Indium 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 38 of Elemental. If you use any kind of touch screen, whether smart phone or tablet, you have the element indium to thank. ITO is indium oxide with a tiny amount of added tin. ITO conducts electricity, thanks to the tin, and it is transparent to visible light. These two features make it the perfect addition to the toughened glass screen of capac...
Jun 20, 2019•12 min•Ep. 38
Hydrogen 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 Blackman, in ep 37 of Elemental. Hydrogen 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. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details...
Jun 16, 2019•11 min•Ep. 37
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 36 of Elemental. The obscure element holmium is a lanthanoid with interesting magnetic properties. Named after the city of Stockholm (from Holmia, the Latin name for Stockholm) holmium finds use as a MRI magnet and in Ho:YAG lasers, which are homium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet lasers. These precise surgical l...
Jun 12, 2019•7 min•Ep. 36
Helium 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 35 of Elemental. Did you know that helium is so light, that all the gas from your helium balloons escapes gravity and ends up in space? This is partly why it is rare on earth, but common in space, where it makes up 23 percent of the mass of observed matter in the universe. And while a helium-infused squeaky voice can be the life and s...
Jun 09, 2019•14 min•Ep. 35
Hafnium 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. Hafnium is named for Hafnia, the Latin name of Copenhagen. Ceramics that contain the transition metal hafnium (atomic number 72, symbol Hf) are among the highest melting substances known. The metal itself melts at 2230 degrees celsius, while hafnium carbide melts at 3200 degrees celsius. This makes it useful i...
Jun 06, 2019•7 min•Ep. 34
Gold 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 33 of Elemental. The name gold comes from the Anglo Saxon word gold, but its chemical symbol Au comes from the Latin word aurum, meaning 'glow of sunrise.' Gold is the most malleable and ductile metal which is why it is beloved of jewellers. Its high value is a function of both its beauty and rarity. It is very unreactive, and...
Jun 02, 2019•14 min•Ep. 33
Germanium 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 32 of Elemental. Germanium is a metalloid that was a key element in early transistors. The inventor of the first germanium-based transistors won a Nobel Prize. It is now used in optical fibres and infrared night vision scopes. Germanium (a metalloid with the atomic number 32) is named after Germany and was one of the elements ...
May 30, 2019•8 min•Ep. 32
Gallium 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 31 of Elemental. Gallium is the second element on the periodic table named after France. It is a key element in mobile phones & Blu-ray players. It looks like silver but melts at body temperature, a feature that fun-loving chemists used to exploit to play pranks on people, says Prof Allan Blackman from AUT. They would craft ...
May 28, 2019•7 min•Ep. 31
Gadolinium has interesting magnetic properties and is used as a contrast agent in MRI scans, according to AUT's Prof Allan Blackman in ep 30 of Elemental. Gadolinium is named after the Finnish chemist Johannes Gadolin, who unfortunately didn't live to see the honour. Gadolinium (atomic number 64, symbol Gd) is a lanthanoid and as is the case with that group of elements, it was difficult to isolate. It has interesting magnetic properties and is used as a contrast agent in MRI scans, according to ...
May 26, 2019•9 min•Ep. 30
Francium was the last naturally-occurring element to be discovered and has never been seen, says Prof Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 29 Elemental. Francium was the last naturally-occurring element to be discovered. It was found by French chemist Marguerite Perey in 1939, from an isotope of radioactive actinium. Marguerite had previously worked as a lab assistant with Marie Curie and became the first woman to be admitted to the French Academy of Sciences in 1962. Francium and actinium share the ti...
May 23, 2019•8 min•Ep. 29
Fluorine is a highly toxic green gas that is the main ingredient in non-stick teflon coatings. In ep 28 of Elemental, Prof Allan Blackman from AUT, says that fluorine has very different properties from fluoride. Fluorine has many nasty traits - it is a deadly poisonous gas that is so reactive that it will burn flesh. On the other hand, fluorine (Fl, atomic number 9) is a vital trace element in the human body and a key ingredient in many pharmaceuticals. It is commonly found in kitchens, in non-s...
May 19, 2019•11 min•Ep. 28
Europium is named after Europe and is responsible for a forgery-busting aspect of the Euro banknote, reports Prof Allan Blackman in ep 27 of Elemental. Europium is a truly European element. Not only is it named after the continent of Europe, but it is used a security feature for Euro banknotes. The Europium-containing ink is photoluminescent, and glows red under ultraviolet light, making it easy to spot forgeries printed with the wrong ink. Europium is rare on earth but rather more common on the...
May 16, 2019•6 min•Ep. 27
Erbium is named after a chemically famous Swedish village, and adds a rose-tinted glow to the periodic table, in ep 26 of Elemental with Allan Blackman from AUT. The chemical element erbium is one of eight lanthanoid elements discovered in a single mine in the small Swedish village of Ytterby. Four of those elements took their name from various combinations of letters of the name Ytterby: erbium, ytterbium, yttrium and terbium. It is used in welder's glasses to absorb the intense infrared light ...
May 12, 2019•8 min•Ep. 26
Dysprosium earned its name by being very hard to separate from other elements and has become very important in electric car motors. Join Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 25 of Elemental. Dysprosium gets its name from the Greek element dysprositos, meaning 'hard to get'. This is because like most lanthanoids, or rare earth elements, it is found in a mineral deposit tightly bound to various other lanthanoids. Dysprosium (chemical symbol Dy and atomic number 66) is very reactive, and as a pure metal i...
May 09, 2019•8 min•Ep. 25
There are only two chemical elements on the periodic table named after women: curium, in honour of Marie & Pierre Curie, & meitnerium after Lise Meitner. Allan Blackman from AUT introduces the women and their elements in ep 24 of Elemental. Marie Curie and Lise Meitner were pioneering women chemists, and the only two women to have chemical elements named in their honour. Curium, named after Marie Curie and her husband Pierre, is element number 96, which sits between americium and berkeli...
May 07, 2019•16 min•Ep. 24
Copper is a soft metal that is an essential element for enzymes and life, gives octopuses their blue blood and was often used to make coins. Allan Blackman from AUT has the lowdown on copper in ep 23 of Elemental. The metal copper is an important constituent of the human body - in the right amount. It's involved in enzymes, cellular respiration, and the synthesis of hormones and melanin, but too much or too little is bad for us. Copper is also why octopuses have blue blood. It can be found in na...
May 05, 2019•12 min•Ep. 23
Famous as the colour of blue glass and important in red blood cells, cobalt can form a permanent magnet and is vital for livestock. Allan Blackman from AUT talks about his favourite element in ep 22 of Elemental. The element cobalt's name comes from the German word kobold, meaning goblin or evil spirit. It was named by miners in 16th century Saxony who thought they had found deposits of silver but had actually found cobalt arsenide. Cobalt (symbol Co and atomic number 27) is a transition metal. ...
May 02, 2019•10 min•Ep. 22
Chromium is a transition metal that gives colour to precious jewels, the shine to your car fender and your kitchen bench, but can also be a killer. All this and more in ep 21 of Elemental with Allan Blackman from AUT. Chromium, the element, gives us colour and shine - and helped Julia Roberts win an Oscar in 2000 for the movie Erin Brockovich. Chromium is the red in rubies, the green in emeralds and the pink in sapphires. It is the shine on your car fender and your stainless steel kitchen bench....
Apr 28, 2019•8 min•Ep. 21
Chlorine is the culprit in the 'case of the exploding trousers'. It is also well-known as a disinfectant and chloride ions are essential for life, but as DDT & CFCs, chlorine is bad news. Allan Blackman from AUT gives us the lowdown in ep 20 of Elemental. There was a spate of exploding trousers in New Zealand in the 1930s. The culprit turned out to be chlorine, in the form of sodium chlorate, used by farmers to kill ragwort. The element chlorine, it turns out, can be very, very good - and ve...
Apr 25, 2019•12 min•Ep. 20
Cerium is the most abundant rare-earth element and pops up in self-cleaning ovens, cigarette lighter flints and spectacle glass. Find out more with Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 19 of Elemental. Cerium is one of the lanthanoids, also known as rare-earth elements. They are a series of chemical elements that sit on a separate line at the bottom of the periodic table. Cerium is the most abundant of the rare-earth elements and it pops up in spectacle glass and as a UV filter in window glass. It is a...
Apr 21, 2019•10 min•Ep. 19
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 element...
Apr 18, 2019•12 min•Ep. 18
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 con...
Apr 14, 2019•10 min•Ep. 17
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 ...
Apr 11, 2019•11 min•Ep. 16
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...
Apr 07, 2019•8 min•Ep. 15
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 abou...
Apr 04, 2019•9 min•Ep. 14
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...
Mar 31, 2019•7 min•Ep. 13
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 ...
Mar 28, 2019•10 min•Ep. 12
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...
Mar 24, 2019•6 min•Ep. 11
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 Al...
Mar 21, 2019•12 min•Ep. 10
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. Pr...
Mar 18, 2019•9 min•Ep. 9
