{"product_id":"the-lost-elements-the-periodic-tables-shadow-side","title":"The Lost Elements: The Periodic Table's Shadow Side","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Periodic Table of Elements hasnt always looked like it does now  a well-organized chart arranged by atomic number. In the mid-nineteenth century  chemists were of the belief that the elements should be sorted by atomic weight. However  the weights of many elements were calculated incorrectly  and over time it became clear that not only did the elements need rearranging  but that the periodic table contained many gaps and omissions: there were elements yet to be discovered  and the allure of finding one had scientists rushing to fill in the blanks. Supposed \"discoveries\" flooded laboratories  and the debate over what did and did not belong on the periodic table reached a fever pitch. With the discovery of radioactivity  the discourse only intensified. Throughout its formation  the Periodic Table of Elements has seen false entries  good-faith errors  retractions  and dead ends. In fact  there have been more falsely proclaimed elemental discoveries throughout history than there are elements on the table as we know it today.  The Lost Elements: The Periodic Tables Shadow Side collects the most notable of these instances  stretching from the nineteenth century to the present. The book tells the story of how scientists have come to understand elements  by discussing the failed theories and false discoveries that shaped the path of scientific progress. We learn of early chemists stubborn refusal to disregard alchemy as a legitimate practice  and of one Germans supposed discovery of an elemental metal that breathed. As elements began to be created artificially in the twentieth century  we watch the discovery climate shift to favor the physicists  rather than the chemists. Along the way  Fontani  Costa  and Orna introduce us to the key figures in the development of todays periodic table  including Lavoisier and Mendeleev. Featuring a preface from Nobel Laureate Roald Hoffmann  The Lost Elements is an expansive history of the wrong side of chemical discovery-and reveals how these errors and gaffes have helped shape the table as much as any other form of scientific progress.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44945765924917,"sku":"ByrdShop_0199383340","price":48.32,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780199383344.jpg?v=1769909742","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-lost-elements-the-periodic-tables-shadow-side","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}