An agile volume that deals with the history of chemistry and particles (Li-Be-Re and Ge-Ni-Al-I, from the union of the symbols of some chemical elements) in an original way and addresses some of the most curious aspects of this discipline, linked to the discovery of matter from fire in prehistoric times to radioactivity in the last century.
The book, divided into ten parts that follow one another in chronological order, accompanies the discovery of the chemical elements through some more or lesser-known scientific personalities who, with tenacity and passion, have succeeded, sometimes by chance, in laying important milestones not only in the history of chemistry but also in culture in general.
What emerges is a picture that highlights the importance of collective work among both coeval scientists and those who lived in very different eras, in a synergy capable of crossing space and time. In particular, some important figures of female scientists emerge whose fame has long remained in the shadows behind their spouses’ names.