The Disappearing Spoon — Book Report
The title of this book, "The Disappearing Spoon," is a well-known magic trick that I love. The magician uses a teaspoon made of gallium, a metalloid with a low melting point, to astonish the crowds. The gallium spoon will transform into shiny liquid and sink into the hot water if the water temperature is higher than the spoon's melting point. The debunking of this trick attracts lots of readers, including myself. Here is one of the videos on YouTube which performs this trick. The book is composed of historical stories that introduce most of the elements of the periodic table, combining history, chemistry, and even physics. It tells readers that chemistry is a part of everyone's daily life. One of my favorite stories is about a red industrial dye that saved the life of a scientist's daughter. The story took place in the winter of 1935. The daughter tripped down the stairs, and a needle wounded her. She developed a serious streptococcal infection that led to high...