Chapter 1 summary and reflection

In chapter one of the Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean, the author starts with the basics of the periodic table. He explains the setup of the periodic table and this leads to him explaining the make up of the table. The author uses analogies to explain the elements and how the table of elements looks maybe "like a castle." Kean goes on to explain how the elements are the bricks of the castle and that not all of them are made from the same substance. This analogy explains how the elements on the periodic table are metals, gases, noble gases, halogens, etc. Kean explains how the position of an element on the table determines its uses.

In this chapter, Kean explains how atoms sometimes need electrons to feel complete and that is why ions are made. Ions are made when atoms or molecules take electrons or give electrons to another atom or molecule to get a net electrical charge. The author also goes on to explain that one can predict the combinations of elements by looking at their column numbers and figuring out their charges. The chapter later includes information about how elements have shells which they fill them with their electrons and how certain elements hide their electrons from other elements in order to not share. The author says that behavior of electrons is what drives the periodic table and the author finishes the chapter with the story of Maria Goeppert-Mayer and her contributions to science with the magic nuclei and with explanations on how to read the periodic table to make more sense of it.

I liked chapter one of the book because it gave me a new perspective on the periodic table, I learned many things I didn't know like how all of the elements are related to each other and the people who came with the discoveries of parts of the table. Understanding the periodic table has always been a challenge for me but the author helped me by explaining how to read the periodic table to get a better understanding of it. I also liked how the author uses analogies to get his point across.