Chapter 7

The Disappearing Spoon Chapter 7

Summary

     This chapter talked about the discovery of new elements found around the world and how they all came to be called in a time of war. The surprising part of the elements is that the atomic number surpasses the 90 or 95 at that time, and there was no team discovery put together to find new elements around in the world. Instead, a team scientist discovered them in a lab in Berkeley. The team's leader was Glenn Seaborg who succeeded in finding results by dumb luck. He also discovered the element neptunium with the help of his friend and colleague Edwin McMillan. 

     The chapter also mentions how the team of scientist made the discoveries by trying to get a reaction on a device that was later needed to be transferred to another lab before it became too highly radioactive and failed there result. But through their hard work they made their time count and calculated every step right. In addition to their careful observation, they attached their device to a fire alarm to "alarm" them of any new elements created, and it did. Soon after they discovered the element einsteinium and many others; in addition, after their celebration, they went home and forgot to disarm their device which triggered there the last element. 

Reflection

     The chapter was less interesting than some others but it allowed me to know that there were elements found not by mere discovery but by the element being made in a lab. The process in which Seaborg and his team of scientist accomplished at that time. If it wasn't for them I don't know how we could have an extended periodic table. It also encourages me to want to find the next element in the periodic table and hopefully make it a useful element not used in war. 

    The one thing I found interesting is how countries will get heated just for a name of an element but it is understandable since scientist work hard for their work. Although they could've combined both names somehow. Lastly, other than the discovery of new elements in Berkeley, it was a somewhat of an exciting chapter to look into if you're interested in history of the origin of elements.  

Guideline Questions

1.Germanium, Californium, Berkelium, Silicon(Silicon Valley),and Krypton(Superman). Einsteinium, and Seaborgium. 

2.The elements are made more than discovered because there is a limit to every element in the world due to the supernova that left what is now Earth. And there are Russian folktales of the elements on earth. The elements were made by the use of an alpha particle and gold foil by a detector that needed to be transferred to another lab before it became too highly radioactive. 

3.Stalin's scientific process in Russia was that he was willing to do what others were not. He was not burdened by conscience or a moral code.

4.The "cold war of elements" was the controversial debate of whether an element should be named by the US or Russia since both sides discovered the same element at the same time period. But at the end, 8 wise men of science came worth and decided that both shared equal credit. 

Chapter 6

The Disappearing Spoon Chapter 6

Summary

     In this chapter, it talked about the final improvements in the periodic table we see today. The one who is to thank is Henry Moseley, he used an electric beam gun that helped find the electric charge in each atom and made isotopes understandable due to their extra mass provided by neutrons." Many chemists tried to make his "improvements" to the periodic table seem wrong but would later regret it by being embarrassed by Moseley. Sadly, Moseley was killed in action in a war. His death meant that wars are nothing but crimes that killed innocent, young, talented people that could've kept making changes around the world. 

     The chapter also discussed the making of the atomic bombs that impacted the world. Uranium and Plutonium were just two factors in the making of the atomic bomb. But due to the trigger of the first atomic bombs made the whole world realize the dangers in messing with nuclear power and elements that should never be used in war. Although it did not change some people's mind, it just made way to deadlier models of the atomic bombs. Although after a while a new spawn was born of the atomic bomb that was later agreed to never be used due to its doomsday power it possesses within its shell, the bomb was called a Cobalt bomb. 

Reflection

     The chapter peeked my interest because it allowed me to see how the atomic bomb was built and how you should you should never give up but start again. It's ironic how the first atomic bomb was solved by statistics rather than more Advanced problem solving but seeing how there was a war going on and the US needed a new weapon fast, it is reasonable that they need to see every possibility. Which made way for many other bomb models that are secured within our countries around the world rather than destroyed for good. Also, it made realize about how many people died in wars that could havce made a difference in the world of scienec or the world. One in which was Henry Moseley that helped improve our periodic table.

Guideline Questions

1.Plutonium is a highly reactive element that can be used in the making of bombs and other highly powered devices. 

2.Henry Moseley was a chemist that helped with the improvement of the periodic table and organized the element in their rightful order with the help of his electric atom splitter. 

3.Oak Ridge was the home of the uranium enrichment plants, the liquid thermal diffusion plant, and the pilot plutonium production reactor.

4.Both Uranium and Plutonium are similar by their high atomic number and are used for weapon making. They are different by Uranium being a natural source is enriched by the isotopes separation, and Plutonium is produced in a suitable nuclear reactor. 

5.The Cobalt Bomb is more deadly because unlike the Uranium bomb in which causes a massive explosion, Cobalt is more highly radioactive and releases great quantities of gamma radiation that is intended. Furthermore, the Uranium bomb would take 5 years for the radiation to go away, but the Cobalt bomb would take many years. Unlike the other atomic bomb that people can wait out, the Cobalt bomb can't be waited out or endured because it will take an entire human lifetime for it to be safe to go out. Plus, the Cobalt bomb can react with the moisture in the air which allows it to spread out tremendously and possibly cover up the whole world. 

Chapter 5

The Disappearing Spoon Chapter 5

Summary

     In the chapter, it talked about a man named Fritz Haber who invented a Poisonous gas that would be a great weapon in WW1. The gas consisted of Bromine and then moves in into a more dangerous gas Chlorine, its cousin. The book first described Haber as a man who helped with fertilization with his formula that contains Nitrogen. The Nitrogen helped with fertilization that feeds millions to this day but that wasn't Haber's purpose, his purpose was to make a deadly gas that killed millions rather than helped. 

      During Haber's inventions of the poisonous gases, his wife died due to her not being able to deal with the killing machine she called husband. Afterward, Haber won a Nobel prize and was announced as a criminal for his unrighteous actions in his chemical gases. But then WW2 came along and other mad geniuses came along to make deadlier other weapons like the "berthes" which used Tungsten to would send deadly shells 60 miles or more to their destination. Towards the end of the war, a new problem arose that had to deal with the use of elements, Tantalum and Niobium, that was Congo that had no Government and was total chaos. 

Reflection

     This chapter was very impressive seeing how history seems to evolve around the periodic table and explains the bad side of the periodic table that drives our, destruction, hate, greed, and death. But one thing I like about the book is how it starts off with a story to introduce an element and its toll on humanity. Two in which are Bromine and Chlorine in WW1, which were used to make poisonous gases. The chemist that seems to be a savior in fertilization was sadly using his formula of ammonia(NH3) to make gas bombs that made nightmarish consequences to all that were victim to this gas. 

     The chemist was Fritz Haber, who invested his life in the war efforts instead of making a "good" out of his skill in Chemistry. Most would greatly disapprove of his actions he made, more or less seeing him as a man with no morals. He helped with fertilization but he also helped or influence many other chemists in using his methods on chemical warfare which was a harbinger. Aside from his sad and destructive story as a chemist there was a plenty more troubles later on. One in which was tantalum and niobium that was used in the making of phones, Congo in Africa was a good source pf this but was also a bad source, morally. Congo was a region that had no government and many deaths in the last couple of years. Lastly, I liked this chapter because it explains the dark side of the periodic table in our human nature. 

Guideline Questions

1.Elements can be used in war by making them into smoke, tear gas, and poison gas in chemical warfare. 

2.The word harbinger meant that one person would soon take over. 

3.The Uranium can benefit people by it being a source of electricity. Although, Uranium can harm people by the element being used in atomic bombs. Hydrogen, on the other hand, can be used in the making of water or for chemical warfare like the Hydrogen Bomb. 

4.The ironic part in Haber wining a Nobel prize is for his "accomplishment" of inventing deadly gases that benefited war efforts to kill. The prize of Tungsten jumped dramatically because it would be used for cannon shells that resist separation or movement of the atoms due to the heat/temperature.

5. The two elements can be found in the continent of Africa. The Country of Africa or Congo had many wars since it has no government but now we get them from Australia. The reason we need Tantalum and Niobium is because it is an important factor in the making of Phones.

Chapter 4

The Disappearing Spoon Chapter 4

Summary

     In the Chapter, it emphasises the importance of the periodic table into the big bang, the supernovas, and most matter formation in a planet's crust and core. The two most important elements that make up the planets core is Hydrogen and helium, mostly Helium because it costs less energy to react. The chapter describes how both Hydrogen and Helium combine or are given energy from the planets core, along with an important factor B2FH, have made it possible to produced new elements, or isotopes. This procedure is used in all planets and on Earth it has 90.96% of Hydrogen and Helium and the remaining 0.04% is the other elements. 

     The Big Bang mentioned in the chapter also explained how it produced a sonic wave of supernova gas that formed the solar system bit by bit. Although, not every planet got formed the same and some have rare elements that are unobtainable on Earth. Like Jupiter, for example, has metallic Hydrogen which is only observed for a short period of time back on Earth. Furthermore, we might have thought that Earth obtained every element but we're wrong. In other planets like Jupiter, there are elements that are unknown to earth and have never been heard of before. 

     Additionally, the chapter explains how two scientists have been researching the destruction of the dinosaurs and discovered how iridium and rhenium placed a major role. Also how in a heated discussion between two scientists produced an interesting theory of Nemesis that could've explained why the dinosaurs died off slowly but the theory was later rejected in the science community. It consisted of a cousin or small planet circling around the sun that threw bits of meteorites, which contain rhenium, on Earth that killed the dinosaurs slowly instead of one big shot.

Reflection

     In this chapter, I found the evolution or the creation of the solar system very interesting  because of how there are different types of elements still not discovered. Not to mention the different theory of how nemesis could've made the dinosaurs extinct due to its "Timely schedule" that hits the Earth. But the theory is still in debate in whether it exist or not. In addition, I also learned how the extinction did not happen immediately by the impact but from the traces of iridium and rhenium that created an enormous cloud of gas that covered Earth. That cloud of gas to my surprise made all living things die off, mostly because it destroyed all plant life. 

     A fact that I found to be disturbing is how all planets have a due date to where they die off and explode into oblivion. The main cause or the reason that they stay alive is because of Hydrogen and Helium that stays in the planet's core. To believe that only these two elements hold the power on Earth. 

Guideline Question

1.What I already know is that each star contains a number of years in which it will eventually die off. The elements that are involved are Hydrogen, Helium, and Iron. The elements don't fuse anything more than Iron because they have a minimum capacity of transformation that react with B2FH. 

2.Jupiter is an interesting planet because it contains a lot of elements that seem almost impossible to form or create on earth. Also how the planet creates elements that are not known to our periodic table. One element that Jupiter has in great quantities is metallic Hydrogen in which can only observed for a short period of time on Earth. 

3.Clair Patterson was able to conclude that Earth was 4.55 Billion years old because of the use of lead 204 that he kept pure and out of the other lead isotopes. A scientist, in general, can only presume the results of the Earth being born is by the consumption of equations, theories, and past findings. 

Chapter 3

The Disappearing Spoon Chapter 3

Summary

     In the chapter, it talked about the importance of the periodic table and how it became literally a puzzle to piece together, but only one that was able to solve the puzzle and that was Dimitri Mendeleev. Mendeleev came from a harsh childhood in which involved his father dying, family factory burning down, left with little to survive,  his mother dying to secure his future, and Mendeleev left with no family in the end. Although this did not stop Mendeleev from accomplishing many things in his life. Although he did not believe in electrons, and atoms; Mendeleev still was able to construct the periodic table by himself.

    A little story that is was mentioned in the chapter is with Fredrich Bottger and King Augustus, the strong. For many days Bottger had an act to use his Knowledge of Chemistry to use in his "magic tricks" in crowd events which caught the ear of the King and imprisoned him. With Bottger's life at stake, he decided to help the king's assistant make porcelain which is believed that a person can't be poisoned if they drink out a cup made of porcelain. Sadly though even with his accomplishment it just made the king put more security around his cell that he now calls home. 

Reflection

     In this chapter, I gotta give credit to Dimitri Mendeleev for his accomplishment on the periodic table. He did not just invent the periodic table but was able to predict the upcoming element for the future and put another "piece of the puzzle" onto the periodic table. Although the periodic table might be completed it still has a long way to go until the every element is found. What makes Mendeleev so talented for me is the fact that he was able to create the periodic table by himself, although he might have had some help by one person only. Nonetheless, what I like about this chapter the most is Mendeleev's past because it shows that no matter what you overcome, you are able to accomplish many things in life. 

     Another interesting fact that I found fascinating was the village of Ytterby which contained a lot of the lanthanides. But I also liked the story of Friedrich bottger which was a teenager trying to make his living out of his trickery with chemistry.One in which got him in trouble and that was making two Silver coins turning to Gold which is probably something I would have done back in the days too(*Smirk*). But due to the time period he lived in made him a victim to the king and spent his days imprisoned. 

Guideline Questions

1.Lead has the symbol Pb because it is the Latin word "plumbum" meaning "liquid silver." so "Plumbum" can sound the same/related to "Plumber."

2.Robert Bunsen built the first the spectroscope. Robert Bunsen was a chemist who improved the bunsen burner in the mid-1800s.

3.-...in reality 6 people...

-One discovery was the automobile because Karl Benz generally is acknowledged as the inventor of the modern automobile which Henry Ford did not create a self-propelled automobile until 1896, more than ten years after Benz.

-He took most credit because he was able to organize each element to its exact spot and predict the upcoming element with great detail.

4.It was a puzzle to find the new piece which is a new element. Also to piece together the right elements to its atomic number, mass, and place.

5.Some mistakes Mendeleev made was, to not believe in atoms, electrons, or radioactivity.

6.One time Antoine Lavoisier was incorrect was in his attempt to distinguish acids and bases on a chemistry level, which turned out to be wrong. Antoine Lavoisier died from decapitation in the French Revolution.

7.Ytterby pronounced "itter-er-bee" and meaning "outer village," looks exactly like you'd hope a coastal village in Sweden would and it was in Ytterby where they found the lanthanides. 

Chapter 2

The Disappearing Spoon Chapter 2

Summary

     In Chapter 2, the author went over three interesting elements called Carbon, Silicon, and Germanium. Carbon in which is an essential need in daily life, it provides the bonds and rings to make sugar and other substances. As well as Carbon dioxide which is what we breath out. Silicon on the other hand, is an element that the main component in Glass and Silicon Dioxide which is more fatal than Carbon Dioxide. Germanium though is an element that was once used for wiring as semiconductor. Germanium was a good conductor but it heated up to fast in rising temperatures which caused problems in wiring. 

     The element Silicon was not only proven difficult to form life but had many other flaws, such as bonds with other elements due to its electrons. In some cases Silicon was able to obtain life but it was done as a one cell organism but it also has some benefits as a reinforced exoskeleton. An electrical engineer and Physicist, called William Shockley, in fact used silicon for a amplifier, but gave up after a couple of years. That is when John Bardeen and  Walter Brattain took over and made their own amplifier with Silicon. This did not sit well with Shockley so he declared that he took part on the work and got a Nobel Prize as well. Most of the credit ended up going with Shockley which angered Bardeen and ended up leaving that particular field and went on studying other fields. 

     When the Bardeen left, there was a event which led to a new hero, Jack Kilby.  Kilby invented the integrated circuit,that was able to rid of a problem with the purity of Silicon. The problem in silicon was that it was expensive and inefficient with circuits, so he went with Germanium. He would've lived happily but Shockley came in and took the credit of Kilby. 

Reflection

     In this Chapter, I enjoyed the fact that silicon had many benefits but also some downfalls. One fact I personally thought was interesting about Silicon is how it is a part in some organisms, which is rare, that let them get a exoskeleton. But the downfall is that Silicon would be mostly impossible, biologically, to be put in a life form, which explains why they referred Silicon to be a fictional fantasy to some people and why carbon plays a big role in daily life. Silicon is mostly in a solid form and can only be a gas in 1,000F, which gives me an idea on how Volcanic gas might feel it touch your skin(Since Volcanic gas contains Silicon). But it would be pretty awesome if one day our skin was made up of Silicon because it would be very resistant to energy and take a lot to feel the burn. Silicon though weighs a lot considering the electrons in the element and Silicon does not provide ways to store energy or chemical hormones, leaving the life form more or less like a robotic figure. In addition, Silicon dioxide would be needed for the life form to exist and there aren't many volcanic eruptions now in days, but there is always the possibility of the Exoplanets Mercury and Venus with their origin of having many Extraterrestrial Volcanoes. 

     The one thing I disliked about the chapter is William Shockley. As maybe talented or Skilled as he was, I would consider him a Quitter for not finishing what he has started. John Bardeen and Walter Brattain on the other hand, had the chemistry to finish their work and win a Nobel Prize. But Shockley couldn't accept the fact so he declared to have some credit and stole the spotlight from them making them look like assistants. Not to mention it makes me furious to find out that Shockley also took the credit of another gifted individual called Jack Kilby. 

Guideline Questions

1.You can find Carbon in sugars, and in Carbon Dioxide; although, silicon can be found in Glass materials, and Silicon Dioxide like in Volcanic ash.

2.What properties of carbon make it such an appropriate element as the foundation for Silicon is used in semiconductors, beating out the element Germanium. 

3. The reason Silicon is harder to built life forms is because it will not have the proper functions to keep it alive, such as sugars that keep things moving with cellular respiration. Also because Silicon couldn't have proper bonds and couldn't store energy or make chemical hormones.

4.William Shockley was a electrical engineer and physicist that liked to take credit for someone else's work and tried to make a silicon amplifier for a vacuum, but gave up and passed on his work to two of his underlings. John Bardeen was one of those and he was mostly the brains. Walter Brattain on the other hand was perfect putting things together with his hands. But when both Bardeen and Brattain finished their work, Shockley came along and declared that he took part on the work "they" have done, while Shockley did nothing. Which resulted in him getting a Nobel Prize as well, that he didn't deserve. 

5.One invention that was stolen from another is an Italian named Antonio Meucci who actually invented the first telephone. But couldn't release his work because he was too poor; so a man called Alexander Graham Bell came in and presented his own Telephone, which left Meucci penniless.

6.Jack Kilby invented the integrated circuit, in order to rid of a problem called the purity of Silicon. 

The problem was that silicon was expensive and was inefficient with circuits, so he made them out of Germanium. 

Chapter 1

The Disappearing Spoon Chapter 1

Summary

     In the book the Disappearing Spoon Sam Kean it talked about the importance of the periodic table and how each row, column, or period contains a unique element that varies in sizes, protons, and charges. Although the group that has the most Valence electrons would be the "Noble Gases" which the word "Noble" was used in a less chemistry sense referring to the gases. The Noble gases were known not just for their valence electrons but for the bonding with other elements. Helium being one of Plato's favorite elements as he emphasizes its erotic nature with his passions. 

      The ph scale as the author describes is not just a simple scale to determine acids and bases but to figure out the amount of Hydrogen ions in a compound. Additionally, when a ph number is raised by 1 it would actually go up by ten. Acids though in a compound are tough to maintain in an ordinary plastic container which is why they are supposed to contained them in a glass flask to control the powerful acids from dissolving everything else in their path. The have also been acids so powerful that were required a specialized glass to maintain it. 

     A well known scientist mentioned many times in the book is Gilbert Lewis. Lewis was a great scientist that has made many changes in the world of chemistry and one of those is the manhattan project which was later known the invention or creation of the first atomic bomb. The well-known scientist could've lived a happy life but that wouldn't be the case. Lewis would go around the world during world war 1 and world war 2 supporting the causes in the war effort. Not to mention as good as a scientist he was, he never had a Noble prize award for all his work over the years. 

Reflection

     On chapter 1 in the book I liked the way sam kean referred all of the elements used in a story to better understand each element on how it was used in events from the past experiences. Another personally thought was comical and sad at the same time is how they Referred everyone who helped make the atomic bomb "Heroes," even though it killed many lives both military and innocent. Also the discovery of the stomach acid ph level which is 1. This discovery helped me find out that there was more acids that were stronger than our bodily fluids. 

      The one thing I disliked the most is how Gilbert Lewis never had a noble prize or was considered more important than others. Also how his life was never the way he wanted it to be; instead Lewis got used and forgotten by some and died lonely in his Laboratory. Which his death was caused by a deadly gas  used frequently that gave him a heart attack. Although he was never a monumental figure to some, he seemed like a decent, smart, Scientist that should be shown respect for his hard work as a chemist and the person who helped built/organized the laboratory in the university of berkeley.

Guideline Questions

1.Both Helium and Oxygen are similar because they can bond with other elements by their electrons. But the difference is how they the Helium is a Noble gas and Oxygen is a Halogen gas.The author refers to the Periodic table metaphorically as a castle but also as a map. 

2.Helium is a member of the Group called the Noble Gases.

3.The subatomic particle is an electron because the element can become an cation or anion.

4.If you go up or down by 1 on the PH scale, you've changed by the factor of ten. This is similar to the Richter scale, which measures the strength of an earthquake. So an acid with a ph of 3 is 1,000 times stronger than an acid with a ph of 6. 

5.Gilbert Lewis changed it to be called an Universal acid/solvent. 

6. Maria Goeppert-Meter was a German scientist that was from generations of professors. She explained how helium, oxygen, and calcium are all common by being a universal element that is most abundant.