Dr. Eric Scerri

“Wall Street Journal, October 21, 2013 How seven elusive elements that completed the periodic table were found. By PETER PESIC At some point, many of us have gazed in idle wonder at a periodic table hanging on a classroom wall. Some elements are familiar, but many are mysterious, down to their abbreviations. What is Pm? What color is Hf? Is Fr dangerous? And what does this iconic chart mean, arranging the chemical elements into an arresting graphic design? Mr. Scerri writes clearly and calmly, without the impulse to overdramatize that can mar popular books about science. "A Tale of Seven Elements" brings forward several interesting and lesser-known female protagonists, such as the French physicist Marguerite Perey, who discovered element 87 (francium) in 1939, though she didn't yet have an undergraduate degree and wouldn't receive her doctorate until 1949. Like her mentor, Marie Curie, Perey died early as a result of her work with radioactive materials when their dangers weren't fully known. Throughout, Mr. Scerri provides astonishing details almost in passing. For instance, in 1972 anomalies in the ratio of uranium isotopes found in Oklo, Gabon, led to the deduction that a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction had occurred at that site naturally, two billion years before Enrico Fermi and others accomplished this feat artificially in 1942. This natural chain reaction lasted somewhere between 600,000 and 1.5 million years, presumably limited by the supply of nuclear "fuel." Further, the Oklo "reactor" produced a number of telltale elements (such as technetium and promethium) that otherwise would have been absent from the earth's crust. Mr. Scerri's outstanding book helps us understand the special spirit of chemistry, whose contribution to science and human experience emphasizes the crucible of experiment. The days of discovery aren't over: Beyond uranium, two dozen more elements have been produced artificially. Mr. Scerri notes that chemists have no secure consensus about how many elements are possible: Some say 137; others 173. The periodic table, as imposing as it looks, is still a work in progress. What further surprises might it disclose? —Mr. Pesic, tutor and musician-in-residence at St. John's College, is the author of "Sky in a Bottle." ”