Welcome to The book of science. Come here each week to find poetry and commentary on another milestone of the history of science.

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This week (starting 6 September 2025)

Potassium: atomic number: 19; weight: 39.0983; Alkali metal; discovery: 1807—Humphry Davy.

1807

Potassium Atomic number 19 Essential stuff Commentary

London—Humphry Davy elements

Recently

1805	Oruktor Amphibolos Mars Works Obscure iron artifacts of the nineteenth century Commentary	Oliver Evans mechanics thermodynamics
1805-1876	Vapor-compression refrigeration Fridge Some cycles Commentary	Oliver Evans, Jacob Perkins, John Gorrie, Alexander Twining, James Harrison, Ferdinand and Edmond Carré, Carl von Linde thermodynamics
1804	Platinum group metals Rhodium and palladium Iridium and osmium Wollastonite Names Commentary	London—William Hyde Wollaston, Smithson Tennant elements
1803, 1830	Platinum pyrometer Daniell’s Register-Pyrometer Practical problems Commentary	Louis-Bernard Guyton de Morveau, John Frederic Daniell thermometry
1803, 1839	Cerium Atomic number 58 Stuff with sparks Commentary	Berlin, Bastnäs, Stockholm—Martin Heinrich Klaproth, Jöns Jacob Berzelius, Wilhelm Hisinger, Carl Gustaf Mosander elements
1803, 1830, 1867	Vanadium Atomic number 23 Stuff with color Commentary	Mexico City, Stockholm, Manchester—Andrés Manuel del Río, Nils Gabriel Sefström, Jöns Jacob Berzelius, Henry Enfield Roscoe elements
1802 - 1879	Incandescent light Prior art E26 screw Idea! Commentary
1802	Tantalum Atomic number 73 Rare stuff Commentary	Uppsala—Anders Gustaf Ekeberg elements
1801	Niobium Atomic number 41 Technical stuff Commentary	London—Charles Hatchett elements

Parts of this book

You may jump to some parts of The book of science directly by selecting menu items:

• About, more about this book
• Contents, a table of milestones in the history of science, arranged chronologically
• Elements, tables for the chemical elements
  • Periodic table of the elements
  • Index of elements by year of discovery
  • Index of elements by atomic number
• Scientists, index of scientists, by last name
• Sciences, index of sciences
• Eponymous, index of milestones named after scientists
• Keywords, index of keywords in poems and titles
• Search, where you can search the book by word or phrase

Related works

You may read subsets of The book of science as separate volumes. These generally contain only the last poem on each milestone from the full book:

• Elements of elements of science
• The booklet of science

This web site also includes other works by Tom Sharp and work by other poets.