Superheavy - Making and Breaking the Periodic Table

Kit Chapman

Bloomsbury Sigma

2019

304 páginas

10h 8m

ISBN-13: 9781472953896

An in-depth look at how elements are discovered, why they matter, and where they will take us.
The science of element discovery is a truly fascinating field, and is constantly rewriting the laws of chemistry and physics as we know them. Superheavy will be the first book to take an in-depth look at how these synthetic elements are discovered, why they matter and where they will take us. As recently as November 2016, four new “superheavy” elements—the heaviest created by man—were named, stretching the periodic table to 118 elements. They have broken the rules of the periodic table, rewriting the science we’re taught in school, and have the potential to revolutionize our lives.
Kit Chapman takes us back to the very beginning, with the creation of the atomic bomb and the cold war race between the US and Soviet teams. It tells the story of the major players who revolutionized physics—including Ernest Lawrence, Yuri Oganessian, and Victor Ninov. This book will bring us in a full circle back to Oak Bridge National Laboratory, where the first atomic bomb was developed, and that has more recently been an essential player in creating the new superheavy element 117.
Superheavy explains the complex science of element discovery in clear and easy-to-follow terms. It walks through the theories of atomic structure, discusses the equipment used and explains the purpose of the research. By the end of the book readers will marvel at how far we’ve come, where we are going, and what this could mean for the world.

Resenhas (1)

5 (Perfeito)

Impressionantemente perfeito!!

Eu esperava apenas um livro de química, mas ganhei algo muito além!
A descrição dos químicos e seus contextos históricos são extremamente marcantes - do Férmi, por exemplo, que precisava do Prêmio Nobel para ganhar o dinheiro e fugir da Itália fascista -, pois ajuda o leitor a compreender a importância das descobertas químicas de acordo com as épocas e os acontecimentos. O fato do Kit Chapman ser jornalista ajuda muito a tornar o enredo tão envolvente, mesmo sendo um livro sobre a descoberta dos elementos transurânios - algo que, em teoria, seria chato.
Me emocionei algumas boas vezes, especialmente quando o Seaborg ganhou o prêmio de melhor cientista vivo da época e no epílogo, no qual Chapman nos despediu dos químicos ao poucos, mencionando os principais, e finalizando com "This doesn't feel like the end of the superheavy story. It feels like the start."
Com amor,
Sophie