by Allen Cardoza
L.A. Talk show hosts Allen Cardoza and Dr. Melody Foxx discussed the fascinating story behind the Periodic Table with author Sam Kean.
The Periodic Table not only changed scientific understanding, it also strongly influenced the history of the world. Even stories of romantic love and madness are associated with the Periodic Table. It is also a tale of numerous volatile emotions, including passion, betrayal, and obsession. The Periodic Table, one of man’s crowning scientific achievements, is much more than a simple chart of elements.
“The Disappearing Spoon,” by Sam Kean is about the same chart you remember from high school, but this time it’s enlivened with funny, spooky, and just plain bizarre stories about every single element.
Why did Gandhi hate iodine (I, 53)? Why did the Japanese kill Godzilla with missiles made of cadmium (Cd, 48)? 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 one of our crowning scientific achievements, but it also has an extensive back story. The fascinating tales in “The Disappearing Spoon” follow carbon, neon, silicon, gold, and every single element 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.
By reading “The Disappearing Spoon,” you will discover why a dash of lithium (Li, 3) helped cure poet Robert Lowell from insanity. You will also learn why Gallium (Ga, 31) was the famous element used by scientifically-minded pranksters. The Periodic Table has affected everything, from the theory about the Big Bang to theories about the end of time. “The Disappearing Spoon” offers many surprising insights. It is a fusion of science and the classic lore associated with invention, investigation, discovery, and alchemy.
Incidentally, the idiosyncratic title of the book is related to the strange behavior of gallium. Since gallium is solid at room temperature, but melts at 84 F, scientists enjoyed fashioning gallium spoons, serving them with tea, and watching in delight as horrified guests saw the spoon melting in their Earl Grey tea.
Learn more about The Disappearing Spoon. Stop by Allen Cardoza’s site where you can listen to the fascinating interview with Sam Kean.
