9781422279502

No picture, no people, no book, no readers—without the help of elements.

and manufactured, elements known to humans at this point in time. An element is a substance that cannot be broken down into other, sepa- rate, substances. There are 92 elements that can be found naturally on Earth and in space. The remaining 26 (and counting) have been manu- factured and analyzed in a laboratory setting. These elements, alone or in combination with others, form and shape all the matter around us. From the air we breathe, to the water we drink, to the food we eat—all these things are made of elements. (As you’ll soon see, your mirror, jewelry, spoon, and phone have one particular element in common!) We can learn a lot about an element just by finding its location on the periodic table. The periodic table has undergone several updates

The Chemistry of Everyday Elements

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