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why is it called the disappearing spoon

by Mr. Jeromy Witting Published 1 year ago Updated 1 year ago
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Why is this book called The Disappearing Spoon? It refers to the classic prank of giving someone a teaspoon made of gallium

Gallium

Gallium is a chemical element with the symbol Ga and atomic number 31. Elemental gallium is a soft, silvery blue metal at standard temperature and pressure; however in its liquid state it becomes silvery white. If too much force is applied, the gallium may fracture conchoidally. It is in group …

(melting point around 30°C) to stir their cup of hot tea. Topics

The book's title refers to a practical joke: Chemists have been known to serve guests tea and supply them with a spoon fashioned from gallium, which looks like aluminum but melts at about 85.5 degrees Fahrenheit. When the guest stirs the hot tea, the spoon will seem to be eaten away by it.

Full Answer

What is the basis of the Disappearing Spoon?

Though solid at room temperature, gallium is a moldable metal that melts at 84 degrees Fahrenheit. A classic science prank is to mold gallium spoons, serve them with tea, and watch guests recoil as their utensils disappear.

Who wrote The Disappearing Spoon?

Sam KeanThe Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements / AuthorSam Kean is an American writer. He has written for The New York Times Magazine, Mental Floss, Slate, Psychology Today, and The New Scientist. He has also published six books which discuss scientific discoveries in a narrative style. Wikipedia

What genre is The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean?

The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements, is a 2010 book by science reporter Sam Kean.

When was the disappearing spoon published?

July 12, 2010The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements / Originally published

Who is considered the father of the periodic table?

Dmitri MendeleevAlbert GhiorsoPeriodic table/InventorsDmitri Mendeleev, Russian in full Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleyev, (born January 27 (February 8, New Style), 1834, Tobolsk, Siberia, Russian Empire—died January 20 (February 2), 1907, St. Petersburg, Russia), Russian chemist who developed the periodic classification of the elements.

What is PO on the periodic table?

PoloniumPolonium, (element 84), was discovered in 1898 and named after Poland, the homeland of Marie Curie (Ne Sklodowska) who found it with her husband Pierre Curie....Discovery date1898Origin of the namePolonium is named after Poland, the native country of Marie Curie, who first isolated the element.Allotropesα-Po, β-Po1 more row

Why is mercury considered a cultish element?

In fact, mercury is one of the more cultish elements: its atoms want to keep company only with other mercury atoms, and they minimize contact with the outside world by crouching into a sphere. Most liquids I spilled as a child weren't like that. Water tumbled all over, as did oil, vinegar, and unset Jell-O.

What are the elements of spoon?

The Spoon meta model can be split in three parts. The structural part contains the declarations of the program elements, such as interface, class, variable, method, annotation, and enum declarations. The code part contains the executable Java code, such as the one found in method bodies.

Why is mercury considered a cultish element?

In fact, mercury is one of the more cultish elements: its atoms want to keep company only with other mercury atoms, and they minimize contact with the outside world by crouching into a sphere. Most liquids I spilled as a child weren't like that. Water tumbled all over, as did oil, vinegar, and unset Jell-O.

How do I download chemistry books?

2:334:11How to download chemistry books - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipWe can search any books that is for examples if we have two such physical chemistry books then weMoreWe can search any books that is for examples if we have two such physical chemistry books then we can search it with the help of titles.

How do you melt a spoon?

2:233:20DIY Melting Gallium Spoon - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo if you put the spoon in hot water it will. Melt. Thanks for watching as always your feedback isMoreSo if you put the spoon in hot water it will. Melt. Thanks for watching as always your feedback is highly appreciated.

When was the disappearing spoon published?

The book was first published in hardback on July 12, 2010 through Little, Brown and Company and was released in paperback on June 6, ...

How does Sam Kean explain the periodic table?

Sam Kean begins this book by explaining the basics of the periodic table and how it works. He explains the set-up of the table and why it is organized the way it is. He emphasizes the importance of its organization and justifies why it must be this way. He discusses how the periodic table would not function if it were not for the layout. He states that an element's position describes its function and strength. He describes the table of elements as a castle and the elements as bricks to build this castle. He then discusses how the periodic table contains, and is organized into, metals, gases, noble gases, halogens, etc.

Why does Kean talk about the craze of tellurium?

Furthermore, Kean speaks of another craze that rose with tellurium because once people realized that tellurium could be broken down to find gold within, they stopped discarding tellurium. Kean then speaks of the world's serious problems with counterfeit money.

Why is Germanium called the Black Sheep?

Sam describes Germanium as "The black sheep of the family" because silicon is used for the technology instead of germanium. Unfortunately for Germanium, silicon provided a much better use for electronics and was used when men were sent to the moon and when computers and cell phones were made instead of germanium.

Who developed ammonia to help the agricultural field to prevent people from starving to death?

Ultimately, Kean examines people such as Fritz Haber , who developed ammonia to help the agricultural field to prevent people from starving to death, but instead ammonia was used to help Germany build nitrogen explosives. The author describes the effects that this had on Fritz's life and family. Towards the end of this chapter Kean explains the things countries did to obtain the elements for weaponry and killing.

Is the disappearing spoon good?

Critical reception to The Disappearing Spoon has been mostly positive . Science News and Smithsonian both praised the work for its wide appeal and writing, and Science News commented that Kean's choice to deal with topics by periods in history helped "reveal how truly elemental the elements are and explain why this chemistry book appeals to non-chemists." The New York Times was slightly more critical in their review, as they felt that the text was entertaining but leapt around too frequently in its topics.

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Overview

Contents

Sam Kean begins this book by explaining the basics of the periodic table and how it works. He explains the set-up of the table and why it is organized the way it is. He emphasizes the importance of its organization and justifies why it must be this way. He discusses how the periodic table would not function if it were not for the layout. He states that an element's position describes its function and strength. He describes the table of elements as a castle and the elem…

Reception

Critical reception to The Disappearing Spoon has been mostly positive. Science News and Smithsonian both praised the work for its wide appeal and writing, and Science News commented that Kean's choice to deal with topics by periods in history helped "reveal how truly elemental the elements are and explain why this chemistry book appeals to non-chemists." The New York Times was slightly more critical in their review, as they felt that the text was entertaining but leapt arou…

Translations

This book was translated into several languages, including the following:
• Guerres et paix chez les atomes (in French), JC Lattès, 2011, ISBN 978-2-7096-3521-9, lay summary {{citation}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |lay-url= (help).

See also

• Periodic Tales: A Cultural History of the Elements, from Arsenic to Zinc, by Hugh Aldersey-Williams

External links

• Official website

1.The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean – review

Url:https://www.theguardian.com/science/2011/nov/10/disappearing-spoon-sam-kean-review

12 hours ago  · 3. At the heart of Sam Kean's book is a refreshing idea: to tell the story of the periodic table almost entirely in terms of material oddity, …

2.The Disappearing Spoon - Wikipedia

Url:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Disappearing_Spoon

18 hours ago THE DISAPPEARING SPOON masterfully fuses science with the classic lore of invention, investigation, and discovery–from the Big Bang through the end of time. *Though solid at room temperature, gallium is a moldable metal that melts at 84 degrees Fahrenheit.

3.The Disappearing Spoon – Sam Kean

Url:http://samkean.com/books/the-disappearing-spoon/

30 hours ago * The disappearing spoon of the title is made of gallium, which looks like aluminum but melts at 84 degrees. Place a spoon made of gallium in a cup of hot tea and it will vanish.

4.The Disappearing Spoon: True Tales from the Periodic …

Url:https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-disappearing-spoon-true-tales-from-the-periodic-table-31831283/

13 hours ago The Disappearing Spoon, in a series of anecdotes, interesting facts and stories, describes how each element relates to human history, finance, mythology, conflict, the arts, medicine and the ...

5.Videos of Why Is It Called The Disappearing Spoon

Url:/videos/search?q=why+is+it+called+the+disappearing+spoon&qpvt=why+is+it+called+the+disappearing+spoon&FORM=VDRE

12 hours ago These fascinating tales follow every element on the table as they play out their parts in human history, and in the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them. THE DISAPPEARING SPOON masterfully fuses science with the classic lore of invention, investigation, and discovery--from the Big Bang through the end of time.

6.The Disappearing Spoon | Review | Chemistry World

Url:https://www.chemistryworld.com/review/the-disappearing-spoon/3006242.article

28 hours ago

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