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Elements

A close look at chemical elements, the basic building blocks of the universe. Where do we get them, what do we use them for and how do they fit into our economy?

World Service,28 episodes

Episodes

ListGrid

Copper
Why copper wires? And do solar power and batteries herald the death of the old AC grid?
26 Mar 2016,26 mins
Magnesium and Beryllium
Two metals with sinister reputations - one for flammability, the other for lung disease
19 Mar 2016,26 mins
Titanium
It's stronger than steel, but could this glamorous metal become as common as steel?
12 Mar 2016,26 mins
Gallium and Indium
LED lighting and the other electronics revolutionised by the elements Gallium and Indium
05 Mar 2016,26 mins
Boron
The mineral from the Wild West that toughens glass and stops bullets in their tracks.
21 Nov 2015,26 mins
Cobalt
The metal in magnets and phone batteries - but is some of it being mined by children?
14 Nov 2015,26 mins
Iron
How the abundant metal lron became the very stuff of modern industrial life
07 Nov 2015,26 mins
Oxygen
The 'element of life' also makes our atmosphere very dangerous and costly to operate in
31 Oct 2015,26 mins
Technetium
Essential for medical imaging, supplies of this manmade element are far from guaranteed.
23 Jul 2015,23 mins
Fluorine
The key building block for CFCs and a string of other gases posing a threat to mankind
16 Jul 2015,23 mins
Chromium
The metal of modernity - think Harleys and skyscrapers - chromium also has a dark side.
09 Jul 2015,23 mins
Nickel
The economy of Nickel, the metal and element that made the jet age possible
02 Jul 2015,23 mins
Uranium (U)
Nuclear power is carbon-free but leaves radioactive waste - a real dilemma for Greens
19 Feb 2015,23 mins
Calcium (Ca)
The great structural element - both in the natural world and in modern engineering
26 Feb 2015,23 mins
Bromine (Br)
Bromine-based flame retardants are all over your home, but are they a health risk?
05 Mar 2015,23 mins
Nitrogen
The bringer of life and death on a massive scale, as well as an environmental headache.
12 Mar 2015,23 mins
Sulphur (S)
Does the world face a looming glut of this devilish yellow element?
11 Oct 2014,26 mins
Silicon
Is the element behind the computing revolution about to transform the world once again?
18 Oct 2014,26 mins
Caesium (Cs)
The caesium-based atomic clock has redefined the very meaning of time.
25 Oct 2014,26 mins
Lead (Pb)
The sweetest of poisons, have we learnt how to handle this heavy metal?
30 Oct 2014,26 mins
Tungsten (W)
Hot, hard and heavy - it cuts steel and penetrates armour, yet China has a near monopoly
26 Jul 2014,26 mins
Sodium (Na)
The alkali metal that plays a role in soap, paper, human health and murder.
19 Jul 2014,26 mins
Chlorine (Cl)
More than just a chemical used in swimming pools.
12 Jul 2014,26 mins
Lithium (Li)
Lithium batteries may be the future for cars, but does Bolivia hold the keys?
05 Jul 2014,26 mins
Tin (Sn)
Tin: From the glue that holds our electronic world together to a revolution glass-making
02 Mar 2014,26 mins
Carbon
Could a new carbon revolution help wean mankind off its reliance on fossil fuels?
23 Feb 2014,26 mins
Phosphorus and Helium
Helium and phosphorus - what would happen if the world ran out of them one day?
16 Feb 2014,26 mins
The Elements and the Economy
From aluminium to zinc, how the chemical elements are driving the global economy
09 Feb 2014,26 mins