Elemental

RNZ

To celebrate 150 years of the periodic table, get to know the back story of every element with our intrepid scientific hosts.

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98 episodes
Updated Dec 22, 2019

Episodes98

Newest first

Apr 18, 2019 · 11 min
Carbon - life & times of the 'king of elements'
Carbon underpins life as we know it, fuels our world and gets its own branch of chemistry, according to AUT professor Allan Blackman, in ep 18 of Elemental. Carbon is vital for life. It is the second most abundant element in the human body, after oxygen. It is the basis of an entire branch of chemistry - organic chemistry is all about carbon. Carbon is important because it has four electrons in its outer shell which makes it a very friendly element: it is always on the look-out for other elements to bond with, to find four more electrons. There are more than ten million carbon compound (including diamonds, graphene and graphite), which is why it's been dubbed the 'king of elements.' Carbon is useful for working out the age of anything up to 50,000 years old. On the minus side, oil, plastic and rising carbon dioxide levels all illustrate the bad side of carbon (or at least our love affair with it). Find out about the life and times of carbon, with Professor Allan Blackman from AUT. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Apr 14, 2019 · 9 min
Calcium - strength and beauty
Calcium creates objects that are strong and beautiful, from caves, to teeth and bones, and coral reefs. Find out more in ep 17 of Elemental, with Allan Blackman from AUT. Calcium is the most abundant metal in the human body. It is important for teeth and bones as well as the way cells and nerves work, muscles contract and blood clots. Calcium is also responsible for some of the greatest structures on earth. In Nature, it is the building block for coral reefs, and it is the main ingredient in concrete. Professor Allan Blackman from AUT presents this episode with his mouth full ... of calcium-rich teeth, that is. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Apr 11, 2019 · 11 min
Caesium - the time-keeper
A second, the basic unit of time, is defined by caesium, which is also useful for dating things. Find out more about caesium's role as a timekeeper, in ep 16 of Elemental with Allan Blackman from AUT. A second, the basic unit of time, is defined by caesium. And an isotope of caesium, produced in atmospheric nuclear tests, means it is also useful for dating things. Caesium has the chemical symbol Cs, the atomic number 55 and its name comes from the Latin word caesius, meaning sky blue. Professor Allan Blackman from AUT says that caesium (which Americans spell cesium) is an alkali metal and is the most reactive of all metals, exploding when added to water. It is also pyrophoric and ignites spontaneously in air when the temperature is below 55 degrees celcius. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Apr 7, 2019 · 8 min
Cadmium - colour and quantum dots
Cadmium has featured in red traffic lights, rechargeable batteries and now has a role in quantum dots, according to Allan Blackman, from AUT, in ep 15 of Elemental. Colourful cadmium is a favourite of artists - think cadmium yellow. Cadmium pigments are heat resistant up to 3000 degrees celcius, and are used to paint glass. Cadmium sulphide is imperial red and has been used to make red glass for the stop light of traffic lights. But Professor Allan Blackman from AUT tells us it is also toxic. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Apr 4, 2019 · 9 min
Bromine - the colour purple and poison gas
The story of bromine is one of the color purple, the Dead Sea and an early poison gas used in the First World War, says Allan Blackman from AUT, in ep 14 of Elemental. Bromine is one of only two elements, out of 118 on the periodic table, which is liquid at room temperature and pressure. It is a dramatic fuming red liquid. Its name means 'stench' and it is the reason you float in the Dead Sea, was the purple of Roman togas, and was used as an early poison gas in World War One. Find out more about the element bromine (symbol Br and atomic number 35), with Professor Allan Blackman from AUT. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Mar 31, 2019 · 7 min
Boron - made by cosmic rays, useful in the kitchen
Made by cosmic rays and supernovae, used in ovenproof cookware, and a key ingredient in the strongest acid ever made. Allan Blackman from AUT explores boron in ep 13 of Elemental. Boron is made by cosmic rays and supernovae. It is vital for life - and ovenproof cookware. Boron is also the basis of the world's strongest acid, created by Kiwi scientist Chris Reed, according to Professor Allan Blackman from AUT. Boron is atomic number 5, has the symbol B, and is a metalloid that is found in lots of minerals. It is used as boron nitride and boron carbide in drill tips, which are nearly as hard as diamonds. We are exploring the periodic table alphabetically and so far we have looked at all the As: actinium, aluminium, americium, antimony, argon, arsenic and astatine. We are making inroads into the Bs with barium, berkelium and the heavyweights, beryllium and bismuth. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Mar 28, 2019 · 10 min
Bismuth - an unusual heavy metal
Bismuth is a heavy metal that expands when frozen, and can be used to levitate trains and soothe upset guts, as Allan Blackman from AUT explains in episode 12 of Elemental. Bismuth is a 'good' heavy metal with some unusual features. It is a by-product of lead ore that's right at home in our bathroom cabinets. Professor Allan Blackman from AUT gives us the low-down on bismuth, symbol Bi and atomic number 83. Bismuth is found in Pepto-Bismol, commonly sold in chemists to treat indigestion and gut problems. It used to be confused with lead, and is now being used as a non-toxic replacement for lead in things like fishing sinkers. Bismuth is also the main ingredient of fireworks known as dragon's eggs, which finish their display with a loud cracking sound. For a long time the bismuth-209 isotope was thought to have the heaviest stable nucleus of any element, but in 2003 it was found to be very weakly radioactive. However, it has an extremely long half life: 19 exayears or 19 quintillion years, which is more than a billion times longer than the age of the universe. That is such a long half-life that bismuth is, for all intents and purposes, stable. Its unusual features include expanding when it is frozen (strange for a solid) and being diagmagentic, which means it is repelled by magnetic fields, rather than attracted. As a result, it is used in super-fast magnetic levitation trains. The Elemental team was delighted to find out on Twitter about a 9-year-old fan of the podcast who's favourite element is bismuth - here's why: He said to say - because bismuth crystals grow like a rainbow coloured staircase 🌈 pic.twitter.com/S1bgJ9Bxbl - Bay Heritage Wgtn📚 (@Libbylou27) March 26, 2019 Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Mar 24, 2019 · 5 min
Beryllium - sweet and precious, but deadly
You'll find beryllium in precious jewels and a space telescope mirror, but just don't inhale the dust - all in episode 11 of Elemental, with AUT's Professor Allan Blackman. Beryllium is a very light metal (atomic number 4, symbol Be), found at the top of the periodic table. It's colourless, but in combination with other chemicals you'll find it on jewel-encrusted rings and necklaces in the form of emeralds, beryls and aquamarines. It tastes sweet but it's poisonous (so don't eat it or inhale the dust). And Professor Allan Blackman from AUT says that beryllium is being used to create the massive mirrors that will be part of the upcoming James Webb space telescope. We are exploring the periodic table alphabetically and so far we have looked at all the As: actinium, aluminium, americium, antimony, argon, arsenic and astatine. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Mar 21, 2019 · 12 min
Berkelium and the synthetic heavyweights
The heaviest elements on the periodic table have only ever existed fleetingly in the lab, so Allan Blackman from AUT has grouped them all together in episode 10 of Elemental. The periodic table goes all the way to atomic number 118. And the bigger the number, the more electrons an element has - and the heavier it is. The heaviest chemical elements on the periodic table have only ever existed fleetingly in the lab, so we've lumped most of them together in episode 9 of Elemental, with Professor Allan Blackman from AUT. The 'synthetic heavyweights' have been created in labs in the US, Russia, Germany and Japan. And the names usually make it clear in which country the element was created. They are created by the bombardment of elements in a particle accelerator. Elements 92 and above are known as the transuranic elements - they are all heavy, very unstable and decay radioactively. The heaviest element found to date is oganesson (chemical symbol Og, atomic number 118). It was discovered in 2002 and its discovery was formally recognised in 2015. In 2016, element 118 was named after nuclear physicist Yuri Oganessian, and it's one of only two elements named after someone who was still alive at the time of naming. The other scientist honoured by an elemental name during his lifetime was the late Glenn Seaborg. This episode of Elemental includes: 93 Neptunium Np 97 Berkelium Bk 98 Californium Cf 99 Einsteinium Es 100 Fermium Fm 101 Mendelevium Md 102 Nobelium No 103 Lawrencium Lr 104 Rutherfordium Rf 105 Dubnium Db 106 Seaborgium Sg 107 Bohrium Bh 108 Hassium Hs 110 Darmstadtium Ds 111 Roentgenium Rg 112 Copernicium Cn 113 Nihonium Nh 114 Flerovium Fl 115 Moscovium Mc 116 Livermorium Lv 117 Tennessine Ts 118 Oganesson Og Element 95, americium, got its own Elemental episode, as will curium and meitnerium, uranium and plutonium. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Mar 18, 2019 · 9 min
Barium - never found on its own
Barium is never found on its own in nature, as it loves buddying up - but a version of it is found in hospitals. Allan Blackman from AUT reveals barium's secrets in episode 9 of Elemental. Barium loves to buddy up with other chemicals, which means it doesn't occur on its own in nature. This alkaline earth metal (symbol Ba and atomic number 56) is used to visualise the gut during diagnostic x-rays and will be familiar to anyone who has had to go to hospital for a barium meal or a barium enema. Professor Allan Blackman from AUT explores barium in episode 8 of Elemental. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Mar 14, 2019 · 8 min
Astatine - awfully rare
No one has ever seen astatine, which shares the distinction of being one of the rarest naturally-occurring elements on earth. Find out more with Allan Blackman from AUT in episode 8 of Elemental. Astatine is an enigmatic chemical element whose name means unstable. Along with francium, astatine has the distinction of being the rarest naturally-occurring element on earth. Ironically, element 85 was actually synthesised in the laboratory before it was finally found in nature. Professor Allan Blackman from Auckland University of Technology tells us everything we know about astatine - which is not much. The Elemental podcast is celebrating 150 years since the periodic table was first published by Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev. We are exploring the periodic table alphabetically, and astatine is the last of the As. So far we have looked at actinium, aluminium, americium, antimony, argon and arsenic. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Mar 10, 2019 · 7 min
Arsenic - the well-known poison
Arsenic is a well-known killer that was once dubbed 'succession powder'. Join Allan Blackman from AUT in episode 7 of Elemental, a journey through the periodic table. Arsenic is probably the most well-known poison, and it is associated with equally famous names, from Napoleon Bonaparte (did his arsenic green wallpaper really kill him?) to the famous race horse Phar Lap (was he deliberately poisoned). Professor Allan Blackman from AUT explores arsenic, and finds out that for a few animals, at least, it may actually be a vital trace element. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Mar 7, 2019 · 7 min
Argon - every breath you take
Argon is in every breath you take and its inertness is its best feature, as we discover with AUT chemistry professor Allan Blackman, in episode 5 of Elemental. Argon is in every breath you take and its inertness is its best feature, says Elemental's in-house chemistry expert Professor Allan Blackman, from Auckland University of Technology. Argon (symbol Ar and number 18) is a noble gas. Its inertness makes it useful in situations such as arc-welding and incandescent light bulbs, to prevent combustion. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Mar 3, 2019 · 8 min
Antimony - takes lives, saves lives
Antimony can be used to take lives - and to save lives. Check out episode 4 of Elemental with Professor Allan Blackman from AUT. Antimony can be used to take lives - and to save lives. Check out episode 4 of Elemental with Professor Allan Blackman from AUT, as he shares the varied uses of antimony (chemical symbol Sb and element number 51). Compounds of antimony have uses ranging from hardenng lead in printing presses to the black eyeliner beloved of early Egyptians. Antimony might ring bells if you've listened to William Ray's Black Sheep podcast from RNZ - it features in the story Poisoner: the story of Thomas Hall. And if you haven't already listened, it comes highly recommended. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Feb 27, 2019 · 7 min
Americium - a radioactive, domestic do-gooder
Invented during war, radioactive americium has become a bit of a do-gooder that is in most homes. Find out more with AUT's Allan Blackman in episode 3 of Elemental. Invented during war, radioactive americium has become a bit of a do-gooder that is - surprisingly - in most homes. Professor Allan Blackman from AUT tells us how the heavy element 95 was discovered during the Manhattan Project and named geographically - after America - because it sits near the bottom of the periodic table below Europium, which is named after Europe. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Feb 24, 2019 · 6 min
Aluminium - light & versatile
Aluminium is a light, well-known metal with lots of useful properties. Join AUT chemistry professor Allan Blackman for episode 2 of Elemental. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Feb 21, 2019 · 6 min
Actinium - rare & radioactive
The first alphabetical element in the periodic table is actinium. It is a heavy radioactive element, as we discover in episode 1 of Elemental, with Professor Allan Blackman from AUT. CORRECTION: In the audio we mistakenly said that Cherenkov radiation happens when particles travel faster than the speed of light. Listener Jennifer Narang wrote in with this helpful and correct explanation: "Cherenkov radiation is not the result of a particle traveling faster than the speed of light (which is physically impossible). It's due to a particle traveling faster than the PHASE SPEED, which is a totally different animal. Imagine I were singing scales, going up and down and up and down with my voice. How fast I ran through the notes and returned to my original note, that would be my phase speed. That's completely unrelated to how fast those sound waves - whatever their frequency - are traveling from my mouth to your ears. Hope this explanation helps shed light on Cherenkov radiation!" It certainly does help - many thanks. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Feb 19, 2019 · 10 min
Tales from the periodic table
In the prequel to Elemental, AUT's Allan Blackman introduces us to Dmitri Mendeleev and chemistry's periodic table of elements. Follow and listen to Elemental on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. One hundred and fifty years ago the Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev published his version of the Periodic Table of the Elements. To commemorate this, the United Nations has designated 2019 as the International Year of the Periodic Table. Most of us haven't thought about the periodic table since high school, so why all the fuss? Okay. Let's suppose you were going to build a Universe from scratch. How many fundamental building blocks would you use to create everything in your Universe? Millions, billions, surely? No. It transpires that our Universe consists of only 118 different fundamental building blocks. We call these atoms. And any collection of a single type of atom we call an element. You will be familiar with some elements - hydrogen, carbon, aluminium and gold, for example. Others, such as promethium, technetium, erbium, and rhenium, for instance, will probably be a mystery. Back in the 1800s, chemists wanted to find some order to these elements. However, not all of the elements we know today had been discovered. Only around 30 were known at the start of the 19th century and about 60 appeared on Mendeleev's Periodic table. Despite the omissions, a number of chemists noticed that certain elements behaved chemically similarly; for example, the metals lithium, sodium and potassium were all known to react vigorously with water. Mendeleev, and his contemporary Lothar Meyer, used these observations to independently order the known elements according to these similarities. However, Mendeleev gets the credit as he published first (there are no silver medals in science). Mendeleev's stroke of genius was to leave gaps in his Periodic Table for unknown elements he was sure hadn't yet been discovered. He was spectacularly vindicated when the elements gallium and germanium were duly found a few years later. Unbeknownst to Mendeleev, his Periodic Table (with a couple of small exceptions) ordered the elements according to their atomic number, which reflects the number of protons in the nucleus of the atom. Given that the concepts of both protons and the atomic nucleus had to wait until New Zealand's own Ernest Rutherford in the early years of the 20th century, this further adds to the greatness of Mendeleev's discovery. Both men are now immortalised on the Periodic Table: mendelevium is element 101 and rutherfordium is element 104)… Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details