Preface
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“The time has arrived when a knowledge of physics and chemistry forms as important a part of education as that of the classics did two centuries ago.” Dimitri Mendeléeff, -from The Principles of Chemistry, P.F. Collier & Son, 1902. This current volume is the result of a symposium held during the 252nd American Chemical Society National Meeting, in August 2016 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The symposium provided an excellent venue to discuss the heavy elements that had been recently verified and named, and that had thus completed the seventh row of the Periodic Table – with oganesson being the name of the final element, which had formerly been known as Element 118 or Eka-radon. One can say honestly that it is a rare moment in time when a row of the Periodic Table of the Elements is completed. The Periodic Table of the Elements remains a living, growing document that attempts to map out all of the most primal matter known to humankind. Interestingly, Mendeleev’s statement, above, is as important today as it was when he penned it over a century ago, certainly when applied to the periodic table. Accordingly, we felt a volume from this symposium would help preserve our knowledge and understanding of the Periodic Table of the Elements as it exists at this moment in time, a moment in which the seventh row of the table had just been completed in terms of verified syntheses of the super heavy elements, and a point in time at which IUPAC had proposed names for them. While all the seminar speakers at the symposium were not able to convert their material into chapters, we are flattered and honored to have excellent chapters in this volume. Authors and topics include the following: Professor Mary Virginia Orna presents an excellent chapter on how elements are discovered and named – specifically some of the errors that have occurred (Chapter 1). This is hardly a litany of failure; on the contrary, it brings to life the struggle scientists go through when peering into the unknown, and trying to determine whether a substance is pure or mixed, or new or already known. It shows how science and scientists self-correct as knowledge is gained. Just as importantly, it is a fascinating read. We also have in this volume a chapter by Professor Paul Karol with the colorful name “The Periodic Table of the Elements: A Review of the Future” (Chapter 2. This chapter does an excellent job of making predictions based on how the table has developed in the past. Professor Karol tackles questions on if ix Benvenuto and Williamson; Elements Old and New: Discoveries, Developments, Challenges, and Environmental Implications ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.
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and how the table will continue to evolve and grow, and questions what sort of new chemistry will emerge as we continue our quest to push the limits of the table. Dr. Benjamin McFarland provides an interesting and informative chapter that explains the relationship between the periodic table and natural history (Chapter 3). It may be fair to say that many of us who feel quite familiar with the periodic table do not possess an equal familiarity with how life evolved in the presence of concentrations of specific elements. Professor McFarland takes a highly holistic view, and makes numerous connections. It is a physicist, Professor Prasad Venugopal, who provides us with a chapter that could glibly be called a physicist’s view of the elements and the universe, although that would be both a disservice and an extreme oversimplification (Chapter 4). His chapter looks at chemistry far beyond that which occurs on our planet, provides a much greater context for how the elements exist through nucleosynthetic pathways, and discusses current theories on the existence of known matter and postulated dark matter. Dr. Guillermo Restrepo has contributed an excellent chapter on compounds, stoichiometries, and chemical similarities, and presents a method of study that should continue to be useful as the periodic table continues to expand and evolve (Chapter 5). This chapter should be especially useful to educators who are trying to teach an understanding of the periodic table of the elements, and of chemical reactions. One of our editorial duo (Benvenuto) and his researchers have produced a chapter discussing the distribution of elements, and their usefulness in modern life (Chapter 6). Titled: “It’s all in the sludge: Elements that are always byproducts,” the aim of the chapter is to connect the fact that certain elements are widely distributed throughout the planet in low concentrations, yet have become important in modern life. Overall the aim is to increase the understanding of what might be called the uneven-ness of elemental abundance, something not shown or implied by current representations of the periodic table. Professors Burdette and Thorton have contributed a discussion of the understanding of isotopes, and placed their development and nomenclature in the broader context of history and the development of chemistry and physics (Chapter 7). This chapter is an excellent treatment of how the understanding of isotopes grew, and how the two fields, chemistry and physics, met, co-mingled, and treated this new knowledge. The history of how arsenic, selenium, and mercury have been detected is the subject of the chapter authored by Professor Larry Kolopajlo (Chapter 8). This chapter is especially compelling, as arsenic and mercury have been known in some form for centuries, often-times for their use as some type of poison. The chapter does an excellent job of exploring how the identification and understanding of these elements throughout history has been linked to effects on humans and our larger environment. Professor Eitrheim and his colleagues have presented in their chapter a discussion of the heaviest, radioactive elements and of the knowledge that radiochemists bring to their uses in society (Chapter 9). They discuss the need for people trained in this discipline, as well as the fate of heavy, often radioactive x
Benvenuto and Williamson; Elements Old and New: Discoveries, Developments, Challenges, and Environmental Implications ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.
Downloaded by 80.82.77.83 on December 20, 2017 | http://pubs.acs.org Publication Date (Web): October 30, 2017 | doi: 10.1021/bk-2017-1263.pr001
elements over long periods of time. The chapter also presents thoughts on possible future uses of such elements and the materials, usually alloys, made from them. In a further chapter, Benvenuto and his group members have also weighed in with a discussion of how the newest, heaviest elements might behave if made in macroscopic amounts (Chapter 10). Students are often called on to memorize apparently disconnected sets of facts, such as the names of all the elements, but in the process are not told much about them. This chapter presents a method whereby students can add depth to their understanding of the elements by making predictions of their physical properties, even if the element in question only exists in minuscule amounts. Finally, George Ruger has provided us with a very different yet equally interesting chapter on using an element name in naming a company, and the public’s perception of it (Chapter 11). His insight into the public’s perception of chemistry and science throughout the ages is both a very good read and food for thought as we live our lives, develop careers, and interact with a public that is not always well informed about how chemistry and science improves the overall quality of life on Earth, or that has pre-conceived notions of how the science negatively impacts them. As far as the production of these chapters and the contributions of the authors, there are many people to thank. It is not a trivial matter to produce a chapter for such a volume, and we appreciate the effort our authors have dedicated to pursuing this project. As well, we appreciate the efforts of the reviewers, who give liberally of their time with no reward beyond the knowledge that they are contributing to what we believe will become an important, timely volume. And we also owe a debt to the ACS Symposium Books staff, especially Rachel Deary, Elizabeth Hernandez, and Arlene Furman, all of whom have helped ensure what we have produced is to the ACS’ high standard.
Mark A. Benvenuto Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry University of Detroit Mercy Detroit, Michigan 48221
Tracy C. Williamson Immediate Past Chair ACS Division of Environmental Chemistry 2527 Dog Leg Drive Crofton, Maryland 21114
xi Benvenuto and Williamson; Elements Old and New: Discoveries, Developments, Challenges, and Environmental Implications ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.
