by sam kean · the disappearing spoon and other true tales of madness, love, and the history of the...

THE DISAPPEARING SPOON

AND OTHER TRUE TALES OF

MADNESS, LOVE, AND THE

HISTORY OF THE WORLD FROM

THE PERIODIC TABLE OF THE

ELEMENTS

BY SAM KEAN

Contents

The Periodic Table of the Elements 3

Longest Word 5

Uncertainty Principle 5

v45

109

270 277

244

The Periodic Table of the Elements

DisappearingSp_HCtextF1.indd 392DisappearingSp_HCtextF1.indd 392 4/13/10 8:22:49 AM4/13/10 8:22:49 AM

3

T h e P e r i o d i c T a b l e o f t h e E l e m e n t s ,con t inued

DisappearingSp_HCtextF1.indd 393DisappearingSp_HCtextF1.indd 393 4/13/10 8:22:51 AM4/13/10 8:22:51 AM

4

Longest Word

acetylseryltyrosylserylisoleucylthreonylserylprolylseryl-glutaminylphenylalanylvalylphenylalanylleucylserylseryl-valyltryptophylalanylaspartylprolylisoleucylglutamyl-leucylleucylasparaginylvalylcysteinylthreonylserylseryl-leucylglycylasparaginylglutaminylphenylalanylglutami-nylthreonylglutaminylglutaminylalanylarginylthreo-nylthreonylglutaminylvalylglutaminylglutaminylpheny-lalanylserylglutaminylvalyltryptophyllysylprolylphenyla-lanylprolylglutaminylserylthreonylvalylarginylphenylala-nylprolylglycylaspartylvalyltyrosyllysylvalyltyrosylargin-yltyrosylasparaginylalanylvalylleucylaspartylprolylleucyli-soleucylthreonylalanylleucylleucylglycylthreonylphenyla-lanylaspartylthreonylarginylasparaginylarginylisoleucyli-soleucylglutamylvalylglutamylasparaginylglutaminylglu-taminylserylprolylthreonylthreonylalanylglutamylthreo-nylleucylaspartylalanylthreonylarginylarginylvalylaspar-tylaspartylalanylthreonylvalylalanylisoleucylarginylsery-lalanylasparaginylisoleucylasparaginylleucylvalylasparagi-nylglutamylleucylvalylarginylglycylthreonylglycylleucyl-tyrosylasparaginylglutaminylasparaginylthreonylphenyla-lanylglutamylserylmethionylserylglycylleucylvalyltrypto-phylthreonylserylalanylprolylalanylserine

DisappearingSp_HCtextF1.indd 33DisappearingSp_HCtextF1.indd 33 4/13/10 8:22:15 AM4/13/10 8:22:15 AM

�x �p � h

4�

Uncertainty Principle

5