La mappa dell’Universo (Scienza dellE materiE, 15 anni dopo)

The Periodic Table as The Map of the Universe… but also resembling a school timetable.

An idea that some very young students suggested me 15 years ago and that became a website.  We had the chance to present this project at the “Scienza under 18” exhibition at the Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia, Milan, at the beginning of a long-lasting connection with Federchimica, and then at the two-days international conference “Scienza ed Informazione” in Como, Villa Gallia.

As 2019 will be the International Year of Periodic Table, I’ve found a backup copy of that site, and so here is the story.

The Chimico Ambientale course at Jean Monnet Institute

In 2003 I was teaching at the Istituto Jean Monnet of Mariano Comense (between Como and Milan). One of the newest high schools in Lombardy, and one of the most innovative in Italy because of three different “experimental” courses.
I was involved on the chemical one, a “Istituto Tecnico Industriale” course about “Environmental Chemistry and Technology“.  One of the very few, and probably the best one in Italy on this topics, as I heard from many colleagues.

Our students not only had sure and goob jobs if they were stopping just after the Diploma, but the large number which were going to University had  often outstanding results – just from the first day: if they tried the admission exams at Milan Politecnico,  they always gained a very high rank, outclassing students coming from the most renowned Licei.

(btw: the reform law, some years ago, simply cancelled Chimico Ambientale from any Italian High School).

The fuzzy idea

As Chemistry is the Scienza della Materia, in our table it became the Scienza delle Materie (Science of Subjects).

Students were asked to think that the element symbols were not about chemistry, but the subjects that they were studying at school – or that they were interested in. So, each entry linked in the table had this structure:

1: the alternative meaning for the symbol

2: its connections with chemistry and our school world

3: something about the real element

4: when available,  links to the chapters of Primo Levi’s masterpiece, Il Sistema Periodico.

Disclaimer: we (I) had no experience at all about HTML structures and the Web was still a wild land, so the actual structure and graphic form where rather horrible.

After a first draft, mostly worked out with boys & girls 14-16 years old, we asked to others, also from different schools, to improve it with their suggestions.

The “elements” linked in the table (at final update) where the following, listed with the metaphorical interpretation and, in case, with a quote from Levi’s book. Sodium is not a chapter, but of course the Birkenau plant produced BuNa and we made a further reference.

Z

symbol

your opinion?

or instead?

Levi’s quote

1

H

Entalpia

Idrogeno

X

2

He

Sole

Elio

3

Li

Libertà

Litio

6

C

Carbonio

X

7

N

Azoto

X

8

O

Organica

Ossigeno

9

F

Fisica

Fluoro

11

Na

Natta (Giulio)

Sodio

*

13

Al

Alchimia

Alluminio

14

Si

S.I.

Silicio

15

P

Philosophia

Fosforo

X

16

S

Storia

Zolfo

X

17

Cl

“17”

Cloro

18

Ar

Arte

Argon

19

K

Potassio

X

20

Ca

Sport

Calcio

22

Ti

Titanio

X

23

V

Volta

Vanadio

X

24

Cr

Colore

Cromo

X

26

Fe

Ferro

Ferro

X

27

Co

Conferenze

Cobalto

28

Ni

Nickel

X

30

Zn

Zinco

X

31

Ga

Galileo

Gallio

32

Ge

Germania

Germanio

33

As

Arsenico

X

35

Br

Bretagna (Gran)

Bromo

36

Kr

Fumetti

Cripto

X

37

Rb

Robotica

Rubidio

38

Sr

Sciocchezze

Stronzio

39

Y

Matematica

Yttrio

41

Nb

Coltan

Niobio

42

Mo

Monnet (Jean)

Molibdeno

43

Tc

Tecnologia

Tecnezio

47

Ag

Fotografia

Argento

X

48

Cd

CD

Cadmio

49

In

Informatica

Indio

50

Sn

Stagno

X

52

Te

Terra (scienze della)

Tellurio

53

I

Italiano

Iodio

55

Cs

CnS

Cesio

57

La

(…?)

Lantanio

58

Ce

Cerio

X

59

Pr

Prova-prova-prova

Praseodimio

61

Pm

Promessi (sposi)

Promezio

63

Eu

Euro

Europio

68

Er

Erba

Erbio

70

Yb

Geografia

Ytterbio

71

Lu

Lucrezio

Lutezio

74

W

Zio ->

Tungsteno

75

Re

Religione

Renio

79

Au

Economia

Oro

X

80

Hg

Mercurio

X

82

Pb

Piombo

X

83

Bi

Biologia

Bismuto

85

At

Attenzione!

Astato

87

Fr

Francese

Francio

89

Ac

Analisi Chimica

Attinio

92

U

Università

Uranio

X

95

Am

Ambiente

Americio

98

Cf

Chimica Fisica

Californio

100

Fm

FM

Fermio

101

Md

Mendeleev

Mendelevio

102

No

Nobel

Nobelio

106

Sg

Stages

Seaborgio

Some years after, the school website was renewed, then I left Jean Monnet for the Setificio in Como, and this table disappeared, also from more recent versions of kemia.it where it was mirrored.
But I feel good to show it once again.

 

With the kind help of my daughter Alice, who attended Jean Monnet many years after.

As the headmaster was at that time a really challenging friend,
prof. Scognamiglio, I’m also adding:
Thank you again, Tommaso.