The Disappearing Spoon Book Report

As a child you were probably very amused by the surreal properties of Mercury. Especially if you have ever seen it when it a Thermometer breaks as it floats in giant lumped up bubbles. Well there is much more than meets the eye in thermometers. For many, questioning things as a child is just a natural thing. For adults it becomes just something that is accepted, but their is many things that go into effect to make Mercury what it is. The book “The Disappearing Spoon”, by Sam Kean is a book that gives an explanation of basic chemistry. It does a great job informing the readers of how chemistry was literally discovered by only a handful of individuals. Throughout the book their is a strong emphasis on it more so than the other elements. But is …show more content…
The first appearance about it is during the very beginning of the book where the author talks about how he first got into science. When the author was very young, he was sick for almost all of third grade. As a result, he stayed home with his mother constantly checking his temperature. Several times he would drop the thermometer out of his mouth and it would break, and he could watch in awe as what he calls “The coolest element” dissipate on the floor. He eventually grew a love for this sight to the point where he was doing it on purpose. The entire way the author describes the Hg is in a unexplored manner that makes you unsure about it all. Towards the end of the book, all is known about the once mysterious element. Everything from the electron orbitals, to it's non-reactant flammability, even to its classification as a solid and a liquid. Throughout the book there are more and more detailed explanations of each feature of elements and of Hg in particular which slowly but steadily leads you to the full realization of Hg. However, it is not without much knowledge of chemistry that you are able to fully comprehend