From the creation of the periodic table to the development of synthetic elements, this copiously illustrated guide for readers 9 to 12 explores how scientists have uncovered the building blocks of the known universe. Discussing the key facts about all 118 elements, this book introduces such figures as Copernicus, Marie Curie, and Niels Bohr, and explains why carbon and oxygen are essential to our survival, how precious gold protects astronauts in space, and why the metal mercury can be both a solid and a liquid.