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Home > Categories > Books > Activities / Crafts > The Chemical Helix review
Make a three-dimensional model of the periodic table.
Start with the enjoyable task of making this ingenious and colourful tower model which shows all the elements which have so far been discovered. They spiral downwards according to their electronic structures, hence, the name chemical helix.
The tower has eight sides and so, those elements which come above and below each other on the tower share chemical properties, just as they do in the conventional periodic table.
Included is an extensive minibook packed with ideas and explanations about the elements.
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Review by: tucker (Karl)
Dated: 14th of August, 2004
Having been a chemistry buff with a somewhat inventive mind (as the repair bills on my highschool chem lab can attest) I have always been an advocate of a better way to illustrate the relationships between chemical elements, than the good ol' Periodic Table.
Finally, these two authors have created possibly one of the most brilliant models accessible to children, and interested adults.
The Helix Tower has all the elements, from Hydrogen right through to Ununnilium (yup, that's it's real name) in an elegant helix-and-tanble combination that makes it very easy to understand the relationship between the elements, see the electron valence shell and how it determines chemical properties, atomic weight, neutron count, the lot.
The book even has enough room to include a cute mobile that illustrates the electron shell theory and family-groups, giving yet another 'handle' on atomic structure and it's connection to chemical properties.
With the wonderful minibook common to this series, containing all the theory, information, diagrams and explainations, this would have to be classed as a truely comprehensive guide to atomic theory. With the models giving great a learning for those with a kinethetic and visual-cue leaning style, it is simply a brilliant addition to any highschool chemistry lab... along with comprehensive accident insurance.
Overall, I am impressed that such learning resources are now available, and slightly miffed that I had to learn it all the hard way because no-one was able to develop it back when I was blowing holes in benchtops with sodium and water.
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