Merck PSE HD - App Review

Do you remember the periodic table from your school days?

If you remember the table as a black and white wall chart with a letter (mainly two) and a number between 1 and 118 then, this is exactly what this App is about but here, it is as an iOS App, in all its Technicolor glory.

Now for the ACIDS test:

Aesthetics
The initial screen is the periodic table as you have often seen it, with the s-, d-, p-, and f-block being colour coded so as to make them stand out more. This on its own would be the basis of a nice chart but not an App... and this is where this App really delivers.

Touch any of the elements and find its full name, classification, group, period, and relative atomic mass.

As if were not enough, you can now touch the element you selected and get access to much more information. This ranges from etymological information, superlative information (great for quizzes), and other nuggets of interesting data. And this isn't all; close the previous window and have access to 'Basic information' (including melting point, boiling point, density, electronegativity, electron configuration, percentage mass of earth's core, and more... call that 'basic?).

There is yet more to come with photographs of the discoverer(s) (or even pictures if the discovery predates photography) and pictures of the element itself.

The only item left after this (at this stage) is access to Merck's products; it is well hidden and can easily be ignored for those of us who are just curious.

This should be enough for most but, touch the little 'M' at the top left of the screen and another Pandora's Box opens. This enables searching, property ranking by the criterion of your choice, a molar mass calculator, and a very useful glossary. This leaves 'just' two more choices... and are my favourites. Firstly, 'State at room temperature', where you can change the temperature (either by dragging a pointer or using a very tactile wheel) and the whole periodic table colours by state (solid, liquid, gaseous). Secondly, the date of discovery where you can use a similar mechanism to light up the table according to when an element was discovered.

Cost
The App is absolutely free.

Indispensability
If you're into chemistry, or just plain curious, this is a must.

Dependability
Absolutely no problems whatsoever, and the transition from one screen to another is beautifully smooth.

Security
The data for the App is all downloaded at installation so, there are no issues. If this had been available when I was 'studying', I might have spent less time making stink bombs... which would have increased security for others.

ACIDS Test Rating:

Elementary? Anything but!

To find out how the ACIDS Test works, click here.

                                                         

You can get Merck PSE HD here and support for the App here.