The CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics is a 2600-page tome of random facts and figures, from the speed of sound in various media to the chemical composition of the human body.

My sixth-grade teacher’s copy was one of the most fascinating objects of my childhood, and it still makes me giggle with delight.

Section headers include:

• Definitions of scientific terms1
• Greek, Russian, and Hebrew alphabets
• Standard density of water for all temperatures from 0 °C to 100 °C in 0.1 °C increments.
• Composition and properties of common oils and fats
• Chemical composition of the human body2
• Major world earthquakes
• Musical scales
• Flame temperatures by fuel
• Selection of laboratory gloves
• Sensitivity of the human eye to light of different wavelengths

Marginalia

Here are some quotes, observations, and things I learned from the book.

International Temperature Scale of 1990

I thought that temperature was defined just by absolute zero and the triple point of water. But actually that’s not very useful for very cold or very hot temperatures, so the ITS-90 sets a bunch of other fixed points to calibrate temperature measurement in those domains.

Symbols and Terminology for Physical and Chemical Quantities

The Handbook uses a clever convention and writes

Column headings in tables and axis labels on graphs… as the physical quantity symbol divided by the unit symbol, e.g.: $T/\text{K}$, $V/{\text{cm}}^3$, $C_p/\text{J}{\text{mol}}^{-1}{\text{K}}^{-1}$. The values in the table or graph axis are then pure numbers.

My style on this website is to write the physical quantity in full followed by the units in parentheses, but I have to admit their convention is clever.

The Elements

Each element is furnished with a random collection of facts, including the etymology, discoverer, chemical behaviour, and approximate price, as though it were some bizarre catalog. For example:

Actinium — (Gr. aktis, aktinos, beam or ray), Ac; at. wt. (227); at. no. 89; m.p. 1050 °C, b.p. 3198 °C; sp. gr. 10.07 (calc.). Discovered by Andre Debierne in 1899 and independently by F. Giesel in 1902. Occurs naturally in association with uranium minerals. Thirty-four isotopes and isomers are now recognized. All are radioactive. Actinium-227, a decay product of uranium-235, is an alpha and beta emitter with a 21.77-year half-life. Its principal decay products are thorium-227 (18.72-day half-life), radium-223 (11.4-day half-life), and a number of short-lived products including radon, bismuth, polonium, and lead isotopes. In equilibrium with its decay products, it is a powerful source of alpha rays. Actinium metal has been prepared by the reduction of actinium fluoride with lithium vapor at about 1100 to 1300 °C. The chemical behavior of actinium is similar to that of the rare earths, particularly lanthanum. Purified actinium comes into equilibrium with its decay products at the end of 185 days, and then decays according to its 21.77-year half-life. It is about 150 times as active as radium, making it of value in the production of neutrons. Actinium-225, with a purity of 99%, is available from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to holders of a permit for about $500/millicurie, plus packing charges.

I find this disjointed style — an artifact of a bygone era, when encyclopedias had to conserve column space — very funny for some reason.

Physical Constants of Inorganic Compounds

This table includes the melting and boiling points of various compounds. Some are just listed as “exp”, though, indicating they’ll explode before you can find out.

Speed of Sound in Various Nedia

The important ones are air (346 m/s) and water (1497 m/s)3. The fun ones are helium (973 m/s), gold (3240 m/s), and nylon (2620 m/s).

Density of various solids

The idea that someone would need a handy reference for the density of cardboard, sandstone, butter, and thirty-eight different kinds of wood is hilarious.