344 Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 74 No. 3 March 1997
Information • Textbooks • Media • Resources
Die chemischen Elemente: Ein Streifzug durchdas Periodensystem
Lucien F. Trueb. S. Hirzel: Stuttgart and Leipzig, Germany,1996. Illustrations. xviii + 416 pp. 16 × 24.4 cm. DM 128.
Lucien F. Trueb, the Swiss chemist, metallurgist, ma-terials scientist, and science journalist, has engaged in alove affair with the chemical elements for more than fourdecades from his days as a student in the Gymnasium ofhis native Neuchâtel and in the Eidgenössische TechnischeHochschule (ETH) to the present day. This informative, fact-packed volume, subtitled A Ramble through the PeriodicSystem, is the fruit of that affair. Dr. Trueb’s “Forschung undTechnik” feature in Zurich’s prestigious newspaper, theNeue Zürcher Zeitung, furnished much of the material inthe book, which is clearly a labor of love. Also, he and hisJapanese wife, Yoshiko Yasukawa, traveled through all thecontinents in their search for material. The couple even vis-ited me in Fresno to find historical and biographical dataon the elements and their discoveries. In my opinion, Truebhas admirably succeeded in fulfilling his stated goal of dem-onstrating for the reader that chemistry can be understoodby everyone. His contention that it is also an “eminentlysensual science,” dealing with “exceedingly beautiful min-erals and crystals, shiny metals, [and] remarkable liquids”is underscored by the 132 attractive illustrations (28 in fullcolor) that grace the book.
Trueb’s volume is divided into two parts: Part I, “TheConception of the Elements and the Periodic System” (14 pp),
and Part II, “The Elements” (381 pp). The first considers theidea of the elements from Democritus to Lavoisier, the dis-covery and development of the periodic system, and the ori-gin of the elements, including nucleosynthesis. The second,consisting of 23 chapters, describes each of the elements fromhydrogen and its isotopes (16 pp) to the heaviest of theknown transactinides (element 112). Among the topics lu-cidly detailed are the history; occurrence and geochemicalconcentration in the earth's crust; isolation or preparation;physical and chemical properties; toxicology or physiology;and the most important compounds, technologies, and indus-trial uses. The latest IUPAC designations are employed, andrecent discoveries such as the fullerenes are included. Thefinal chapter, ‘The End of the Periodic System?”, discussesthe possibility of elements beyond element 112.
A 2-page color-coded periodic table and a chart of theelectronic configurations of the elements are among thegraphic aids included in the volume. Although no exact ref-erences are given, a list of sources is provided. Chapter des-ignations, similar to thumb indexes, on the outer marginsof the pages and an 11-page (3 columns per page) indexmake location of material by the reader both quick and easy.This well organized book will be of use to chemists, physi-cists, pharmacists, biologists, physicians, students, andanyone concerned with chemical questions. And because itsauthor is fluent in both spoken and written English, per-haps a translation will appear sometime in the future.
George B. KauffmanCalifornia State University Fresno, Fresno, CA 93740
