Chlorine
Part of the Exploring the Elements series
Chlorine's story includes food, war, and so much more. This book covers the mysterious discovery of chlorine and a case of mistaken identity. Readers explore how it is used to both keep people safe from disease and bacteria, while at the same time used as a weapon of mass destruction. Readers also get a peek inside the inner workings of the atom. A helpful periodic table of elements is included, as well as links to helpful websites and other books for further reading on chlorine.
Iron
Part of the Exploring the Elements series
Iron is the most common metal found on earth. Not often found in its pure form, it is fashioned into things that are used every day. Iron forms part of the earth's core and is even added to breakfast cereal. From its early uses by the ancient Egyptians to modern times, this volume simplifies the complex facts of iron into an easy-to-understand story. Also explained is iron's place on the periodic table and how to locate it on the table.
Carbon
Part of the Exploring the Elements series
Carbon is amazing. In the form of a diamond, carbon is one of the hardest materials we know. In the form of pencil lead, it's easily broken with our fingers. Carbon is the most common element on Earth. Think of it as a building block of life; it's found in all living creatures, and it's so old, people have known of its existence since prehistoric times. Yet scientists today continue to discover new forms of carbon. This book will help students better understand the basics of chemistry as they learn what carbon is and how important it is in our world.
Sodium
Part of the Exploring the Elements series
From the table to the lab to our bodies, this interesting and informative book introduces young readers to the element sodium. Easy-to-understand explanations, colorful illustrations, and examples children can relate to make this a fun way to learn about one of Earth's most abundant elements. Historical information gives the subject context, while discussions of the common uses of sodium, such as in soap making and food preservation, keep it relevant.
Helium
Part of the Exploring the Elements series
Named for the Greek god of the sun, Helios, Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe. Scientists discovered helium while they were studying the sun. A colorless and odorless gas, helium is so light it floats in air. At first scientists couldn't decide if helium was useful for anything. Today, helium is extremely valuable and rare, used in devices ranging from medical equipment to laboratory instruments to welding to scuba gear, and more. This book will help students better understand the basics of chemistry as they learn what helium is and how important it is in our daily lives.
Aluminum
by Anita Louise McCormick
Part of the Exploring the Elements series
Aluminum is one of the most abundant metals in the Earth's crust. It is used for everything from soda cans to cars, planes, rockets, and in construction. In the 1800s, scientists learned how to extract aluminum from rocks so it could be put to practical use. This book tells the fascinating story of aluminum's history, explains the properties of the element and its components, and provides students with resources to learn more about aluminum and how it is mined, recycled, and used in our society.
Nitrogen
Part of the Exploring the Elements series
Take a deep breath, you're breathing in nitrogen! This element makes up 78 percent of the air around us. While nitrogen by itself is incredibly stable, nitrogen compounds have a tendency to explode. Dynamite contains nitrogen, and so do air bags, which use a small explosion to fill up and keep us safe in a car crash. In this informative book, we'll explore this important element, seeing how nitrogen cycles through the environment and even makes up part of our own bodies. Without nitrogen, we wouldn't exist.
Nickel
by Anita Louise McCormick
Part of the Exploring the Elements series
When you think of nickel, a 5-cent coin probably comes to mind, but nickel is used for so much more than manufacturing coins. Nickel and nickel-containing alloys are very important in our society. Nickel is used in the construction, transportation, power, high-tech and many other industries. This book tells the fascinating story of how nickel was discovered, how ore containing nickel is mined and extracted, the properties that make nickel so useful, and how nickel's many uses and applications make the high-tech world we live in possible. It also provides students with up-to-date resources to continue their research.
Hydrogen
Part of the Exploring the Elements series
Hydrogen is the most widespread element and one of the building blocks of life. First appearing when the Big Bang created the universe, hydrogen is now part of human technologies that could change the future. People have used liquid hydrogen to send astronauts into space and hydrogen gas to drive families to the store. In this informative book, we'll explore the first element in the periodic table, looking at its properties and finding its hiding places. From our bodies to the Sun, hydrogen is everywhere.
Silver
Part of the Exploring the Elements series
Silver has always been a precious metal, used in photography, dentistry, currency, knives, forks, and spoons. Silver is used in x-rays, mirrors, and even medical bandages. In this book, we'll explore how silver was first discovered and used, and how it forms into compounds and alloys. Readers will discover where silver fits into the Periodic Table, and how silver plays a part in modern day electronics from cell phones to computers, but is no longer used in coins, given its expense. Interesting chemistry terms are accompanied by illustrations and photographs, allowing your readers to look at silver in a whole new way.
Mercury
by Anita Louise McCormick
Part of the Exploring the Elements series
Liquid, shiny, dangerous Mercury has the distinction of being the only metal that is liquid at room temperature. Because of this trait, mercury is used in thermometers, scientific instruments, florescent lights, and many other devices. In this book, students will learn about mercury's unique properties as an element. They will also learn how mercury is mined and extracted, and how this element, though useful, is also very dangerous, to both the environment and animals. This book contains relevant resources students can use to continue their exploration of mercury and other elements.
Copper
Part of the Exploring the Elements series
Copper was one of the first metals humans learned to work with, and now it's an important component of electronic technology. This informative text explores the ins and outs of this versatile element. As well as wires, people use copper to make jewelry, cookware, and statues. The Statue of Liberty sports her iconic green color thanks to copper. The metal is even needed by the human body. Readers take a look and discover what their ancestors already knew thousands of years ago: copper is amazing.
Lead
Part of the Exploring the Elements series
In ancient times, humans used lead in everything from cooking tools to water pipes to cosmetics. That was before scientists discovered that lead is poisonous for humans. Today lead is still useful, but we use it with more care in items that hold corrosive materials, like car batteries that hold acid, or to protect us from harmful radiation, like in X-ray machines or nuclear reactors. Pb is lead's symbol, from the Latin word "plumbum." This book will help students better understand the basics of chemistry as they learn what lead is and how this toxic, but important, metal is used in our world.
Phosphorus
Part of the Exploring the Elements series
This chemical element helps matches light, ensures that your body digests food correctly, and even keeps your teeth clean. As one of the first chemical elements to be discovered, phosphorus has an invisible effect on people's lives. Readers will explore the microworld of the atom and discover the chemical world of phosphorus. Included are a helpful glossary of important terms, learning tools, and suggestions to further the learning experience.
Silicon
Part of the Exploring the Elements series
Silicon is everywhere. It can be found in the rocks under our feet, in the windows of our homes, and in the "brain" of every smartphone. Without silicon to make computer chips, there would be no Silicon Valley in California. Silicon is second only to oxygen as the most common element in the earth's crust. Silicon isn't always hard, either. It's found in objects as bendable as a spatula or as stretchy as a bouncing putty. Tubes containing silicon can even help save people's lives. In this informative text, readers take a close look at this amazing element.
Zinc
Part of the Exploring the Elements series
Every cell requires zinc in order to reproduce, you couldn't have been born without it. Zinc boosts brain activity, and is an essential trace element for humans, but it requires a delicate balance, being toxic in higher quantities. It is a component to sunblock, but can also protect skin against windburn and other irritations. Readers will explore every aspect of zinc, from how it contributes to health even prior to birth, to how it's inside every penny we spend.
Potassium
Part of the Exploring the Elements series
Readers can find potassium in their kitchens. This silvery white element is in bananas, avocados, nuts, chocolate, and potatoes. It's also found in ocean water. In the human body, potassium helps keep our bones healthy and our muscles contracting properly. Potassium is used in many everyday items, such as fire extinguishers, fertilizers, soaps, and batteries. K is potassium's symbol, from the Latin word "kalium." This book helps students better understand the basics of chemistry as they learn what potassium is and how this soft metal is used in our world.
Gold
by Anita Louise McCormick
Part of the Exploring the Elements series
Since ancient times, people the world over have valued gold above most metals. For at least 5,000 years, gold has been used to make jewelry, coins, art objects, and other valuable items. Today, gold also has many industrial applications, from computers to medicine. In this book, students will learn about the elemental properties of gold, how gold is mined and processed, and how, through the centuries, the quest for gold has led to war.
Sulfur
Part of the Exploring the Elements series
Sulfur has been known since ancient times, used by Indians, Greeks, and Egyptians. This distinctive and often smelly element was sometimes called brimstone. Sulfur is present in garlic, a skunk's defensive spray, and is also responsible for the horrible smell of rotten eggs. Sulfur also lends strength to feathers, adds a tang to grapefruit, and is an important ingredient of fertilizer. Readers will explore sulfur from A to Z: from how it's used in matches, to how it's a critical macronutrient for every living body.
Oxygen
Part of the Exploring the Elements series
Oxygen is essential to life on Earth, but what is this tasteless, colorless, element? From how oxygen was discovered to how it supports life, this book answers all your questions about element we all depend on. Readers will learn about atoms, molecules, and how oxygen fits in the periodic table. Discussions of photosynthesis, combustion, and oxygen compounds explore the role of oxygen in our world. Interesting and accessible explanations of chemistry terms are accompanied by lively illustrations and images.