World of the Elements

You know that you need oxygen to breathe, that neon can glow and chrome shines? But did you know that your cell phone contains arsenic, your spectacles contain rhodium and that the tin pest is not a disease? And can you name just three researchers whom we have to thank for all these results? Here, Professor Quadbeck-Seeger, a long-serving member of the board at BASF, goes in search of these and other questions. Based on the periodic table, the key reference source for any natural scientist, he explains the criteria that define an element's position in the table and are responsible for its particular characteristics. In a clear and concise manner, he describes for each ele…