I've always sucked at math and science, but if I had to pick a scientific field of choice, it would be chemistry. Perhaps it's because I loved the visual aspect of the subject? Or maybe it's because I loved the idea of tiny elements interacting with with other. Nonetheless, I actually did well in high school chemistry (unlike biology and physics) and even pondered taking a chemistry class or two in college. It goes without saying then that I was thoroughly excited to read of Slate's new series of posts on the periodic table of elements. Over the next few weeks, author Sam Kean will write a separate post about 25 of the most interesting elements. Each post will feature numerous facts about...