Transition Metals (Periodic Table of the Elements)

This volume is devoted to the chemical and physical properties of an extremely important group of elements—the transition metals— and is intended for readers at the high school or beginning college level who have studied, or who will study, chemistry and physics. Transition metals include some of the world’s most industrially signifi cant substances. Iron, copper, silver, gold, and mercury are familiar metals that have played historic roles in civilization for thousands of years. Titanium, chromium, tungsten, and platinum are examples of particularly important elements in today’s economy—in some cases adding strength to structural materials such as steel, and in other cases serving as catalysts in chemical reactions. In this book, readers will learn what the important properties of transition metals are and how they are useful in everyday life.