Superheavy

doi:10.1515/ci-2020-0322

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Superheavy

Published/Copyright: July 16, 2020

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From the journal Chemistry International Volume 42 Issue 3

Kit Chapman

Bloomsbury Sigma, 2019

Reviewed by Juris Meija, Chair, IUPAC CIAAW

As the world celebrates the 150th anniversary of the Periodic Table in 2019, this book offers a most unique inside view into the makings of one of the greatest icons of humanity. Many books have told the stories of classical chemical elements, yet little is available to cover the contemporary discoveries of all those elements way past the uranium which, to be frank, most chemists have never heard of. This book is a masterful science travelogue as Chapman has met most key players involved in expanding the Periodic Table.

The book opens with a vivid account of the first isolation of plutonium in the Gilman Hall attic at Berkeley. While the official accounts place this event on 23 Feb 1941 and during a storm, Chapman has poured over the meteorological records to contradict this historical date. While seemingly innocuous, this detail illustrates the rigor and effort it has taken to craft this book. Indeed, much of science revolves around gathering information from diverse sources and on how we go about resolving any discrepancies as they emerge. This charming vignette exemplifies scientific journalism at its best.

So what does it take to make an element? Chapman shows that besides hard-work it may also take circumstance (as with Seaborg), resourcefulness (Segré), or perseverance (Morita). Chapman also does not shy from exposing the more shameful cultural practices that have denied early access or recognition to talented scientists for simply not being male. In doing so, Chapman provides a counterpoint to the male-dominated role models with many strong female element hunters: champions such as Darleane Hoffman, Nancy Stoyer, Clarice Phelps, or Dawn Shaughnessy. More importantly, Chapman shows that in 2019 our search for science role models does not have to stop with Mendeleev and his deeply flawed character—we can do much better.

Science needs, in fact demands, books detailing deeply engaging contemporary endeavors of its heroes. People do not become enchanted with science by reading Wikipedia entries; it is personal stories like Levi’s The Periodic Table or Curie’s Madame Curie that spark the interest of next generation scientists. Told through countless first-account interviews, Chapman’s well-researched Superheavy is such a book. Do a service to science—give this book to your nephews and nieces.

Online erschienen: 2020-07-16

Erschienen im Druck: 2020-07-01

©2020 IUPAC & De Gruyter. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. For more information, please visit: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/ci-2020-0322