The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table

“We eat and breathe the periodic table; people bet and lose huge sums on it; philosophers use it to probe the meaning of science; it poisons people; it spawns wars. Between hydrogen at the top left and the man-made impossibilities lurking along the bottom, you can find bubbles, bombs, money, alchemy, petty politics, history, poison, crime, and love. Even some science.” 

This passage describes the essential purpose of the book, to explore the elements and learn about the people behind their discoveries. Much of the book is anecdotal, presenting interesting stories and tidbits about the scientists whose work lead to a complete periodic table. 

“The periodic table has its own grammar, and reading between its lines reveals whole new stories.” 

The elements are arranged in rows and columns that indicate how each atom is likely to behave. From left to right, atoms’ chemical activity varies in a distinct pattern; from top to bottom, atoms become progressively heavier, which leads to decreasing stability. Many other implications can be derived by careful study of the table.

“Most elements are undeservedly anonymous.” 

As with most things in life, the elements vary in their importance to humans. Some atoms are largely ignored but turn out to have interesting and useful properties when properly studied.