Chemistry - the Game Played by Atoms

ChemistryThe Game Played by Atoms
by R. G. Thomas

Book Summary

Imagine that you are part of a group watching an unfamiliar game in progress. Your group does not have a rule book and there is no way to access a list of the game rules. This is exactly the situation in which early chemists found themselves as they step by step unraveled many of the mysterious rules for the game of chemistry.
Someone completely unfamiliar with the game of basketball, if completely dedicated to the task, should be able to figure out many of the game rules just by watching the game as it is being played. For the early chemists the situation was much more difficult since neither the players nor the game ball are visible. They knew something was going on but were unable to begin to understand the game until they were able to identify the players and the game ball.
The rules for basketball have been changed so that some shots are now worth three points. This change was made by the people regulating the game in an effort to make the game more interesting for the spectators. Other changes have been made to please the companies which advertise on television. Even a unanimous vote by the members of the American Chemical Society cannot change any of the rules of chemistry. Unfortunately there is no way to change the rules of chemistry to make it more interesting although this book attempts to present chemistry in a manner which is more interesting than the exposure many students find in a traditional chemistry course.
ChemistryThe Game Played by Atoms is an unique presentation of the evolution of chemistry written for both the general reading public and beginning science students. It is intended for the curious reader, with or without a scientific background. In the authors search of libraries and bookstores he was unable to find a book for the general reader which deals with the overall nature of chemistry.
ChemistryThe Game Played by Atoms presents chemistry as a game. Discovering the rules for chemistry has not been easy. Using the observations made by a number of great scientists the reader is led through the discovery of the basic game rules. The concise historical development of the logic leading to the understanding of the chemical elements includes interaction with what might be called the human element. Information about many of the more observant scientists is included to show that they were interesting people rather than just names to be memorized in connection with scientific discoveries. Many of these basic explanations of why chemists believe as they do cannot be found in the usual chemistry textbooks.
Chemistry--The Game Played by Atoms is not a textbook. This book does not require the reader to memorize facts, balance chemical equations, prepare for exams, or use complicated mathematics to solve problems. Each chapter of this book begins by comparing the game of chemistry with aspects of other well known games. Each chapter is long enough to thoroughly present the development of a basic chemical concept, but short enough that the concept is not lost in unnecessary detail.
Following is a list of the titles of the chapters. Some of the titles do not clearly indicate the contents of the chapter unless you read the chapter. But this list should give the prospective reader a better idea of the nature of this book.


Chapter 1 The Game of Chemistry
Chapter 2 In Search of a Game
Chapter 3 The False Start
Chapter 4 A Good Second Serve
Chapter 5 The Players
Chapter 6 The Game Roster
Chapter 7 The Game Ball
Chapter 8 A Closer Look at the Players
Chapter 9 Sizing Up the Situation
Chapter 10 Passing and Catching Abilities
Chapter 11 The Playing Fields

Chapter 12 Game Ball Dynamics
Chapter 13 Team Players
Chapter 14 Team Shape
Chapter 15 Sticking Together
Chapter 16 The Passing Game
Chapter 17 Spectators on the Playing Field
Chapter 18 A Different Game Ball
Chapter 19 Another Game Pl