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    The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements
    The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements
    The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements
    Audiobook12 hours

    The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements

    Written by Sam Kean

    Narrated by Sean Runnette

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    The periodic table is one of man's crowning scientific achievements. But it's also a treasure trove of stories of passion, adventure, betrayal, and obsession. The infectious tales and astounding details in The Disappearing Spoon follow carbon, neon, silicon, and gold as they play out their parts in human history, finance, mythology, war, the arts, poison, and the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them.

    We learn that Marie Curie used to provoke jealousy in colleagues' wives when she'd invite them into closets to see her glow-in-the-dark experiments. And that Lewis and Clark swallowed mercury capsules across the country and their campsites are still detectable by the poison in the ground. Why did Gandhi hate iodine? Why did the Japanese kill Godzilla with missiles made of cadmium? And why did tellurium lead to the most bizarre gold rush in history?

    From the Big Bang to the end of time, it's all in The Disappearing Spoon.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateAug 24, 2010
    ISBN9781400189526
    The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements
    Author

    Sam Kean

    Sam Kean is the New York Times bestselling author of The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons, Caesar’s Last Breath, The Disappearing Spoon, and The Violinist’s Thumb. His stories have appeared in the New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, Mental Floss, and Slate, and his work has been featured on NPR’s Radiolab, Science Friday, and Fresh Air.

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    Reviews for The Disappearing Spoon

    4/5

    146 ratings81 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Audiobook narrated by Sean Runnette. Subtitle: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the ElementsWho could have imagined such a volume written about that chart that hangs in every high school chemistry classroom? I’m an admitted science geek. I loved the “Mr Wizard” TV show when I was a kid. (He encouraged us to perform all sorts of experiments using our mother’s kitchen utensils and supplies.) I never wanted a Barbie doll, I wanted a chemistry set and a microscope! So, I’ve had this book on my TBR list since it first came out. And I have to say that I’m a little disappointed.It’s not that Kean is a bad writer; he isn’t, and he’s quite thorough in exploring this topic. His enthusiasm and fascination for the periodic table comes through. But, it was just too much even for this science geek. Some parts were far more interesting to me than others. I loved the chapter on poisons, for example. I was less enthralled with the political infighting on what name to give to a newly discovered element. Also, I made the choice to listen to the audio format. Sean Runnette did a fine job of performing the audio. However, the sometimes dry subject matter made for a more difficult listening experience. I might have enjoyed this more in text.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Very entertaining book. A walk thru the periodic table conducted by a tour guide with a sense of humor. The stories range from light laughs to nearly tears. Highly recommended.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      A great read for any chemistry geeks out there. I loved the stories Kean incorporates into this one but overall, I found it to be a tad heavy on the science, so really best geared as a read for chemistry/ periodic table geeks first.
    • 5/5
      Checking off one from my far too many (just kidding...one can never have too many books to read) Small Stacks of Found Books that I kept setting aside for others, this is in one word a delight! Mr. Kean has done something marvelous here: making the periodic table fun and accessible! For science geeks (and professionals) it always has been, but for those less inclined...this is great.He says in his Introduction that from the one element mercury, he "learned history, etymology, alchemy, mythology, literature, poison forensics, and psychology." He also learned physics and chemistry, clearly, because it's all through this book, and politics that sometimes had play in the field. And Kean conveys the history and concepts in the best mystery page-turner style, along with humor and sagacity. Even if you know the history and concepts, the chemistry and physics (I'm not a neophyte to either), I suspect you'll learn something or somethings.Kean talks of the discoveries of the elements (and many of the gaffes), the origins of the table, the blanks and how they were filled. He delves into the biological interactions of some of the elements, from poisons to medicines, and how some elements mimic others, causing all kinds of havoc on the biological front. There is the politics of the Nobel prizes, the currency of elements, art and literature of elements. Something as seemingly simple as the Parker 51 pen gets copy time here, as the nibs were made of "durable ruthenium", "an element little better than scarp until then."Near absolute zero, bubble chambers, "Tools of Ridiculous Precision"...there is so much information here. I couldn't begin to summarize with any justice. I'll share one nugget to illustrate Kean's keen science. (Forgive, please!) There's a chapter on toxicity of exposure (or ingestion) and a GREAT observation I flagged. Great to me, anyway. In talking about William Crookes, his "lapse into spiritualism", and succumbing to "pathological science", Kean explains pathological science:In explaining what pathological science is, it's best to clear up any misconceptions about that loaded word, "pathological," and explain up front what pathological is not. It's not fraud, since the adherents of a pathological science believe they're right - if only everyone else could see it.(And here's the gem...It's not pseudoscience, like Freudianism and Marxism, fields that poach on the imprimatur of science yet shun the rigors of the scientific method.Love it! Pseudoscience! I've been saying so for years!It's also not politicized science, like Lysenkoism, where people swear allegiance to a false science because of threats or a skewed ideology. Finally, it's not general clinical madness or merely deranged belief. It's a particular madness, a meticulous and scientifically informed delusion. Pathological scientists pick out a marginal and unlikely phenomenon that appeals to them for whatever reason and bring all their scientific acumen to proving its existence.Kean says that a pathological science's "believers use the ambiguity about evidence as evidence - claiming that scientists don't know everything and therefore there's room for my pet theory, too."Read it. Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      Extremely entertaining scientific history of the elements and the periodic table. It sometimes leaves you wanting a little more detail but well worth the read.
    • 4/5
      You wouldn't think a book about the Periodic Table of Elements would be a fun read. This one is. Sam Kean recounts the stories behind the elements and their behaviors and along the way answers questions such as:

      Why did Gandhi hate iodine?
      Why did the Japanese kill Godzilla with missiles made of cadmium?
      How did radium ruin Marie Curie's reputation?
      Why did tellurium lead to the most bizarre gold rush in history?
      What does the title of the book mean?
    • 5/5
      Super interesting and fun read. I learned a lot from this book. The science is pretty well explained but having a previous knowledge of chemistry definitely helped my understanding of some of the concepts.
    • 4/5
      Very enjoyable. Light and explanations are light on rigor, but a fun read
    • 5/5
      This was great! Lots of interesting stories in here. Plus, even when it got into some esoteric quantum physics, it was very readable and easy to grasp.
    • 4/5
      Kean is a really engaging writer who clearly explains complex scientific concepts while adding a distinctly human, narrative touch. Even if the over-arching element of the development of the periodic table is necessarily a little disjointed, the tangents are delightful and informative. I'm not exactly sure who the target audience this book is for, but I feel straddled the line for somebody like me, who had a solid high school education in chemistry or physics, but not an undergraduate education in it. I recommend this book highly, and offer this advice: use a couple of bookmarks for the copious entertaining endnotes and the periodic table at the end.
    • 4/5
      This book was very interesting and quite a lot of fun. It was sometimes hard to keep the players straight--Sam Kean provides a multitude of anecdotes, stories, and cautionary tales, and the players in one crop up in others--but generally the author is kind enough to provide a reminder of someone we've seen in a previous chapter.

      The writing style is casual and easy to read, but this book is geared more towards someone with at least some chemistry and/or physics in their background. While the author does provide explanations here and there about some concepts, the book is much easier to follow with at least some basic chemistry under your belt. Having said that, this book will give you a twinge of resentment towards past chemistry and physics professors. The stories provide you with extra information about theories and data you will remember from your classes, but serve it up wrapped in such a way you'll wonder why your professors couldn't have made it this interesting.
    • 5/5
      I usually hate to re-read books. Hopefully I can find another book that covers this same subject to get another viewpoint.
    • 4/5
      Absolutely loved it - and I'm not even a science person! Every story was fascinating. Everyone should be reading this, if not just to feel smarter than you actually are.
    • 5/5
      For most people, the periodic table of the elements brings to mind high school science classes, a twinge of anxiety, and, let’s be honest, a general sense of boredom and bewilderment. Sam Kean changes all that, bringing the elements alive by giving the dish on the scientists who worked to discover them, the politics behind it, and what it meant to the world at large. He also peppers in a fair bit of scientific information and explanations, but it is well hidden behind the entertainment. Kean chronicles one group of elements at a time, telling the fascinating and little told stories behind the periodic table. From the races to be the next to claim the discovery of a new element to the endless drama over naming rights, there are plenty of stories to be told. Kean manages to work in just enough information about chemistry and physics to give you a solid understanding of how the periodic table works and why it was created, without overloading you with scientific principles or jargon. The title anecdote was one of my favorites: because its melting point is so low, a favorite lab prank was to fashion a spoon out of gallium, so that they next unwitting scientist to stir his tea or coffee would find that his beverage had eaten his spoon. And how can you not love the story of the endemic jealousies of scientists’ wives when Marie Curie used to pull their husbands into closets during dinner parties to show them her glow-in-the-dark experiments. Or the story of Wilhelm Röntgen, the winner of the inaugural Nobel Prize in Physics and the father of the modern X-ray, who, upon discovering that with his new apparatus he was able to see through books, wooden boxes, and his own hand, locked himself in his lab for weeks, convinced he had gone completely crazy. This book is filled with countless more stories of mad-scientists and scientists who just think they’ve gone mad. It is a highly entertaining read, and sneaks in a fair bit of educational value to boot.
    • 5/5
      Fabulous. Kean deftly combines historical anecdotes with clear explanations of various physical and chemical phenomena. A must-read for anyone interested in the history of science or in popular science.
    • 4/5
      This was a really interesting and somewhat fun listen. It went through the table of the elements and joining them with fun stories. I think this would be a great "must read" for teens learning of the table, since it painted a picture for each element.
    • 5/5
      This was very interesting! It might have been a little dumbed down for people like me but I appreciated that. The stories behind the elements were very interesting but the best part for me what on how intricate the periodic table is on the different ways it might be designed.
    • 4/5
      Not sure this would be for everyone, but most who took chemistry (or physics) would find it fascinating. The organization of the book is somewhat like that of the table itself—chapters group stories, facts and history of a few elements based on some shared factor. All of the elements are touched upon and the scientists who were involved with finding and describing them, plus those who created and modified the overall table structure, were first rate. The book is well researched and the stories, including those in the endnotes, are very entertaining.
    • 4/5
      This is sooo excellent. Wonderful bedtime reading. No cliffhangers, but very interesting.
    • 3/5
      As someone who is interested in science this book was fascinating, providing me (a non-chemist) with a good overview of the elements. I was somewhat annoyed, though, by the author's style, which I found intrusive.
    • 4/5
      While I certainly enjoyed parts of this book, unfortunately Kean writes under the presumption that the reader is already knowledgable in chemistry (he sadly quite overestimates my intelligence, for one). For example, there didn't seem to be an explanation of what "the Noble Gases" are and, for that matter, no description of what element each of the chemical symbols stand for.The main reason this book will remain memorable for me is that I bought it at "Shakespeare & Co" bookshop in Paris and it seemed to be the only book there on something other than Marxist Theory.
    • 5/5
      I've recommended this book to many people and I dont know anyone who hasnt loved it. Even people who associate the periodic table with long boring chemistry classes will find this quirky little book vaslty entertaining. Whoever would have thought the pedestrina, earnest olkd periodica table would be concealing such intense drama. Turning science into soap opera - brilliant!
    • 4/5
      Perhaps not everyone would find the history of the periodic table as fascinating as I do, but I really enjoyed this. Not all of the chapters are about the element's discovery; many are related stories of their discoverers' lives or the element's impact on history. You don't have to understand much chemistry to enjoy this, but it does help to have an interest in the subject to begin with. It's certainly accessible, but perhaps not universally engrossing.
    • 3/5
      The youthful author gives a somewhat whimsical look at the chemical elements, explaining all of the entries in the periodic table starting at the top with Hydrogen. He describes how each was discovered, by whom and all the controversies and conflicts that surrounded them. He uses a great deal of analogies from everyday life to help the non-scientist comprehend the scales and complexities of the elements, particularly as he reaches the larger and more rare. They don't always work, and can be a bit forced at times. For example, he tries to compare the search for a particularly rare element with Bill Gates search for spare coins on the sidewalk (Not really a meaningful analogy). Nonetheless, it was fun to read what someone can do with a relatively dry subject with a little creativity.
    • 3/5
      The author cleverly uses the periodic table of elements to relate much of the history of science in the 20th century. There are a lot of twists and turns in that history and he relates the Dark Side of science and scientists as well as the victories and benefits. It's fascinating (but not so surprising) that there is money and celebrity to be made in science, and so human nature gets going in all of its facets.

      Along the way you'll learn about the elements and about how the scientific method works out in practice.

      An interesting read.
    • 4/5
      This is an enjoyable book overall. I have always liked books where I learn things and although I am many years from studying chemistry the information was well presented and easily understood. The book rambles about from one topic to another and the author does not shy from veering into interesting sides. Although the Chapters do seem to go together, the presentation of the elements follows the ideas of the author and not a structure imposed directly from the Table. If a reader is looking for a book strictly about science this is probably not good, but for the audience that is after a mix of information as well l as entertaining information and history the book is a gem. Many of the people discussed in the book have been recognizable by name, but the information gleaned from the stories fleshed out the history I knew only fragments about. It is hard to say why any area or item was better than others and I suspect this is dependent on the reader’s current knowledge but no parts let my mind wander and I found myself sneaking off to learn even more. Recommended reading for any reader who likes a bit of entertaining information on chemistry, physics and the history of these fields.
    • 5/5
      Excellent book about the history of the periodic table and discovery of each element.
    • 4/5
      Just the right amount of nerdy. Reviews had led me to believe that this was just a collection of stories, so I was surprised to find that a fair amount of chemistry is sprinkled throughout. For someone who took chemistry a long time ago and remembers none of it, this was both informative and a fun read.
    • 4/5
      Good read, entertaining in parts, but somewhat disjointed, and some of the more esoteric science could have stood a bit more explaining.
    • 4/5
      Zoomed through this book. I shall have to skim through it again before giving it back. It has really extended the physics I have been reading about into chemistry. A great bridge between quantum physics and multiverses and the real world. (If it is real!) It's a jokey book with lots of human and historical interest as well as the chemistry/physics of the periodic table and I loved the mix and learned a lot.