An in-depth look at how elements are discovered, why they matter and
where they will take us.
The science of element discovery is a truly fascinating field, and is
constantly rewriting the laws of chemistry and physics as we know them.
Superheavy is the first book to take an in-depth look at how synthetic
elements are discovered, why they matter and where they will take us.
From the Cold War nuclear race to the present day, scientists have
stretched the periodic table to 118 elements. They have broken the rules
of the periodic table, rewriting the science we're taught in school, and
have the potential to revolutionize our lives.
Kit Chapman takes us back to the very beginning, with the creation of
the atomic bomb. He tells the story of the major players, such as Ernest
Lawrence who revolutionized the field of particle physics with the
creation of the cyclotron; Yuri Oganessian, the "guerilla scientist" who
opened up a new era of discovery in the field and is the only living
scientists to have an element named after him; and Victor Ninov, the
disgraced physicist who almost pulled off the greatest fraud in nuclear
science. This book will bring us in a full circle back to Oak Ridge
National Laboratory, where the first atomic bomb was developed, and that
has more recently been an essential player in creating the new
superheavy element 117.
Throughout, Superheavy explains the complex science of element
discovery in clear and easy-to-follow terms. It walks through the
theories of atomic structure, discusses the equipment used and explains
the purpose of the research. By the end of the book readers will not
only marvel at how far we've come, they will be in awe of where we are
going and what this could mean for the worlds of physics and chemistry
as we know them today.