Podcasts by Elements

Obscure Elements from 2016-09-28T07:33

In the final programme in our Elements series, Justin Rowlatt looks at the rarest and oddest members of the periodic table.

Selenium, bismuth, molybdenum, antimony, rhenium, hafnium, zirc...

Thorium (Th) from 2016-09-16T14:28

This radioactive metal holds the promise of thousands of years of energy for the world. But is it really any cleaner or safer than traditional uranium-based nuclear power? Chemistry Professor An...

Platinum group (Pt, Pd, Ru, Rh, Os, Ir) from 2016-09-07T07:33

Six extremely rare metals that clean your car exhaust and turbocharge industrial chemistry, but which are also the focus of a violent power struggle in South Africa. Presenter Laurence Knight he...

Arsenic (As) from 2016-08-31T07:33

The macabre poison we know from crime novels and history books has some surprising modern uses. Justin Rowlatt travels the Subcontinent - first to India's Forest Research Institute in the Himala...

Silver (Ag) from 2016-08-24T07:33

The shiniest and showiest of metals is still mainly used in silverware. But it also has some surprisingly modern applications. Justin Rowlatt heads deep under the city streets to the sparkling L...

Iodine (I) from 2016-08-17T07:33

Why does iodine deficiency still blight children in developing countries like India? Justin Rowlatt travels to Dehradun in the Himalayas with world expert Chandrakant Pandav to diagnose schoolch...

Hydrogen (H) - fusion from 2016-05-31T07:33

Could we finally be about to crack this source of potentially unlimited clean energy - thanks in part to a plethora of private sector tech startups? Laurence Knight travels to one such company,...

Cadmium (Cd) from 2016-05-25T07:33

This toxic metal is slowly being phased out of our lives. But as presenter Justin Rowlatt discovers, while nickel-cadmium batteries may have disappeared from our gadgets, they still help to keep pl...

Potassium (K) from 2016-05-18T07:33

Potash plumps up fruit, vegetables and grains, and the potassium it contains is an essential nutrient. Yet India is completely dependent on imports of this critical fertiliser to feed its populatio...

Hydrogen (H) - energy from 2016-05-10T08:10

Is the dream of a hydrogen-fuelled zero-carbon economy achievable? Presenters Justin Rowlatt and Laurence Knight ask where the hydrogen will come from and how we will store it. Professor Andrea Se...

Zinc (Zn) from 2016-05-04T07:33

The metal that brings shelter and good health to India's poorest. Presenter Laurence Knight travels to a bustling Delhi where Rahul Sharma of the International Zinc Association explains how this se...

Hydrogen (H) - water (part 2) from 2016-04-27T07:33

As climate change threatens to play havoc with the rain, could we instead draw our water directly from the ocean? In his second gulp of H2O, presenter Justin Rowlatt hears from climatologist Ra...

Hydrogen (H) - water (part 1) from 2016-04-20T07:40

Northwest India is fast running out of groundwater. As much of the world faces growing water scarcity, will mass migration and water conflicts become inevitable? Do we take water for granted at our...

Noble Gases (Ar, Ne, Kr, Xe) from 2016-03-23T09:00

Neon, argon, krypton and xenon: Laurence Knight investigates their uses, from the blinding light of the arc welder's torch to the dying trade of the neon sign-making. Professor Andrea Sella explai...

Germanium (Ge) from 2016-03-16T08:50

Nanotech, virtual reality, Moore's Law - we look at germanium, the substance that could oust the silicon from Silicon Valley, and one day help computers supercede your brain. IBM's head of innovat...

Radioactives (Po, Ra, Rn) from 2016-03-09T08:51

Radium, polonium and radon may be names to make your hair stand on end, but are they actually useful for anything? And is our fear of them overbaked? Laurence Knight gets the chemistry rundown from...

Tantalum&Niobium (Ta, Nb) from 2016-03-02T08:33

Is coltan - the notorious conflict mineral from which these two metals are derived - still being smuggled from DR Congo into Rwanda, to evade taxes and sourcing controls? Laurence Knight investigat...

Beryllium (Be) from 2015-10-22T12:52

Rare and toxic, beryllium can do serious damage to your lungs. Presenter Laurence Knight explores whether and how we can make use of this metal safely. Prof Andrea Sella of University College Londo...

Magnesium (Mg) from 2015-09-30T08:00

This metal played a part in the worst car crash in history, the 1955 Le Mans disaster, helping to make the resulting inferno explosively dangerous. Yet despite its fiery reputation, and its pronene...

Titanium (Ti) - catalysts from 2015-09-16T08:00

Titanium is the magic metal that made possible the mass production of plastics and paints, as well as buildings that clean both themselves and the air around them. Presenter Laurence Knight heads ...

Hydrogen (H) - acids from 2015-08-19T07:32

These powerful chemicals are essential to obtain the minerals that build our world, the fertilisers that feed the planet, and the fuels that propel our vehicles - as presenter Laurence Knight disco...

Oxygen (O) - industrial uses from 2015-08-12T08:00

Why is oxygen essential to steelmaking, how do you extract it from the air, and can you inhale too much of it? Answering these questions leaves presenter Justin Rowlatt almost breathless. Prof And...

Titanium (Ti) - materials from 2015-08-05T08:00

Stronger and more durable than steel, this glamorous metal crops up in sportscars, hip replacements and jewellery - but a new chemical process hopes one day to make it as common as steel. Prof Andr...

Oxygen (O) - oxidation from 2015-07-29T10:26

The “element of life” also makes the air that we breathe a perilous and costly atmosphere in which to operate. Prof Andrea Sella of University College London provides presenter Justin Rowlatt with...

Cobalt (Co) from 2015-07-22T08:00

Cobalt, the metal in magnets and phone batteries, is synonymous with the colour blue. But what exactly are magnets, how do they work and where are they used? And is some of the cobalt being mined b...

Copper (Cu) - electricity from 2015-06-25T07:47

Copper has long been the metal of electricity generators and wiring. But presenter Justin Rowlatt asks whether new technologies herald the death of the old-fashioned electricity grid. Prof Andrea S...

Copper (Cu) - materials from 2015-06-17T07:33

Copper is the distinctive red metal in pots, pans and water pipes, and also plays a central role in whisky distillation. Presenter Laurence Knight and chemistry guru Professor Andrea Sella of Unive...

Boron (B) from 2015-06-11T08:59

Boron is the mineral from the Wild West that stops glass from shattering and stops bullets in their tracks. Presenter Laurence Knight visits the Dixon Glass works to see why borosilicate glass is p...

Gallium&Indium (Ga, In) from 2015-06-03T08:00

LED lighting, solar power and lasers are just some of the electronics revolutionised by two obscure chemical elements - gallium and indium. Laurence Knight hears from Mike Simpson of Philips why we...

Iron (Fe) - industrialisation from 2015-04-01T09:16

Iron is the chemical element at the heart of steel, and by extension of industrialisation, so what does the collapse in iron ore prices say about the economic progress of China and India? Is the st...

Iron&Manganese (Fe, Mn) - steel-making from 2015-03-25T09:46

The two key ingredients that enabled the mass production of steel. We travel to Sheffield - the birthplace of modern steelmaking - to get up close to the technological mid-wife, a Bessemer converte...

Iron (Fe) - the Industrial Revolution from 2015-03-18T09:13

In the first of three programmes about iron, Justin Rowlatt explores two moments in industrial history that transformed this most abundant of metal elements into the key material out of which moder...

Technetium (Tc) from 2015-03-11T09:01

Technetium is essential for medical imaging, yet supplies of this short-lived manmade element are far from guaranteed. We see a technetium scan in progress and a cow being milked, and hear the yarn...

Fluorine (F) from 2015-03-04T11:01

Itself a ferocious yellow gas, fluorine is also the key building block for a string of other gases that pose a threat to mankind - from the ozone-depleting CFCs to potent greenhouse gases. We track...

Chromium (Cr) from 2015-02-26T09:31

Chromium is the metal of modernity - spawning icons from the Chrysler Building to the Harley Davidson. This colourful element is the key ingredient in stainless steel and leather. But the shiny met...

Nickel&Rhenium (Ni, Re) from 2015-02-18T10:40

Nickel is the metal that made the jet age possible, not to mention margarine and bicycle sprockets. We visit Rolls Royce to discover the incredible materials science that this chemical element and ...

Uranium (U) from 2014-10-08T07:32

Uranium is the fuel for nuclear power stations, which generate carbon-free electricity, but also radioactive waste that lasts a millennium. In the latest in our series looking at the world economy ...

Lead (Pb) from 2014-10-01T09:51

Lead is the sweetest of poisons, blamed for everything from mad Roman emperors to modern-day crime waves. Yet a lead-acid battery is still what gets your car going in the morning. So have we finall...

Caesium (Cs) from 2014-09-24T09:45

The atomic clock runs on caesium, and has redefined the very meaning of time. But it has also introduced a bug into timekeeping that affects everything from computerised financial markets to electr...

Bromine (Br) from 2014-09-17T09:06

Bromine puts out fires - both in the home and in the heart. But despite its reputation as an anti-aphrodisiac, this chemical element's biggest use is in fire retardants, found in everything from yo...

Plutonium (Pu) from 2014-09-11T15:22

Plutonium is one of a family of highly radioactive "synthetic" elements cooked up in nuclear reactors. But does it and its kin have any practical application besides the atom bomb? We travel to plu...

Silicon (Si) - solar from 2014-08-18T15:22

Already responsible for the IT revolution, could silicon be about to pull off an energy revolution too? We hear from pioneer John Schaeffer about solar power's hippy roots, and Richard Swanson of S...

Silicon (Si) - chips from 2014-07-31T11:00

Silicon is synonymous with the computer revolution. We travel to its eponymous birthplace - Silicon Valley in California - to ask chip pioneers Intel why this chemical element has supported a billi...

Sulphur (S) from 2014-07-30T11:30

Sulphur is in abundant supply thanks to its extraction from sour oil and gas, in order to prevent acid rain pollution. But does the world face a glut of this devilish chemical element, famed for it...

Tungsten (W) from 2014-07-29T11:00

Tungsten is one of the hardest, heaviest and highest melting metals, used in everything from bulbs to bullets, x-rays to drill bits. Justin Rowlatt hears from the perennial Professor Andrea Sella o...

Vanadium (V) from 2014-07-28T11:00

Traditionally used as a magic ingredient to produce tougher, more wear-resistant steels, vanadium has discovered a surprising new calling in life. Could this neglected metal, and the gigantic batte...

Nitrogen (N) - fertilisers from 2014-07-27T11:00

Nitrogen is a crucial ingredient in fertilisers. And thanks to a pair of clever Germans, the Haber-Bosch process of fixing nitrogen from the air ensures that the planet's burgeoning population can ...

Nitrogen (N) - explosives from 2014-07-26T11:00

Some 78% of the Earth's atmosphere is nitrogen. Yet this seemingly inert gas is the key component of bombs and explosives. It has brought life and death on an epic scale since mankind first unlocke...

Carbon (C) - plastics from 2014-07-25T11:00

Polymers – or plastics – are enduring, cheap, mouldable and versatile. Yet their very durability mean they litter our landscapes. And their main raw material - crude oil - will not last forever. So...

Sodium (Na) from 2014-07-24T11:00

What links soap, paper, heart disease and murder? Sodium. In the latest in our series of programmes looking at the world economy from the perspective of the elements of the periodic table, Justin R...

Chlorine (Cl) from 2014-07-23T11:00

Chlorine is more than just a chemical used in swimming pools. This poisonous green gas is the great enabling element of the chemicals industry, used in creating your clothes, computer chips, medici...

Lithium (Li) from 2014-07-22T11:00

Lithium is the electro-chemical element - big in batteries and bipolar disorder. Over two decades it has shot from obscurity to become almost synonymous with the way we power our gadgets. Presenter...

Rare Earth Elements (Ce, Nd, Dy, Er, etc) from 2014-07-21T11:00

Neither rare nor earths, these 17 elements are nonetheless difficult and unpleasant to mine and refine. Chemically near-identical, these metals have unique magnetic and optical properties, making t...

Carbon (C) - diamonds from 2014-07-20T11:00

Diamonds are not forever. They can be burned, and these days they can be mass-produced in a factory. So can your jeweller tell the difference between a natural and chemically identical "fake"? And ...

Calcium (Ca) from 2014-07-19T11:00

Calcium is the great structural element. It is the basis of much of the great architecture in nature as well as many of the incredible structures made by man. Presenter Justin Rowlatt hears from ch...

Tin (Sn) from 2014-07-18T11:00

Tin may seem old-fashioned, but it plays some surprisingly important roles in the modern economy. Presenter Justin Rowlatt meets our favourite chemist Andrea Sella of UCL at Pewters' Hall in London...

Carbon (C) - materials from 2014-07-17T11:00

We all know carbon's role in global warming, but could element 6 also provide some solutions? Carbon fibre composites are making planes more fuel efficient, as Airbus explains. And wonder-material ...

Carbon (C) - energy from 2014-07-16T11:00

Carbon is a great energy store – in plants and animals, but also as hydrocarbons – coal, oil and natural gas. From the Industrial Revolution onwards, burning these fossil fuels has released vast qu...

Gold (Au) from 2014-07-15T11:00

Heavy and chemically inert, why is gold, of all the elements of the periodic table, so highly valued by mankind? Does it even provide a sound basis for modern currencies? What is it actually useful...

Mercury (Hg) from 2014-07-14T11:00

Mercury is beautiful, yet deadly poisonous. Known as quicksilver, the Minamata international treaty aims to phase its use out completely. But how will the ban on element 80 affect artisanal gold mi...

Aluminium (Al) from 2014-07-13T11:00

Light, strong and flexible, aluminium is used in drinks cans, window frames, aircraft and packaging. Ubiqitous today, why was it valued more highly than gold 150 years ago? Is it better to recycle ...

Helium (He) from 2014-07-12T11:00

The second most abundant element in the universe, helium is rare on Earth. In liquid form it is used as a coolant in super conducting magnets in MRI scanners – so should this rare element be used i...

Phosphorus (P) from 2014-07-11T11:00

Phosphorus is essential for life. Our crops would not grow without phosphate fertiliser. So should we worry that we may be frittering the stuff away? Or that most of the world's remaining reserves ...

The Elements and the Economy from 2014-02-08T05:30

The periodic table provides an entirely new perspective on how the global economy works, as we discover in the first part of a new series about the chemical elements. A mining engineer working ...