Traces the history and cultural impact of the elements on humankind, and examines why people have long sought to identify the substances around them. Looking beyond the Periodic Table, the author takes us on a tour: from the Greek philosophers who propounded a system with four elements to the modern-day scientists who are able to create their own.

This Very Short Introduction traces the history and cultural impact of the elements on humankind, and examines why people have long sought to identify the substances around them. Looking beyond the Periodic Table, the author examines our relationship with matter, from the uncomplicated vision of the Greek philosophers, who believed there were four elements - earth, air, fire, and water - to the work of modern-day scientists in creating elements such as hassium and meitnerium. Packed with anecdotes, The Elements is a highly engaging and entertaining exploration of the fundamental question: what is the world made from?

1. Aristotle's Quartet: The elements in antiquity
2. Revolution: How oxygen changed the world
3. Gold: The most desirable element
4. The Eightfold Path: Organizing the elements
5. The Atom Factories: Making new elements
6. The Chemical Brothers: Why isotopes are useful
7. For All Practical Purposes: Technologies of the elements
End notes
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