Ball P. The Elements. A Visual History of Their Discovery 2021

Textbook in PDF format

From water, air, and fire to tennessine and oganesson, celebrated science writer Philip Ball leads us through the full sweep of the field of chemistry in this exquisitely illustrated history of the elements.
The Elements is a stunning visual journey through the discovery of the chemical building blocks of our universe. By piecing together the history of the periodic table, Ball explores not only how we have come to understand what everything is made of, but also how chemistry developed into a modern science. Ball groups the elements into chronological eras of discovery, covering seven millennia from the first known to the last named. As he moves from prehistory and classical antiquity to the age of atomic bombs and particle accelerators, Ball highlights images and stories from around the world and sheds needed light on those who struggled for their ideas to gain inclusion. By also featuring some elements that aren't true elements but were long thought to be--from the foundational prote hyle and heavenly aetherof the ancient Greeks to more recent false elements like phlogiston and caloric--The Elements boldly tells the full history of the central science of chemistry.
Introduction
The Periodic Table
The Classical Elements
The Antique Metals
Alchemical Elements
What Exactly is an Element
The New Metals
Chemistry's Golden Age
John Dalton's Atoms
Electrical Discoveries
Interlude: The Periodic Table
The Radiant Age
The Nuclear Age
Sources for Quotes
Further Reading
Picture Credits
Index