Asimov is always so good. This one has excellent, extremely simple diagrams of the periodic table to start each chapter.

As literature goes, not the pinnacle of science writing, but this is a perfect introduction to basic chemistry of the elements. It is written with a difficulty level of something a smart middle schooler could figure out, but yet anyone can get a good deal of use out of it. Asimov goes through each and every element, not necessarily in order, and in the classic 'families' that make the Periodic Table such a great fundament of science. He explains the makeup and uses of simple compounds and why the families even exist (It's the outer electrons), basic definitions like Alkaline and Halogens, and describes many of these compounds in surprising detail, considering that many of them only get a paragraph or two. Not particularly dated, and has a few references to things that 'will be' that are in current use, like the exploitation of Titanium. ( )