93 short poems that teach the lay reader about the elements of the periodic table. An entertaining and informative collection for a general audience by a professor of chemical sciences. The Periodic Table of Poems is a unique collection of 93 short poems that explores the properties and nuances of each element in the periodic table. Davern discusses the science, history, and quirks of each element--things like why potassium reacts explosively with water, what about arsenic makes it both a deadly poison and a cure for syphilis, and how mercury inspired the term "mad as a hatter". For example- Li, small and light, the soft metal with mettle! Keeps much of our mobile-power'd world in good fettle; In sea and in soil, Floats on water and oil, Has helped many's the troubled mind settle.