Elemental

98 Episodes

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Zirconium - shape-shifting time capsule

2019-12-2212:34

Zirconium is a shape-shifting tough cookie, that is a tale of gemstones, medical implants and nuclear reactors, says Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 98 of Elemental.

Zinc - more useful than you realise

2019-12-1912:31

Zinc is a very useful metal that turns up in everything from sunscreen to paint, & galvanised metals to cereals, as well as brass instruments, says Prof Allan Blackman in ep 97 of Elemental.

Yttrium - here's that village Ytterby again

2019-12-1508:28

Yttrium is yet another element named after the village of Ytterby and is important in the development of high temperature superconductors, says Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 96 of Elemental.

Ytterbium - yet another element named after Ytterby

2019-12-1208:12

Ytterbium is yet another lanthanoid named after the Swedish village of Ytterby, says Prof Allan Blackman in ep 95 of Elemental.

Xenon - a stranger in search of strange particles

2019-12-1009:55

Xenon is a noble gas that turns up in various lights, gets used in xenon ion propulsion systems for spacecraft & plays a key role in the search for dark matter, says Prof Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 94 of Elemental.

Vanadium - Model T Fords, big batteries & sea squirts

2019-12-0809:33

Vanadium makes steel stronger & lighter, is being used in what will be the world's largest battery, and sea squirts are full of it, says Prof Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 93 of Elemental.

Uranium - first radioactive element to be discovered

2019-12-0508:28

Named after the planet Uranus & associated with Hiroshima & nuclear bombs, uranium is the highest-numbered element found naturally in significant quantities on earth, says Prof Allan Blackman in ep 92 of Elemental.

Tungsten - highest melting point of any metal

2019-12-0108:46

Tungsten's very high melting point made it an ideal filament for incandescent light bulbs, & as it is in some enzymes it is the heaviest element used in nature, says Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 91 of Elemental.

Titanium - light, strong & quite pretty

2019-11-2808:34

Titanium is light, strong, corrosion resistant & is used to repair broken limbs as it is able to get integrated into the bone, says Allan Blackman from AUT speaking from personal experience in ep 90 of Elemental.

Tin - from whistles to organ pipes & anti-fouling paint

2019-11-2610:54

The element tin turns up in all sorts of alloys, but tin cans are - mostly - not made from tin, says Prof Allan Blackman from AUT, in ep 89 of Elemental.

Thulium - the most laborious of the lanthanoids

2019-11-2409:45

Isolating the element thulium was a truly laborious process that took many years, says Prof Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 88 of Elemental.

Thorium - potential source of cleaner nuclear energy

2019-11-2109:09

Named after Thor, the Norse God of Thunder, thorium could provide a cleaner source of nuclear power in the future, says Prof Allan Blackman from AUT in episode 87 of Elemental.

Thallium - the poisoner's poison

2019-11-1708:27

Thallium is most famous for some infamous poisoned family cases & its appearance in an Agatha Christie novel solved a medical mystery, says Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 86 of Elemental.

Terbium - turns up in old TVs & new Euro notes

2019-11-1408:54

A discovery from the chemically prolific Swedish village of Ytterby, terbium produced the green on old TV sets & adds security to Euro notes, says Prof Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 85 of Elemental.

Tellurium - usually associated with gold

2019-11-1009:21

Tellurium is a metalloid often found with gold and the US town Telluride is named after it, says Prof Allan Blackman, in ep 84 of Elemental.

Technetium - the first synthetic element

2019-11-0708:45

Technetium was the first element on the periodic table to be synthesised. It is rare, radioactive and has only a few uses, says Prof Allan Blackman in ep 83 of Elemental.

Tantalum - a tantalising chemical element

2019-11-0307:23

The metal tantalum is usually found with the element niobium, has a very high melting point but is a 'conflict mineral', says Prof Allan Blackman in ep 82 of Elemental.

Sulfur - king of bad smells

2019-10-3114:25

Sulfur is responsible for some very bad smells, is the number one industrial chemical and is also an essential element, says Prof Allan Blackman in ep 81 of Elemental.

Strontium - from sensitive teeth toothpaste to nuclear fission

2019-10-2709:12

Named after a Scottish town, strontium can be highly radioactive & glow-in-the-dark, but also used in toothpaste, says Prof Allan Blackman from AUT, in ep 80 of Elemental.

Sodium - a salt of the earth spectator

2019-10-2411:19

Sodium is vital for life & usually found in combinaton with other more interesting elements, says Prof Allan Blackman in ep 79 of Elemental.

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