The disappearing spoon: and other true tales of rivalry, adventure, and the history of the world from the periodic table of the elements

Introduction: The disappearing spoon

Making the table: column by column, row by row. Geography of the elements ; The fathers of the periodic table ; All in the family: the genealogy of elements

Making atoms, breaking atoms. Where atoms come from: "We are all star stuff" ; Elements in times of war ; Completing the table... with a bang ; Competitive elements: extending the table, expanding the Cold War

Mistakes and rivalries. Bad chemistry ; Poisoner's corridor: "Ouch-ouch" ; Take two elements, call me in the morning ; How elements deceive

The elements of human character. Political elements ; Elements as money ; Artistic elements ; An element of madness

Element science today and tomorrow. Chemistry way, way below zero ; The science of bubbles ; Tools of ridiculous precision ; Above (and beyond) the periodic table.