Elemental

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

Hosted by Alison Ballance and Professor Allan Blackman

A pink background featuring the word 'ELEMENTAL' spelled out using periodic table-style blocks. Each block contains a black letter and a number, resembling chemical element symbols. In the lower-left corner, there is a logo with a spiral design in white on a red background.

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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
The chemical element bismuth as a synthetic crystal. The iridescent surface is a very thin layer of oxidation. Beside it is a high purity (99.99 %) 1 cm3 cube of bismuth for comparison.

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.
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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.
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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.
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