{"product_id":"plutonium-9780801475177","title":"Plutonium","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn his history of this complex and dangerous element, noted physicist Jeremy Bernstein describes the steps that were taken to transform plutonium from a laboratory novelty into the nuclear weapon that destroyed Nagasaki.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eBernstein spins an accessible, insightful description of how the great scientists Curie, Bohr, Rutherford, and Fermi, among others, deconstructed the atom through a combination of individual brilliance, a spirit of collaboration, and serendipity.\u003c\/p\u003e * Publishers Weekly *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eBernstein's book should play a useful role by helping demystify plutonium and by encouraging interested members of the public and Congress to start constructing a more rational policy to deal with the dangers posed by this man-made element.\u003c\/p\u003e * American Scientist *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003ePlutonium\u003c\/i\u003e, Jeremy Bernstein acknowledges that everything connected with the element is complicated, and that includes plutonium itself and its history. Its discovery in 1941 by Glenn Seaborg and Arthur Wahl is part of a much bigger story in which each part becomes a story in itself.\u003c\/p\u003e * Nature *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eIrony and drama shape Bernstein's accounts of amazing feats of scientific deduction and world-endangering secrets, which give way to a sobering overview of the environmental damage caused by plutonium-producing reactors and the enormous threats embodied in today's global plutonium inventory.\u003c\/p\u003e * Booklist *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlutonium is a strong candidate for the weirdest, most fascinating, and most frightening element in the periodic table. For it to be the subject of a book by the acclaimed physicist turned science writer Jeremy Bernstein promises a great deal. \u003ci\u003ePlutonium\u003c\/i\u003e does not disappoint, even for those who think they are already familiar with the evolution of nuclear science during the twentieth century.\u003c\/p\u003e * Physics World *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eRunning through a spectrum of Nobel Prize winners, Bernstein grippingly portrays the race to develop the first nuclear weapon during World War II as well as the interplay among the global personalities involved. Readers learn that this hazardous element, good for nothing but nuclear weapon production, continues to hold us hostage with the threat of nuclear terrorism.\u003c\/p\u003e * Library Journal *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eI. Preamble\u003cbr\u003e II. The History of Uranium\u003cbr\u003e III. The Periodic Table\u003cbr\u003e IV. Frau Röntgen's Hand\u003cbr\u003e V. Close Calls\u003cbr\u003e VI. Fissions\u003cbr\u003e VII. Transuranics\u003cbr\u003e VIII. Plutonium Goes to War\u003cbr\u003e IX. Los Alamos\u003cbr\u003e X. Electrons\u003cbr\u003e XI. Now What?\u003ci\u003eNotes\u003cbr\u003e Credits\u003cbr\u003e Index\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cornell University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48865920811351,"sku":"9780801475177","price":16.14,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780801475177.jpg?v=1722276206","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/plutonium-9780801475177","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}