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.