The periodic table of the elements is a gallery of some of science's most intriguing characters, according to this sprightly tome of pop-chemistry. Ball (H2O: A Biography of Water) traces science's ...
1. Aristotle's quartet : the elements in antiquity -- 2. Revolution : how oxygen changed the world -- 3. Gold : the glorious and accursed element -- 4. The eightfold path : organizing the elements -- ...