The Periodic Kingdom: A Journey Into the Land of the Chemical Elements

An extended metaphorical description of the periodic table of chemical elements is offered in this compact volume by Oxford chemist and author Atkins (Molecules, Physical Chemistry). The presentation presumes no scientific background. Likening the arrangement of the periodic table to a landscape and the sections denoting individual elements to geographic regions (``an imaginary kingdom, a land of chemists' dreams''), Atkins discusses in topographical analogies the elements' physical and chemical properties. Histories of the formation and discovery of elements and of the formulation of the periodic table itself are surveyed. Later chapters adroitly introduce the basics of atomic physical chemistry. The fantastical imagery, maintained throughout, conveys the author's passion for his subject. Unfortunately, it's remarkably tedious. This work deserves the esteem of connoisseurs of chemistry and perhaps of impressionable youth, yet seems unlikely to hold the attention of a more general audience. Illustrations. (Aug.)