Follow this podcast
Direct XML Feeds
The link(s) below can be pasted into your podcasting software.
Podcast (MP3) Oggcast (Vorbis)
Recent items from Elemental
-
Copper - essential, in moderation
8:00 AM.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 22… Read more Audio
-
Cobalt - goblin of the periodic table
8:00 AM.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 21… Read more Audio
-
Chromium - colourful and shiny
8:00 AM.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 20 of Elemental with Allan… Read more Audio
-
Chlorine - good for health, bad for health
8:00 AM.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… Read more Audio
-
Cerium - combustible and confusing
8:00 AM.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 18 of Elemental. Read more Audio
-
Carbon - life & times of the 'king of elements'
8:00 AM.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 17 of Elemental. Read more Audio
-
Calcium - strength and beauty
8:00 AM.Calcium creates objects that are strong and beautiful, from caves, to teeth and bones, and coral reefs. Find out more in ep 16 of Elemental, with Allan Blackman from AUT. Read more Audio
-
Caesium - the time-keeper
8:00 AM.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 15 of Elemental with Allan Blackman from AUT.
… -
Cadmium - colour and quantum dots
8:00 AM.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 14 of Elemental. Read more Audio
-
Bromine - the colour purple and poison gas
8:00 AM.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 13 of Elemental. Read more Audio
-
Boron - made by cosmic rays, useful in the kitchen
8:00 AM.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 12 of Elemental. Read more Audio
-
Bismuth - an unusual heavy metal
8:00 AM.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 11 of Elemental. Read more Audio
-
Beryllium - sweet and precious, but deadly
8:00 AM.You'll find beryllium in precious jewels and a space telescope mirror, but just don't inhale the dust - all in episode 10 of Elemental, with AUT's Professor Allan Blackman. Read more Audio
-
Berkelium and the synthetic heavyweights
8:00 AM.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 9 of Elemental. Read more Audio
-
Barium - never found on its own
8:00 AM.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 8 of Elemental. Read more Audio
-
Astatine - awfully rare
8:00 AM.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 7 of Elemental. Read more Audio
-
Arsenic - the well-known poison
8:00 AM.Arsenic is a well-known killer that was once dubbed 'succession powder'. Join Allan Blackman from AUT in episode 6 of Elemental, a journey through the periodic table. Read more Audio
-
Argon - every breath you take
8:00 AM.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. Read more Audio
-
Antimony - takes lives, saves lives
8:00 AM.Antimony can be used to take lives - and to save lives. Check out episode 4 of Elemental with Professor Allan Blackman from AUT. Read more Audio
-
Americium - a radioactive, domestic do-gooder
5:00 PM.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. Read more Audio
-
Aluminium - light & versatile
8:00 AM.Aluminium is a light, well-known metal with lots of useful properties. Join AUT chemistry professor Allan Blackman for episode 2 of Elemental. Read more Audio
-
Actinium - rare & radioactive
8:00 AM.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. Read more Audio
-
Tales from the periodic table
8:00 AM.In the prequel to Elemental, AUT's Allan Blackman introduces us to Dmitri Mendeleev and chemistry's periodic table of elements. Read more Audio