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Rating: Summary: Should have had a chemist review your manuscript. Review: This is a "cute" book for its' size and illustrations. Not especially informative, but I suppose it wasn't meant to be. However, it should not make gross mistatements such as found on page 6: ie., Isotopes of the same element can have radically diverse chemical properties. Chemical properties of an element are the result of the electronic arrangement of its' orbiting electrons. All isotopes of a particular element have the same orbiting electron arrangement, thus the same chemical properties. The isotopes of a given element have different masses due to the different number of neutrons in their nuclei. For this reason, physical methods are used to separate the various isotopes of a given element.
Rating: Summary: Totally original Review: This is a "cute" book for its' size and illustrations. Not especially informative, but I suppose it wasn't meant to be. However, it should not make gross mistatements such as found on page 6: ie., Isotopes of the same element can have radically diverse chemical properties. Chemical properties of an element are the result of the electronic arrangement of its' orbiting electrons. All isotopes of a particular element have the same orbiting electron arrangement, thus the same chemical properties. The isotopes of a given element have different masses due to the different number of neutrons in their nuclei. For this reason, physical methods are used to separate the various isotopes of a given element.
Rating: Summary: Totally original Review: This is a really fun book. It successfully manages to get across the massive amount of weirdness down in the smaller end of things. My sons love it. Some of the pictures are the best I've seen anywhere. A little bit of a pity it didn't go into bond angles and so organic chemistry (lack of space I guess), and, as another reviewer has noted, there are some weak places ... but I just love the feel of the book, the way the subjects have been handled, and, unlike so many 'popular' chemistry books, this one at least has a beautifully designed periodic table at the back! Really highly recommended for kids or for adults who need their science refreshing.
Rating: Summary: A Wonderful Little Book! Review: Tiny and almost like a child's book, this puppy helped me catch up with all the new stuff that's been going on in the world of physics since I took the subject in high school decades ago. Only slightly larger than a CD jewel case and only 58 pages - and half of those are filled with diagrams - it still took me the better part of my Sunday morning to read and comprehend it. I was particularly impressed with the last page: a graphic representation of 36 different electron orbitals. I also liked the alternatives to the periodic tables that he offers. And his depiction of the universe since the Big Bang is enlightening. I finished the book amazed at how much of everything is nothing.The author also has added a sense of playfulness to the diagrams (and occasionally, the text) that helps to keep this subject from turning into the snoozer it traditionally is. Now I know why all those nerdy, high-end mathematician-types are so passionate about their work! If you take mass transit to work, this is an excellent book for you.
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