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ElementsEpisodes

  1. Copper

    Why copper wires? And do solar power and batteries herald the death of the old AC grid?

  2. Magnesium and Beryllium

    Two metals with sinister reputations - one for flammability, the other for lung disease

  3. Titanium

    It's stronger than steel, but could this glamorous metal become as common as steel?

  4. Gallium and Indium

    LED lighting and the other electronics revolutionised by the elements Gallium and Indium

  5. Boron

    The mineral from the Wild West that toughens glass and stops bullets in their tracks.

  6. Cobalt

    The metal in magnets and phone batteries - but is some of it being mined by children?

  7. Iron

    How the abundant metal lron became the very stuff of modern industrial life

  8. Oxygen

    The 'element of life' also makes our atmosphere very dangerous and costly to operate in

  9. Technetium

    Essential for medical imaging, supplies of this manmade element are far from guaranteed.

  10. Fluorine

    The key building block for CFCs and a string of other gases posing a threat to mankind

  11. Chromium

    The metal of modernity - think Harleys and skyscrapers - chromium also has a dark side.

  12. Nickel

    The economy of Nickel, the metal and element that made the jet age possible

  15. Tungsten (W)

    Hot, hard and heavy - it cuts steel and penetrates armour, yet China has a near monopoly

  16. Sodium (Na)

    The alkali metal that plays a role in soap, paper, human health and murder.

  17. Chlorine (Cl)

    More than just a chemical used in swimming pools.

  18. Lithium (Li)

    Lithium batteries may be the future for cars, but does Bolivia hold the keys?

  19. Tin (Sn)

    Tin: From the glue that holds our electronic world together to a revolution glass-making

  20. Carbon

    Could a new carbon revolution help wean mankind off its reliance on fossil fuels?

  21. Phosphorus and Helium

    Helium and phosphorus - what would happen if the world ran out of them one day?

  22. The Elements and the Economy

    From aluminium to zinc, how the chemical elements are driving the global economy

  23. Zinc (Zn)

    The self-sacrificing metal that brings shelter and good health to India's poorest.

  24. Vanadium (V)

    Could this neglected metal provide a counterpart for temperamental energy sources?

  25. Titanium (Ti) - materials

    Stronger than steel, could this glamorous metal eventually become as common as steel?

  26. Titanium (Ti) - catalysts

    The metal behind plastics, paints, and buildings that clean both themselves and the air.

  27. Thorium (Th)

    This metal offers thousands of years of nuclear energy, but is it any safer than uranium?

  28. Thorium (Th)

    This metal offers thousands of years of nuclear energy, but is it any safer than uranium?

  29. Technetium (Tc)

    Essential for medical imaging, supplies of this manmade element are far from guaranteed.

  30. Tantalum & Niobium (Ta, Nb)

    Are these notorious conflict minerals still being smuggled into and laundered in Rwanda?

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