Summary

More so than any of the other major groups of elements in the periodic table, the transition metals have shaped human history and have been the workhorses of industry. The discovery of metallic copper ended the Stone Age and ushered in the Bronze Age. Alloys of iron (especially steel) later took over, and the Iron Age replaced the Bronze Age. Copper, silver, and gold—and, more recently, platinum—have been the precious metals from which coins and jewelry have been made from ancient times to the present.

Each chapter in the new, full-color Transition Metals discusses a group of elements, including their similarities and differences and current research and applications. Ideal for high school or college students interested in chemistry and physics, this straightforward resource is devoted to the chemical and physical properties of transition metals and how they are useful in everyday life. Some of the transition metals covered include scandium, yttrium, titanium, manganese, cobalt, and zinc.

Specifications

Full-color photographs and line illustrations. Index. Chronology. Glossary. Further resources.

About the Author(s)

Monica Halka, Ph.D., an experimental physicist specializing in the interaction of light with atoms, is committed to the improvement of physics and teaches at the high school and college levels. In addition to many publications in professional research journals, she writes and presents on physics education, was selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate, and has received education grant funding from the National Science Foundation. She has given invited talks on physics education in Ireland, Scotland, Germany, and the United States, and has participated in the Oregon Collaborative for Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers. She currently serves as associate director of the University Honors Program at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, where she regularly teaches an undergraduate course on energy and society.

Brian Nordstrom, Ed.D., a physical chemist, received an A.B. in physical science and an M.S. in chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley, and an Ed.D. from Northern Arizona University. His interests include chemical kinetics, environmental chemistry, chemical education, and the history and philosophy of science. He is professor of chemistry at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona.