The Discovery Of Isotopes

This book describes the exciting discovery of every isotope observed on earth to date, which currently numbers some 3000. The discoveries are arranged in chapters according to the observation techniques or production methods. Each chapter contains tables listing the first authors of the first publication as well as details about the production and detection methods used. At the end, a comprehensive table lists all isotopes sorted by elements. The book is based on individual paragraphs for each isotope, which were published over the last few years as separate articles in the journal “Atomic Data and Nuclear Data Tables”. The work re-evaluates all prior assignments judging them with a uniform set of criteria. In addition, the author includes over 100 new isotopes which have been discovered since the articles published. This book is a source of information for researchers as well as enthusiastic laymen alike. From the prepublication review: “The explanations focus on the essentials, which makes the various chapters pleasingly compact. The phrasing is well understandable also for non-experts. This makes the book easy to read, even thrilling. I have to confess that parts of the manuscript I was even reading as an evening lecture in the bed, so exciting was the history of isotope discoveries.” Sigurd Hofmann, Helmholtz Professor at GSI Darmstadt, Germany, and a leading expert in superheavy nuclei

This year we celebrate the 150th anniversary of Mendeleev's first publication of the Periodic Table of Elements. This book offers an original viewpoint on the history of the Periodic Table: a collective volume with short illustrated papers on women and their contribution to the building and the understanding of the Periodic Table and of the elements themselves.Few existing texts deal with women's contributions to the Periodic Table. A book on women's work will help make historical women chemists more visible, as well as shed light on the multifaceted character of the work on the chemical elements and their periodic relationships. Stories of female input, the editors believe, will contribute to the understanding of the nature of science, of collaboration as opposed to the traditional depiction of the lone genius.While the discovery of elements will be a natural part of this collective work, the editors aim to go beyond discovery histories. Stories of women contributors to the chemistry of the elements will also include understanding the concept of element, identifying properties, developing analytical methods, mapping the radioactive series, finding applications of elements, and the participation of women as audiences when new elements were presented at lectures.As for the selection of women, the chapters include pre-periodic table contributions as well as recent discoveries, unknown stories as well as more famous ones. The main emphasis will be on work conducted in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Furthermore, the book includes elements from different groups in the periodic table, so as to represent a variety of chemical contexts.'As with the discoveries themselves, bringing these tales of female scientists to light has taken much teamwork, including by contributors Gisela Boeck, John Hudson, Claire Murray, Jessica Wade, Mary Mark Ockerbloom, Marelene Rayner-Canham, Geoffrey Rayner-Canham, Xavier Roqué, Matt Shindell and Ignacio Suay-Matallana.Tracing women in the history of chemistry unveils a fuller picture of all the people working on scientific discoveries, from unpaid assistants and technicians to leaders of great labs. In this celebratory year of the periodic table, it is crucial to recognize how it has been built — and continues to be shaped — by these individual efforts and broad collaborations.'Nature 565, 559-561 (2019)

This Very Short Introduction traces the history and cultural impact of the elements on humankind, and examines why people have long sought to identify the substances around them. Looking beyond the Periodic Table, the author takes the reader on an engaging and entertaining tour: from the Greek philosophers who propounded a system with four elements - earth, air, fire, and water - to the modern-day scientists who are able to create their own.

Deuterium: Discovery and Applications in Organic Chemistry provides a well-illustrated overview of the discovery of 2H or heavy hydrogen, the stable hydrogen isotope with both a proton and a neutron in its nucleus. The work introduces the isotope, its discovery, physical properties, nomenclature, and common compounds, also exploring its application in organic chemistry through classic and recent examples from literature. Finally, the book devotes one chapter to Deuterium in medicinal chemistry and the biological effects of Deuterium Oxide, better known as D2O. Provides unique coverage not found elsewhere that is presented in an accessible, dedicated short work Contains practical information and examples on the use of Deuterium (D or 2H, Heavy Hydrogen) in organic synthesis Presents a detailed description of Deuterium’s discovery and applications in the pharmaceutical industry

Radioactive isotopes and enriched stable isotopes are used widely in medicine, agriculture, industry, and science, where their application allows us to perform many tasks more accurately, more simply, less expensively, and more quickly than would otherwise be possible. Indeed, in many casesâ€"for example, biological tracersâ€"there is no alternative. In a stellar example of "technology transfer" that began before the term was popular, the Department of Energy (DOE) and its predecessors has supported the development and application of isotopes and their transfer to the private sector. The DOE is now at an important crossroads: Isotope production has suffered as support for DOE's laboratories has declined. In response to a DOE request, this book is an intensive examination of isotope production and availability, including the education and training of those who will be needed to sustain the flow of radioactive and stable materials from their sources to the laboratories and medical care facilities in which they are used. Chapters include an examination of enriched stable isotopes; reactor and accelerator-produced radionuclides; partnerships among industries, national laboratories, and universities; and national isotope policy.

The chemical synthesis of isotopically labelled compounds is a pre-requisite for many chemical, biochemical and medicinal investigations. The constraints imposed by the requirements for regiospecific labelling and, in some instances, the time-scale of the synthesis often lead to quite different synthetic strategies to those that are used for the unlabelled material. Whilst there are many specialist papers, reviews and long books devoted to particular isotopes, there is no currently available short introductory book devoted to the organic chemistry of isotopic labelling. The aim of this book is to introduce research workers to a variety of methods that have been used to achieve these synthetic labelling objectives before exploring a particular method in detail. It covers a number of different isotopes and the methods that have been used to introduce them into organic compounds. Labelling methods also provide useful undergraduate teaching examples of modern synthetic reactions and their stereochemical consequences using relatively simple substrates. The book will therefore have a wider appeal than just those involved in using isotopes in research such as environmental and pharmaceutical chemists as well as organic chemists.

The 20th century has experienced environmental changes that appear to be unprecedented in their rate and magnitude during the Earth’s history. For the first time, Stable Isotopes as Indicators of Ecological Change brings together a wide range of perspectives and data that speak directly to the issues of ecological change using stable isotope tracers. The information presented originates from a range of biological and geochemical sources and from research fields within biological, climatological and physical disciplines covering time-scales from days to centuries. Unlike any other reference, editors discuss where isotope data can detect, record, trace and help to interpret environmental change. Provides researchers with groundbreaking data on how to predict the terrestrial ecosystems response to the ongoing rapid alterations Reveals how ecosystems have responded to environmental and biotic fluctuations in the past Includes examples from research by a wide range of biological and physical scientists who are using isotopic records to both detect and interpret environmental change