Mary Elvira Weeks - Discovery of the Elements.jpg

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The material blessings that man enjoys today have re sulted largely from his ever-increasing knowledge of about one hundred simple substances, the chemical elements, most of which were entirely unknown to ancient civilizations. In the luxurious thermas of the Roman patrician, with all their lavish display of alabaster floors, porphyry walls, marble stairs, and mosaic ceil ings, no nickel-plated or chromium fixtures were to be seen;
among his artistic golden bowls and goblets no platinum or tantalum objects were ever to be found; with all his spoils of war he could not buy the smallest aluminum trinket. Even the haughtiest Roman conqueror was earthbound, for he knew no light metal like aluminum or magnesium and no light gas like hydrogen or helium to make lofty flight possible. Without a lantern in his hand, he could not walk along the splendid lava pavements of the city streets at night, for the white glow of the tungsten filament and the crimson glow of the neon tube were lacking. The water that came to him from mountain springs, lakes, and rivers through miles of magnificent aqueducts was a menace to health, for there was no chlorine with which to kill the bacteria. When accident befell him, there was no iodine for the healing of the wound; when he lay gasping for breath, no cylinder of oxygen to save him.
The story of the disclosure, one by one, of the chemical elements has never been told as a connected narrative. The re ports of these discoveries and the life stories of the discoverers are recorded for the most part in old chemical journals, bio graphical dictionaries, old letters, and obsolete textbooks that are seldom read by the busy modern chemist. It is hoped, therefore, that these chapters may not only render tribute to the honored men and women who helped to reveal the hidden chemical ele ments, but may also serve to acquaint chemists and others with these great achievements.
The task of selecting and eliminating material, has been pleasant but difficult, It has frequently happened that two or more men have discovered the same element independently, In other instances various observers have recognized the existence of a new element long before it was actually isolated. In such cases an attempt has been made to relate all important steps in the discovery as fairly and completely as possible without ascribing the honor of discovery to any one person. If the reader is led through closer acquaintance with the dis coverers of the chemical elements to a deeper appreciation of their glorious achievements, the book has not been written in vain.