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  • The Disappearing Spoon: Young Listeners Edition

  • Written by: Sam Kean
  • Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
  • Length: 5 hrs and 6 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (3 ratings)

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The Disappearing Spoon: Young Listeners Edition cover art

The Disappearing Spoon: Young Listeners Edition

Written by: Sam Kean
Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
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Publisher's Summary

A young listeners edition of the New York Times best seller The Disappearing Spoon, chronicling the extraordinary stories behind one of the greatest scientific tools in existence: the periodic table.

Why did Gandhi hate iodine (I, 53)? How did radium (Ra, 88) nearly ruin Marie Curie's reputation? And why did tellurium (Te, 52) lead to the most bizarre gold rush in history?

The periodic table is a crowning scientific achievement, but it's also a treasure trove of adventure, greed, betrayal, and obsession. The fascinating tales in The Disappearing Spoon follow elements on the table as they play out their parts in human history, finance, mythology, conflict, the arts, medicine, and the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them.

Adapted for a middle-grade audience, the young listeners edition of The Disappearing Spoon offers the material in a simple, easy-to-follow format. Students, teachers, and burgeoning science buffs will love learning about the history behind the chemistry.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2010 Sam Kean (P)2018 Hachette Audio
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Profile Image for HittsMcGee

A fun, quick survey of the periodic table

at first, I was disappointed that this was only the version for young readers. I am a chemist and I wanted to know more about the history of periodic table. Thus I suspected that this book would be too immature for me.
To my surprise, this book was entertaining from start to finish. Although it does not get too technical, it did stimulate my curiosity and that is what it is all about.

I learned about the transition metals. I learned about discovering new elements Beyond uranium. I learned about atomic weights and early debates over how the elements should be ordered. overall it is an entertaining book for students in high school and undergrad.

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