Why did Gandhi hate iodine (I, 53)? Why did the Japanese kill Godzilla with missiles made of cadmium (Cd, 48)? How did radium (Ra, 88) nearly ruin Marie Curie's reputation? And why did tellurium (Te, 52) lead to the most bizarre gold rush in history?

The periodic table is a crowning scientific achievement, but it's also a treasure trove of adventure, greed, betrayal, and obsession. The fascinating tales in The Disappearing Spoon follow elements on the table as they play out their parts in human history, finance, mythology, conflict, the arts, medicine, and the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them.

Adapted for a middle grade audience, the young readers edition of The Disappearing Spoon offers the material in a simple, easy-to-follow format, with approximately 20 line drawings and sidebars throughout. Students, teachers, and burgeoning science buffs will love learning about the history behind the chemistry.

This book is part of a book series called History Of the World .

This book has been graded for interest at 10+ years.

There are 240 pages in this book. This book was published 2019 by Little, Brown & Company .

Sam Kean is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Disappearing Spoon and The Violinist's Thumb . His work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine , Mental Floss, Slate, and New Scientist, and has been featured on NPR's "Radiolab" and "All Things Considered. "