 Question: is it possible to write an interesting
book about the periodic table? This account, published in the budget-priced 'Science Masters' series, is an attempt by Dr Peter Atkins, lecturer in Physical Chemistry and author of a fistful of popular science books.
Atkins's approach is to treat the periodic table as a map of a ficticious kingdom, which allows him to illustrate trends in terms of topography. It's an interesting idea that gets off to a good start
by plotting the various physical properties of atoms (mass, diameter, density and ionization energy) as altitudes on a conventional periodic table. The trouble is, after that the
geographical metaphor is painfully thin, yet Atkins persists in dragging it out. He does drop his guard occasionally, lapsing into more or less conventional narrative for chapters where the geography theme just
doesn't fit. On the whole the style is readable, but constant reference to regions of the table as the 'western desert' and the 'southern island' is tiresome, whilst the use of 'region' to denote an element is
downright confusing. Atkins also delights in overblown English, ranting on about 'littorals' and 'assaying the phenomenology' of things. 'Complexity', he spouts at one point, 'can effloresce from subtly
different consanguinity'. Such self-indulgent rubbish only distracts us from the story. The story is a familiar one to most of us with a smattering of
chemistry, but to be fair I came away with a few new insights. Despite the awkward attempt to impart a majestic, 'nineteenth-century scientific journal' feel to his account, Atkins sketches a coherent
outline of the patterns of atomic structure and how they relate to the elements we see. It's a slender book at 150 pages, although the breadth of coverage (from anecdotal human interest to 'six-lobed f-orbitals')
complements the lack of depth. Where I think this book would really score is as recommended reading for an A-level chemistry course. That's not a criticism, because at
that level it offers insight that transcends the unimaginative presentation of most elementary text books. So is it possible to write an interesting book about the periodic
table? I suspect that it is, and this is a credible attempt. The Science Masters series features purpose-written short texts from popular authors, written to appeal to the educated layman. I think if
Atkins were to expand this into a longer, more technical work (and perhaps rethink his metaphors), it would be an interesting and educational read. |
