• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header left navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Endorsements
  • Books
    • Nicky Matthews Mystery Series
    • De-Extinct Zoo Series
    • The Lies Mystery Series
    • Demystifying the Beats
  • Periodic Table of Death … and Mystery
  • Contact
  • Blog
Carol Potenza

Carol Potenza

New Mexico Mysteries

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Goodreads
  • Spotify
Carol Potenza's website header

Carol Potenza

Strontium, African Elephants, and the Periodic Table of Death with the shadowed head of a bull African Elephant in the background

Strontium, Pockets, and the Periodic Table of DEATH and Mystery

December 20, 2023 by Carol Potenza

Pockets. Not only was there this ridiculous fashion era where women had to wear pantyhose (I have that lived experience and will never go back), but we women didn’t get pockets in our clothing until the 17th century. And they weren’t even pockets the way we think of them today (1). Men have had real pockets since the Renaissance. Let’s just call this what it is. Systematic fashion sexism (2) By “pockets,” I’m using the modern definition—a pouch or envelope sewn directly into clothing. Women’s fashion finally developed true pockets when they began to work outside the home in the mid 19th century AND with the push for equality …

Read moreStrontium, Pockets, and the Periodic Table of DEATH and Mystery
POD-Platinum part 2

Platinum, Golden Years, and the Periodic Table of DEATH and Mystery

December 20, 2023 by Carol Potenza

Platinum and the Periodic Table of Death and Mystery over a steel bank vault door

Read morePlatinum, Golden Years, and the Periodic Table of DEATH and Mystery
POD- Rhenium

Rhenium and the Periodic Table of DEATH

December 20, 2023 by Carol Potenza
Read moreRhenium and the Periodic Table of DEATH
POD- Mercury

Mercury, Hats, and the Periodic Table of DEATH and Mystery

December 20, 2023 by Carol Potenza

Mad Hatter – “Why is a RAVEN like a writing desk? Have you guessed the riddle yet?” Alice – “No, I give it up. What’s the answer?” Mad Hatter – “I haven’t the slightest idea.” We might NEVAR know. (1) Let’s get the dry details out of the way so we can get to the good stuff. Mercury (Hg for the Greek hydrargyrumwhich means liquid silver) is a slippery silvery substance with an atomic number of 80. It’s also liquid at room temperature (quicksilver), and I remember a kid in grade school bringing some Hg in a glass vial and pouring …

Read moreMercury, Hats, and the Periodic Table of DEATH and Mystery
POD- Gallium

Gallium, Good Death, and the Periodic Table of DEATH and Mystery

December 20, 2023 by Carol Potenza

Gallium (Ga) was discovered by the French scientist Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran in 1875, who also discovered two other elements, samarium (Sa), and dysprosium (Dy)—which means difficult to obtain in Greek. All you Francophiles might have noticed that Lecoq (French) and Gallus (Latin) sort-of-kind-of mean the same thing. But in an 1877 article Lecoq de Boisbaudran protested he named the element after Gaul, from Gallia (Latin for France) (2). It was a nice coincidence, though. Right, Paul-Émile? Ga has an atomic weight of 31 and sits just to the right of zinc and right below aluminum on the Periodic Table. It’s a silvery white metallic element which can be …

Read moreGallium, Good Death, and the Periodic Table of DEATH and Mystery
Periodic table of Death for the element francium with a photo of girls and women in a lab class in the early 1900s

Francium, Marguerite Perey, and the Periodic Table of DEATH and Mystery

December 20, 2023 by Carol Potenza

FYI, I just completed a fairy tale course and will attempt to write this article in that style. And remember, Disney fairy tales have happy endings, but the original folk and fairy tales tended to be, Hans (1, 2) down, more Grimm (3, 4). What to look for in a fairy tale: ‘flatness’ of tone, repetition—especially of numbers, and everyday magic. Once upon 1909, outside of Paris, a girl—Marguerite—was born into a relatively affluent family. Her father owned a flour mill, and her mother took care of their five children. But when the young girl was five, tragedy struck with a stock market crash, …

Read moreFrancium, Marguerite Perey, and the Periodic Table of DEATH and Mystery
  • Previous
  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Page 4
  • Page 5
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 12
  • Next

SIGN UP FOR CAROL’S NEWSLETTER

And get her latest mystery, “Unmasked: A De-Extinct Zoo Mystery” completely FREE!

  • Home
  • About
  • Books
  • Blog
  • For Book Clubs
  • Extras
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Sign up for Carol’s Newsletter

When you sign up, you’ll receive Carol’s latest mystery, “Unmasked: A De-Extinct Zoo Mystery” completely FREE!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Goodreads
  • Home
  • About
  • Books
  • Blog
  • For Book Clubs
  • Extras
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Terms & Conditions

Other Books by Carol Potenza

Nicky Matthews Mysteries

Hearts of the Missing: A Mystery

Buy This Book Online
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Apple Books
Buy from Audible.com
Buy from Barnes and Noble Nook
Buy from Books-A-Million
Buy from IndieBound
Buy from Kobo
Abe Books
BookWorks
COAS Books
Collected Works Bookstore
The Poisoned Pen Bookstore
Hearts of the Missing: A Mystery
Buy now!
Hearts of the Missing: A Mystery

The Third Warrior

Buy This Book Online
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Apple Books
Buy from Barnes and Noble
Buy from Barnes and Noble Nook
Buy from Google Play
Buy from Kobo
Abe Books
Booktopia
Fantastic Fiction
The Third Warrior
Buy now!
The Third Warrior

Spirit Daughters

Buy This Book Online
Multiple Buy Links - You Choose!
Buy from Amazon
Buy from GoodReads
Buy from Book Depository
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Barnes and Noble Nook
Buy from Kobo
Spirit Daughters
Buy now!
Spirit Daughters
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Goodreads

Copyright © 2022 · Carol Potenza All Rights Reserved.
Website by Stormhill Media