Essay: The Disappearing Spoon By Sam Kean

Chapters 1-3:
Plot Summary:
In chapter 1, Kean explains how the periodic table is set up, and he goes on to explain the make up of the table as well. He gives the analogy that the table is like a castle and that the elements are the individual bricks with each brick being made up of a different substance. He talks about the electrons of elements and how they are important in bonds.
In chapter 2, the focus is shifted onto certain elements, specifically carbon, silicon and germanium in this chapter. Kean explains that carbon makes up life as we know it since it is good at bonding with many other elements and making complex molecules. He then moves on to talk about silicon and how it is like carbon’s cousin. It mimics carbon in certain ways, however, it doesn’t have carbon’s life sustaining property. Finally, he talks about germanium. Both germanium and silicon are semiconductors and can be used for technological purposes. However, even though germanium was used first, silicon proved better for electronics and germanium was thrown to the side.
In chapter 3, Kean gives a brief biography on Robert Bunsen and his invention of the Bunsen burner. The Bunsen burner would allow for the expansion of the periodic table through the discovery of new elements. He also talks about Dmitri Mendeleev, accredited with the creation of the modern periodic table, and how he wasn’t the only person to try and organize the elements into a table, but he was the first to predict future, undiscovered elements. After Mendeleev, Kean talks about other scientists with contributions, the ones who filled in the missing squares on Mendeleev’s table. Mendeleev didn’t know what those elements were so he had left them blank, but people like Johan Gadolin filled in those squares and the lanthanides, six of which Mendeleev had predicted.
Chapters 4-7:
Plot Summary:
In chapter 4, Kean discusses some different theories from where the elements come from. He starts with the Big Bang and some confusion that surrounds the theory. The confusion comes from the fact that younger stars have more hydrogen and helium and older stars have many other elements as well. It also comes from the fact that certain elements are not found on earth and are only found in certain stars. He also goes into the theory on the formation of our solar system. He talks about how the different planets were formed as well as the types and distribution of elements on the planets.
In chapter 5, the elements used in chemical warfare are the main focus. The danger of chemical weapons is discussed and Kean mentions a treaty against them in the chapter. However, he also say that this treaty is constantly being broken with different countries working on the weapons in secret. The second half of the chapter moves on to talk about Fritz Haber and his development of ammonia. It was meant to be used in the agricultural field, but it actually helped Germany develop its nitrogen bombs. The chapter closes with the length that countries are willing to go to get elements necessary for different weapons for destruction.
In chapter 6, the chapter starts with the discover of X-rays by Henry Mosley and how he found the relationship between an element’s number of protons and the wavelength of the X-rays. Mosley had created an electron gun and helped to sort out radioactive elements while disproving false claims. He died in WW1, but he pioneered nuclear science and sparked interest in the field. The second half of the chapter switches to talk about the Manhattan Project and the atomic bombs. The uranium and plutonium bombs that had been detonated at the end of WW2 led to the development of cobalt bombs and gamma radiation. The US and Soviet Union had realized the mutual destruction that could occur and have made deals to prevent nuclear wars from happening.
In chapter 7, has to do with the discoveries of elements near the end of the table and the feud between naming rights that ensued. Kean starts by talking about the discoveries of elements at UC Berkeley by Glenn Seaborg and Albert Ghiorso. Together they discovered about one-sixth of the elements on the table, more than anyone else. These experiments to find the new elements were very hard to replicate let alone do because an entire experiment could be ruined by one mistake. After Seaborg and Ghiorso found element 103, Russia took the lead and discovered elements 104 and 105. Both Russia and Berkeley had found element 106 within a few months of each other and the feud over naming rights began. The IUPAC had to intervene to settle the feud and produced the final list for the names of the new elements.
Chapters 8 and 9:
Plot Summary:
In chapter 8, Kean talks about Emilio Segre and Linus Pauling who are known for making the two biggest mistakes in science history. However, both mistakes could’ve been avoided if they had taken a closer look at the periodic table. The first of these two scientists, Emilio Segre, had official discovered element 43 and it was the first man made element. His mistake was that he thought there weren’t any transuranic elemental properties about element ninety-three. He had also misidentified transuranic neptunium as a fission product. The rest of the chapter talks about Linus Pauling and his mistake. Pauling had been trying to figure out the molecular structure of DNA, but he thought that DNA was a triple helix instead of double. He also thought that the phosphates on DNA faced inward toward each other. However, if this was the case, the phosphates’ like charges would repel and DNA would explode apart. The problem could’ve been solved if he had only looked more closely to the table.
In chapter 9, Kean talks about the poisonous elements from the row on the table known as the prisoner’s corridor. The poisonous elements consist of thallium, lead, polonium, cadmium, and bismuth. Cadmium had its major effect in Japan, specifically at the water sources, and it poisoned many Japanese people. The poison caused pain, liver failure, and weakened bones. It took a long time for the disease to get noticed and for people to begin studying it. Thallium was next and it is considered to be the worst of the poisons. It is specifically used in assassinations.Bismuth is unlike thallium in that it is the most benign compared to other poisonous elements. It is even used in some medicines such as Pepto-Bismol. Bismuth is also predicted to be the last element to go extinct due to its incredibly long half-life. The last third of the chapter talks about some people who have experimented with the poison elements. The oddest one is Graham Young who experimented on people using less than lethal doses. He was eventually arrested and sent to a mental institution. Another interesting person was David Hahn who had tried to create radioactive uranium in his backyard with lithium batteries and thorium. He was eventually arrested for possession of radioactive materials.
Chapters 10 and 11:
Plot Summary:
In chapter 10, Kean explains the various uses elements have had. Roman officers improved their health eating off of silver plates and American pioneer family’s kept at least one good silver coin to keep the milk from spoiling on long trips. Copper is used in a variety of ways. It is used in plumbing, ducts, tubing, and wiring. Gadolinium is the most magnetic element since it has more unpaired electrons than any other element. This makes it perfect for MRIs as well as being able to attack targeted cells without the need of surgery. Chapter 10 also talks about Louis Pasteur and his idea of handedness. Basically, everything has a left-handed twist to it and the light traveling through the substance will twist left from vertical. Pasture also later goes on to develop pasteurization.