• Considers the fundamental nature of the periodic table to the physical sciences
• Celebrates the completion of the seventh period of the table, with the ratification and naming of elements 113, 115, 117 and 118 as nihonium, moscovium, tennessine and oganesson
• Incorporates new material on recent advances in our understanding of the origin of the elements
• Considers developments since the first edition concerning group three of the periodic table
• Touches on key ideas about both early atomic theory and quantum mechanics, showing how they have proved key to the meaning of the table
• Explores the history of the discovery of trends among elements, the construction of various forms of the table, and the growth of understanding of its meaning

    
The periodic table of elements, first encountered by many of us at school, provides an arrangement of the chemical elements, ordered by their atomic number, electron configuration, and recurring chemical properties, and divided into periodic trends. In this Very Short Introduction Eric Scerri looks at the trends in properties of elements that led to the construction of the table, and shows how the deeper meaning of the table's structure gradually became apparent with the development of atomic theory and, in particular, quantum mechanics, which underlies the behaviour of all of the elements and their compounds.
   
This new edition, publishing in the International Year of the Periodic Table, celebrates the completion of the seventh period of the table, with the ratification and naming of elements 113, 115, 117, and 118 as nihonium, moscovium, tennessine, and oganesson. Eric Scerri also incorporates new material on recent advances in our understanding of the origin of the elements, as well as developments concerning group three of the periodic table.