BBC Radio Podcasts from Elements
Obscure Elements
In the final programme in the series we look at the rarest members of the periodic table.
Gold (Au)
Why do we value this useless metal? And does it bring out the worst in human nature?
Thorium (Th)
This metal offers thousands of years of nuclear energy, but is it any safer than uranium?
Platinum group (Pt, Pd, Ru, Rh, Os, Ir)
Six rare metals that clean the air but are the focus of violent conflict in South Africa.
Arsenic (As)
The poison in everything from paint and sweets, to telegraph polls and drinking water.
Silver (Ag)
The shiniest and showiest of metals has some surprisingly modern applications.
Iodine (I)
Why does iodine deficiency still blight children in developing countries like India?
Hydrogen (H) - fusion
Could we finally be about to crack this source of potentially unlimited clean energy?
Cadmium (Cd)
This toxic metal is being phased out of our lives, but still keeps planes up in the air.
Potassium (K)
India is completely dependent on imports of potash, a fertiliser essential for crops.
Hydrogen (H) - energy
Is the dream of a hydrogen-fuelled zero-carbon economy achievable?
Zinc (Zn)
The self-sacrificing metal that brings shelter and good health to India's poorest.
Hydrogen (H) - water (part 2)
As climate change plays havoc with the rain, could we draw water directly from the ocean?
Hydrogen (H) - water (part 1)
Northwest India is fast running out of groundwater. Is migration and conflict inevitable?
Noble Gases (Ar, Ne, Kr, Xe)
Neon, argon, krypton & xenon: From blinding arc lights to the dying trade of sign-making.
Germanium (Ge)
Nanotech, virtual reality, and the stuff that could oust the silicon from Silicon Valley.
Radioactives (Po, Ra, Rn)
Radium, polonium and radon sound frightening, but are they actually useful for anything?
Tantalum & Niobium (Ta, Nb)
Are these notorious conflict minerals still being smuggled into and laundered in Rwanda?
Beryllium (Be)
This toxic metal can do serious damage to your lungs, so is it safe to use?
Magnesium (Mg)
The metal that overcame a fiery reputation to regain its role in making planes and cars.
Titanium (Ti) - catalysts
The metal behind plastics, paints, and buildings that clean both themselves and the air.
Hydrogen (H) - acids
These powerful chemicals are essential for industry, but are dangerous to handle.
Oxygen (O) - industrial uses
Why is oxygen essential to steelmaking, and can you inhale too much of it?
Titanium (Ti) - materials
Stronger than steel, could this glamorous metal eventually become as common as steel?
Oxygen (O) - oxidation
The “element of life” also makes our atmosphere very dangerous and costly to operate in.
Cobalt (Co)
The metal in magnets and phone batteries - but is some of it being mined by children?
Copper (Cu) - electricity
Why copper wires? And do solar power and batteries herald the death of the old AC grid?
Copper (Cu) - materials
The distinctive red metal that distills whisky and kills hospital super-bugs.
Boron (B)
The mineral from the Wild West that toughens glass and stops bullets in their tracks.
Gallium & Indium (Ga, In)
LED lighting and the other electronics revolutionised by two obscure chemical elements.
Iron (Fe) - industrialisation
What the collapse in iron ore prices means for the economic progress of China & India.
Iron & Manganese (Fe, Mn) - steel-making
The two key ingredients that enabled the mass production of steel.
Iron (Fe) - the Industrial Revolution
Moments in history that transformed this metal element into modern life's key material.
Technetium (Tc)
Essential for medical imaging, supplies of this manmade element are far from guaranteed.
Fluorine (F)
The key building block for a string of gases that pose a threat to mankind.
Chromium (Cr)
The metal of modernity - spawning icons like the Chrysler Building and Harley Davidson.
Nickel & Rhenium (Ni, Re)
The metal that made the jet age possible, as well as margarine and bicycle sprockets.
Uranium (U)
Nuclear power is carbon-free but leaves radioactive waste - a real dilemma for Greens
Lead (Pb)
The sweetest of poisons, have we learnt how to handle this heavy metal?
Caesium (Cs)
The caesium-based atomic clock has redefined the very meaning of time.
Bromine (Br)
Bromine-based flame retardants are all over your home, but are they a health risk?
Plutonium (Pu)
Does plutonium have any practical application besides the atom bomb?
Silicon (Si) - solar
Could silicon be about to pull off an energy revolution?
Silicon (Si) - chips
We ask chip pioneers why silicon has supported a billion-fold increase in computing power.
Sulphur (S)
Does the world face a looming glut of this devilish yellow element?
Tungsten (W)
Hot, hard and heavy - it cuts steel and penetrates armour, yet China has a near monopoly
Vanadium (V)
Could this neglected metal provide a counterpart for temperamental energy sources?
Nitrogen (N) - fertilisers
Does nitrogen threaten Earth with an environmental disaster worse than climate change?
Nitrogen (N) - explosives
Nitrogen may seem a dull and inert gas, yet it is the key component in most explosives.
Carbon (C) - plastics
Could the future be to use nature to draw plastics from the atmosphere?
Sodium (Na)
The alkali metal that plays a role in soap, paper, human health and murder.
Chlorine (Cl)
More than just a chemical used in swimming pools.
Lithium (Li)
Lithium batteries may be the future for cars, but does Bolivia hold the keys?
Rare Earth Elements (Ce, Nd, Dy, Er, etc)
Should we worry about China's stranglehold over the supply of these 17 crucial elements?
Carbon (C) - diamonds
Can manmade diamonds be put to use beyond drilling rocks and adorning the wealthy?
Calcium (Ca)
The great structural element - both in the natural world and in modern engineering
Tin (Sn)
Tin: From the glue that holds our electronic world together to a revolution glass-making
Carbon (C) - materials
We know carbon's role in global warming, but could element 6 also provide some solutions?
Carbon (C) - energy
Carbon is a great energy store, but can we ever get by without carbon-based energy?
Gold (Au)
Heavy and chemically inert, why is gold so highly valued by mankind?
Mercury (Hg)
The Minamata international treaty aims to phase the use of Mercury out completely.
Aluminium (Al)
Aluminium is ubiqitous today, so why was it valued more highly than gold 150 years ago?
Helium (He)
Helium is rare on Earth so should it be used in something as frivolous as party balloons?
Phosphorus (P)
Phosphorus is essential for life. Should we worry that we may be frittering it away?
The Elements and the Economy
From aluminium to zinc, how the chemical elements are driving the global economy