General Chemistry, Hybrid by 
Experiments in General Chemistry by 
Marie Curie by
Marie Curie (1867-1934) was one of the most important woman scientists in history, and she was one of the most influential scientists--man or woman--of the 20th century. Curie postulated that radiation was an atomic property, a discovery that has led to significant scientific developments since. She was also the first person to use the term radioactivity. Her perseverance led to the discovery of two new elements, polonium and radium. This combination of creativity and perseverance netted her two Nobel Prizes, one in physics and the second in chemistry. This book, however, looks at more than her scientific achievements. While Curie is often portrayed as a stern, one-dimensional woman so totally committed to her science that she was incapable of complex emotions, the truth is that the opposite is the case. Marie Curie: A Biography covers her entire lifetime, beginning with her early life and education in a Poland under the oppressive rule of the czar of Russia. The book discusses all aspects--both personal and scientific--of her fascinating life: * Her education at the Sorbonne in Paris, where she earned the equivalent of two master's degrees--one in physics and a second in mathematics * Her marriage to Pierre Curie, with whom she collaborated on much of her scientific work * The personal scandal that surrounded Marie in the aftermath of Pierre's tragic death * The Nobel Prize awards, and the detractors who believed that her work was actually performed by her husband Curie's work in establishing mobile X-ray units during World War I, and the establishment of radium institutes to study radiation Running throughout there is the much of the book is the tension between radium as a positive discovery and, on the other hand, the health risks that working with it presents. The book includes a timeline of important events in Curie's life and a bibliography of important primary and secondary sources.
A Short History of Nearly Everything by
One of the world's most beloved writers and New York Times bestselling author of A Walk in the Woods and The Body takes his ultimate journey--into the most intriguing and intractable questions that science seeks to answer. In A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson trekked the Appalachian Trail--well, most of it. In A Sunburned Country, he confronted some of the most lethal wildlife Australia has to offer. Now, in his biggest book, he confronts his greatest challenge: to understand--and, if possible, answer--the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. Taking as territory everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bryson seeks to understand how we got from there being nothing at all to there being us. To that end, he has attached himself to a host of the world's most advanced (and often obsessed) archaeologists, anthropologists, and mathematicians, travelling to their offices, laboratories, and field camps. He has read (or tried to read) their books, pestered them with questions, apprenticed himself to their powerful minds. A Short History of Nearly Everything is the record of this quest, and it is a sometimes profound, sometimes funny, and always supremely clear and entertaining adventure in the realms of human knowledge, as only Bill Bryson can render it. Science has never been more involving or entertaining.
Crucibles by
Classic popular account of great chemists Trevisan, Paracelsus, Avogadro, Mendeleeff, Curie, Thomson,Lavoisier, up to A-bomb research and recent work with subatomic particles. The Chicago Daily Tribune declared, "The saga is exciting and Mr. Jaffe has told it with distinction." 20 illustrations.