This textbook presents a comprehensive account of the chemistry of the elements for both undergraduate and postgraduate students. This central area of chemistry is full of ingenious experiments, intriguing compounds; and exciting new discoveries. The authors specifically avoid the term "inorganic chemistry" since this evokes an outmoded view of chemistry which is no longer appropriate. Accordingly, this book not only covers the "inorganic" chemistry of the elements, but also analytical, theoretical, industrial, organometallic, bio-inorganic and other areas of chemistry which apply. The authors have broken with recent tradition in the teaching of their subject and adopted a new approach based on descriptive chemistry. The chemistry of the elements is still discussed within the context of an underlying theoretical framework, giving cohesion and structure to the text, but at all times the chemical facts are emphasized. Students are invited to enter the exciting world of chemical phenomena with a sound knowledge and understanding of the subject, to approach experimentation with an open mind, and to assess observations reliably.