The Story of Oxygen (First Book)
Grade 5-8?Fitzgerald begins by introducing the element oxygen as a fire-breathing dragon, and then moves in neat chronological order to reveal its scientific properties. The author introduces the early scientists who made substantive contributions to the understanding of this element, among them Empedocles, Mao-Khoa, Leonardo da Vinci, Joseph Priestly, and Antoine Lavoisier. She concludes with a chapter on the critical role of oxygen in the processes of respiration and metabolism in animals as well as its curious role reversal in plant photosynthesis. In discussing the damaging process of oxidation, Fitzgerald outlines the role of free radicals in the body and their connection to immune-system damage and to gene mutation. She tells also of the role of oxygen in ozone and the potential hazards of damage to the ozone layer. Colorful illustrations, photographs, diagrams, and charts support and enhance the text. All in all, this is a complete and informative overview that should be an effective resource for students in life- and earth-science courses as well as chemistry.?Sylvia V. Meisner, Allen Middle School, Greensboro, NCCopyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.