A close look at chemical elements, the basic building blocks of the universe. Where do we get them, what do we use them for and how do they fit into our economy?
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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, zirconium, tellur...
Gold (Au) (00:29:59)
Why do we value this practically useless metal so highly? And does it bring out the worst in human nature? In a second look at this most coveted of metals, Justin Rowlatt hears both sides of the age-o...
Thorium (Th) (00:29:58)
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 Andrea Se...
Platinum group (Pt, Pd, Ru, Rh, Os, Ir) (00:30:00)
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 heads to ...
Arsenic (As) (00:30:00)
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 Himalayas whe...
Silver (Ag) (00:29:57)
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 London S...
Iodine (I) (00:29:59)
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 schoolchildren ...
Hydrogen (H) - fusion (00:30:00)
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, Tokama...
Cadmium (Cd) (00:30:01)
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 plane...
Potassium (K) (00:29:56)
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 population.
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Hydrogen (H) - energy (00:29:58)
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 Sella ...
Zinc (Zn) (00:29:32)
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 self-...
Hydrogen (H) - water (part 2) (00:30:00)
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 Raymond P...
Hydrogen (H) - water (part 1) (00:30:01)
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 pe...
Noble Gases (Ar, Ne, Kr, Xe) (00:29:38)
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 explains h...
Germanium (Ge) (00:29:58)
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 innovation,...
Radioactives (Po, Ra, Rn) (00:30:06)
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 Pr...
Tantalum & Niobium (Ta, Nb) (00:30:01)
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 investigates ...
Beryllium (Be) (00:21:04)
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 London e...
Magnesium (Mg) (00:34:30)
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 proneness ...
Titanium (Ti) - catalysts (00:28:55)
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 to t...
Hydrogen (H) - acids (00:39:58)
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 discover...
Oxygen (O) - industrial uses (00:33:06)
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 Andrea ...
Titanium (Ti) - materials (00:32:08)
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 Andrea ...
Oxygen (O) - oxidation (00:38:24)
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 a c...
