Elemental
A journey through the periodic table of elements with chemistry professor Allan Blackman, from AUT, and Alison Ballance
Navigation for Elemental
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Gallium - mysterious case of the disappearing spoon
29 May 2019Gallium is the second element named after France, is a key element in mobile phones & Blu-ray players & melts at body temperature, says Prof Allan Blackman in ep 30 of Elemental. Read more Audio
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Germanium - important in the first transistors
31 May 2019Germanium is a metalloid that was a key element in early transistors and is now used in optical fibres and infrared night vision scopes, says Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 31 of Elemental. Read more Audio
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Gold - a most desirable noble metal
3 Jun 2019Gold is highly valued for its colour as well as for being malleable and ductile, and as a noble metal it is unreactive and doesn't rust, says Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 32 of Elemental. Read more Audio
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Hafnium - helped land the first astronauts on the moon
7 Jun 2019Hafnium is named after Copenhagen and as it has a very high melting point it was used in the thruster nozzles of the Apollo Lunar modules, according to Elemental's Allan Blackman from AUT. Read more Audio
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Helium - rare on earth but universally abundant
10 Jun 2019Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe and possibly the most unreactive element on the periodic table, says Prof Allan Blackman from AUT, in ep 34 of Elemental. Read more Audio
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Holmium - obscure, but an important surgical laser
Holmium has interesting magnetic properties and is an important part of precise surgical lasers known as the 'Swiss Army knife' of lasers, according to Prof Allan Backman from AUT, in ep 35 of… Read more Audio
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Hydrogen - 'number 1 in the Universe'
17 Jun 2019Hydrogen is the first element on the periodic table. It is the oldest, lightest and most abundant element in the universe, but on earth it is usually found in compounds such as water, says AUT's Allan… Read more Audio
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Indium - Queen of the touchscreen
21 Jun 2019Indium is a very soft metal, and as indium-tin-oxide it is an indispensable part of the swipeability of touchscreens, says Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 37 of Elemental. Read more Audio
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Iodine - a vital trace element
24 Jun 2019A lack of iodine causes goitre, and seafood and iodised salt are good sources of this important trace element, says Prof Allan Blackman from AUT, in ep 38 of Elemental. Read more Audio
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Iridium and the end of the dinosaurs
28 Jun 2019Iridium is the second-densest element on the periodic table and the most erosion-resistant metal. A layer of iridium in rocks marks the demise of the dinosaurs, according to Allan Blackman from AUT… Read more Audio
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Iron - creator of the modern world
1 Jul 2019Iron is formed in stars, makes up most of the Earth's core & as a result enables life as we know it to exist, says Prof Allan Blackman from AUT, in ep 40 of Elemental. Read more Audio
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Krypton - its name means 'hidden' but it's a real thing
5 Jul 2019In real life krypton is a noble gas which is commonly used in neon signs and laser light shows, says Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 41 of Elemental. Read more Audio
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Lanthanum - curious case of a 'lost' element
8 Jul 2019Despite giving its name to a whole group on the periodic table, chemists can't agree if lanthanum even belongs in that group, says Prof Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 42 of Elemental. Read more Audio
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Lead - sweet-tasting but deadly
12 Jul 2019Lead is the element that took down an empire, and its sweet taste belies a metal that is dangerous for human & animal health. All this and more with Prof Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 43 of Elemental.
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Lithium - a mood enhancing element
Lithium is the lightest metal, and it is used in batteries and for the treatment of bipolar disorder, says Prof Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 44 of Elemental. Read more Audio
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Lutetium - an obscure Parisian
19 Jul 2019After a fierce struggle for naming rights, the last lanthanoid element to be discovered was eventually named after Paris, says Allan Blackman in ep 45 of Elemental. Read more Audio
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Magnesium - loved by everyone and everything
22 Jul 2019Magnesium is loved by plants, folk suffering constipation and boy-racers, as Allan Blackman reveals in ep 46 of Elemental. Read more Audio
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Manganese - the 'essential' essential element
24 Jul 2019The metal manganese is a vital part of photosynthesis and is found in aluminium drink cans, says Prof Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 47 of Elemental. Read more Audio
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Mercury - mesmerising quicksilver
26 Jul 2019Mercury is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, says Allan Blackman in ep 48 of Elemental. Read more Audio
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Molybdenum - a catalyst at bacterial to industrial scales
29 Jul 2019Molybdenum has an essential role as a catalyst at microbial and industrial scales and is an important element in enzymes, says Prof Allan Blackman, in ep 49 of Elemental. Read more Audio
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The most boring chemical element
31 Jul 2019The Elemental podcast has inspired Prof Allan Blackman from AUT and Dr Rebecca Jelley from the University of Auckland, to publish a paper in the journal Nature Chemistry - here's a quick lowdown on… Read more Audio
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Neodymium - the secret behind supermagnets
2 Aug 2019Neodydmium magnets include the strongest permanent magnets known and are found in devices like speakers & headphones, says chemistry professor Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 50 of Elemental. Read more Audio
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Neon - the red of neon lights
5 Aug 2019There are no known compounds of the noble gas neon, which does however produce the brilliant crimson of red - and only red - neon lights. Ep 51 of Elemental with Prof Allan Blackman from AUT. Read more Audio
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Nickel - more than just a 5 cent coin
9 Aug 2019The chemical element nickel is named after a German word for Satan or the Devil, but nickel is now more usually thought of as a North American five cent piece, says Allan Blackman in ep 52 of… Read more Audio
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Niobium - useful at high & low temperatures
12 Aug 2019Niobium is a metal that is useful at both very high temperatures, as in jet engines, and very low temperatures as a superconductor, says Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 53 of Elemental. Read more Audio
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Nitrogen - a vital powerhouse
16 Aug 2019Most important biological molecules contain nitrogen, even though it takes lots of energy to make or break its chemical bonds, says Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 54 of Elemental. Read more Audio
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Osmium - heavyweight champion of the elements
19 Aug 2019Osmium is extremely rare and expensive. It is the densest chemical element, rivals diamond as being the least compressible of all known substances & has a distinctive 'pong' according to Allan… Read more Audio
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Oxygen - the friendly element
23 Aug 2019Oxygen is very friendly with other chemical elements & very helpful for life on Earth, says Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 56 of Elemental. Read more Audio
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Palladium - cleaning up your car's exhaust
26 Aug 2019Palladium is a pricey precious metal most commonly used in catalytic convertors on car exhausts, says AUT's Allan Blackman in ep 57 of Elemental. Read more Audio
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Phosphorus - P was discovered in pee
30 Aug 2019Phosphorus, chemical symbol P, was first isolated as an element from thousands of litres of urine. Also found in guano, aka bird poo. Allan Blackman from AUT has the full story in ep 58 of Elemental.
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Elemental
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