Hi,
As a layman curious about industrial manufacturing processes, could
you recommend some books?
Specifically, I am looking for a reference book that I can just pop
open at a given page if I am curious about a certain element. I am not
looking for a general interest book that deals with elements or
molecules in terms of their socio-economic, historical roles as well
as their scientific properties (a book of this sort would be "Salt" by
Mark Kurlansky or "The Invention of Air" by Steven Johnson).
Such a book would be an encyclopedia of elements that discusses among
other things (1) chemical properties (2) uses in modern products (e.g.
tellurium as it's used in modern semi-conductors) (3) extraction/
production processes (4) geographical location of sources and relative
abundance (5) major commercial miners/extractors (e.g. Rio Tinto and
all the things they dig up).
It would be nice if it were clearly written as well, but I'd prefer
accurate, up-to-date, exhaustive and detailed coverage over
legibility. It does not have to be written for the general reader. I'd
prefer it if it were for professional chemists/engineers.
I look forward to your replies.
