Organization of the Periodic Table of the Elements

    A pretty important part of chemistry is the elements, and what is the first thing conjured into a person's mind when they think of elements? The Periodic Table of course! The Disappearing Spoon puts a special emphasis on the periodic table, or to be more specific how the periodic table is organized. In the very first chapter Kean talks about "stripping away" all of the elements just to analyze and better understand the structure of the actual table. Throughout the book Kean discusses the different groups of the periodic table, breaking down how certain commonalities can be found between different elements just based off of where they are in the table. He explains what characteristics groups like noble gasses, alkali metals, and alkali earth metals have. He also explains that as you move horizontally across the table each element has one more electron than the element to its left, and that while each periodic family has many shared characteristics, there are still usually one or two elements in every family that are "black sheep" and don't quite fit in with the rest. Kean also goes into great detail about the scientists like Mendeleev who were the founders and discoverers of the periodic table and the principles that make it up. All in all, this really prominent part of the book builds an important understanding of one of the most integral parts of chemistry, the periodic table of elements.