The Periodic Table: From Alchemy to the Nuclear Age

《元素週期表：探索宇宙的118種基本元素》（The Periodic Table，暫譯）

這本書以圖像、分析與故事，呈現構成宇宙的所有化學元素，讓你看見物質世界的奧祕。

宇宙中的每個原子都屬於118種元素之一，它們組成了萬物的基礎。銅、金等惰性金屬自史前時代便可直接開採，而砷、磷等神祕元素則在中世紀鍊金術士的實驗中現身。隨著更多元素被發現，科學家開始注意到其中的韻律，並依「八音律法則」排列成為今日的元素週期表，揭示物質的根本規律。

本書按元素的發現順序展開——從古老的鉛與碳，到實驗室裡瞬間閃現的放射性元素——串聯出一部化學發現史。

書中特色：

• 圖像化呈現：每種元素都有原子結構示意圖、化學反應圖與自然形態的精美照片

• 應用與文化：展示元素在科技與人類生活中的用途與意義

• 資訊一目了然：大幅資訊圖表，包含宇宙起源、地球分布與人體存在方式

• 歷史與科學交織：人類發現元素的故事與時代背景並行，科學知識更鮮活

這是一本結合科學、歷史與設計美感的化學入門指南，帶你打開物質世界的秘密之門。

All the chemical elements that make up the universe – pictured, analysed, and explained.

Every atom in the Universe belongs to one of 118 different types, and each of these builds an elemental substance. Some elements, such as copper and gold, are unreactive and have been extracted intact from Earth’s crust by miners since prehistory. More elusive elements including arsenic and phosphorus were revealed by medieval alchemists. Since then, scientists and chemical engineers have isolated many more elements that were invisible, hidden, rare, or unstable. Once enough elements were revealed, scientists noticed patterns that chimed like notes on a keyboard, and arranged the elements into eight columns, according to the “law of octaves”. This became the Periodic Table, now 118 elements strong, that partly describes and explains the nature of these fundamental substances.

This book tells this story, element by element, from the lead and carbon of antiquity to the latest radioactive elements flickering briefly into existence in the lab. With beautiful, clear graphics, it looks at why each is different, showing how each type of atom leads to the unique chemistry of its element. Every element has: graphics of its atoms or chemical reactions, gorgeous images of the element in nature and in use by humans in technology or culture, and a big infographic data file including key information such as how it was created in the Universe, and where it crops up on Earth or in the human body.

If you want to unlock the secrets of matter itself, open The Periodic Table.