Elemental

By RNZ

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Category: Science

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Subscribers: 54
Reviews: 0
Episodes: 196

Description

A journey through the periodic table of elements with chemistry professor Allan Blackman, from AUT, and Alison Ballance

Episode Date
Zirconium - shape-shifting time capsule
Dec 22, 2019
Zinc - more useful than you realise
Dec 19, 2019
Yttrium - here's that village Ytterby again
Dec 15, 2019
Ytterbium - yet another element named after Ytterby
Dec 12, 2019
Xenon - a stranger in search of strange particles
Dec 10, 2019
Vanadium - Model T Fords, big batteries & sea squirts
Dec 08, 2019
Uranium - first radioactive element to be discovered
Dec 05, 2019
Tungsten - highest melting point of any metal
Dec 01, 2019
Titanium - light, strong & quite pretty
Nov 28, 2019
Tin - from whistles to organ pipes & anti-fouling paint
Nov 26, 2019
Thulium - the most laborious of the lanthanoids
Nov 24, 2019
Thorium - potential source of cleaner nuclear energy
Nov 21, 2019
Thallium - the poisoner's poison
Nov 17, 2019
Terbium - turns up in old TVs & new Euro notes
Nov 14, 2019
Tellurium - usually associated with gold
Nov 10, 2019
Technetium - the first synthetic element
Nov 07, 2019
Tantalum - a tantalising chemical element
Nov 03, 2019
Sulfur - king of bad smells
Oct 31, 2019
Strontium - from sensitive teeth toothpaste to nuclear fission
Oct 27, 2019
Sodium - a salt of the earth spectator
Oct 24, 2019
Silver - a popular noble metal
Oct 22, 2019
Silicon - a ubiquitous part of modern life
Oct 20, 2019
Selenium - good reason to eat seafood & Brazil nuts
Oct 17, 2019
Scandium - the scandal of the scandium cricket bat
Oct 15, 2019
Samarium - magnets for making & listening to music
Oct 13, 2019
Ruthenium - a 'sort of' precious metal
Oct 10, 2019
Rubidium - expensive and not very useful
Oct 06, 2019
Rhodium - used in cars, drugs ... and aftershave
Oct 03, 2019
Rhenium - has a number of claims to chemical fame
Oct 01, 2019
Radon - radioactive basement risk
Sep 29, 2019
Radium - famous but not very useful
Sep 26, 2019
Protactinium - a very dull chemical element
Sep 22, 2019
Promethium - rare and unremarkable
Sep 19, 2019
Praseodymium - a long name but not many uses
Sep 15, 2019
Potassium - a matter of life and death
Sep 12, 2019
Polonium - few redeeming features
Sep 08, 2019
Plutonium - nuclear bombs & nuclear power
Sep 05, 2019
Platinum - another pricey precious metal
Sep 01, 2019
Phosphorus - P was discovered in pee
Aug 29, 2019
Palladium - cleaning up your car's exhaust
Aug 25, 2019
Oxygen - the friendly element
Aug 22, 2019
Osmium - heavyweight champion of the elements
Aug 18, 2019
Nitrogen - a vital powerhouse
Aug 15, 2019
Niobium - useful at high & low temperatures
Aug 11, 2019
Nickel - more than just a 5 cent coin
Aug 08, 2019
Neon - the red of neon lights
Aug 04, 2019
Neodymium - the secret behind supermagnets
Aug 01, 2019
The most boring chemical element
Jul 31, 2019
Molybdenum - a catalyst at bacterial to industrial scales
Jul 28, 2019
Mercury - mesmerising quicksilver
Jul 25, 2019
Manganese - the 'essential' essential element
Jul 23, 2019
Magnesium - loved by everyone and everything
Jul 21, 2019
Lutetium - an obscure Parisian
Jul 18, 2019
Lithium - a mood enhancing element
Jul 14, 2019
Lead - sweet-tasting but deadly
Jul 11, 2019
Lanthanum - curious case of a 'lost' element
Jul 07, 2019
Krypton - its name means 'hidden' but it's a real thing
Jul 04, 2019
Iron - creator of the modern world
Jun 30, 2019
Iridium and the end of the dinosaurs
Jun 27, 2019
Iodine - a vital trace element
Jun 23, 2019
Indium - Queen of the touchscreen
Jun 20, 2019
Hydrogen - 'number 1 in the Universe'
Jun 16, 2019
Holmium - obscure, but an important surgical laser
Jun 13, 2019
Helium - rare on earth but universally abundant
Jun 09, 2019
Hafnium - helped land the first astronauts on the moon
Jun 06, 2019
Gold - a most desirable noble metal
Jun 02, 2019
Germanium - important in the first transistors
May 30, 2019
Gallium - mysterious case of the disappearing spoon
May 28, 2019
Gadolinium - plays a key role in MRI scans
May 26, 2019
Francium - final naturally-occurring element to be discovered
May 23, 2019
Fluorine - the non-stick element
May 19, 2019
Europium - putting the security in the Euro
May 16, 2019
Erbium - through rose-tinted glasses
May 12, 2019
Dysprosium - hard to get
May 09, 2019
Curium & meitnerium - in honour of two pioneering women
May 07, 2019
Copper - essential, in moderation
May 05, 2019
Cobalt - goblin of the periodic table
May 02, 2019
Chromium - colourful and shiny
Apr 28, 2019
Chlorine - good for health, bad for health
Apr 25, 2019
Cerium - combustible and confusing
Apr 21, 2019
Carbon - life & times of the 'king of elements'
Apr 18, 2019
Calcium - strength and beauty
Apr 14, 2019
Caesium - the time-keeper
Apr 11, 2019
Cadmium - colour and quantum dots
Apr 07, 2019
Bromine - the colour purple and poison gas
Apr 04, 2019
Boron - made by cosmic rays, useful in the kitchen
Mar 31, 2019
Bismuth - an unusual heavy metal
Mar 28, 2019
Beryllium - sweet and precious, but deadly
Mar 24, 2019
Berkelium and the synthetic heavyweights
Mar 21, 2019
Barium - never found on its own
Mar 17, 2019
Astatine - awfully rare
Mar 14, 2019
Arsenic - the well-known poison
Mar 10, 2019
Argon - every breath you take
Mar 07, 2019
Antimony - takes lives, saves lives
Mar 03, 2019
Americium - a radioactive, domestic do-gooder
Feb 27, 2019
Aluminium - light & versatile
Feb 24, 2019
Actinium - rare & radioactive
Feb 21, 2019
Tales from the periodic table
Feb 19, 2019