Obscure Elements
In the final programme in our Elements series, Justin Rowlatt looks at the rarest and oddest members of the periodic table. Selenium, bismuth, molybdenum, antimony, rhenium, hafnium, zirconium, tellur...
28 Sep 201630min
Gold (Au)
Why do we value this practically useless metal so highly? And does it bring out the worst in human nature? In a second look at this most coveted of metals, Justin Rowlatt hears both sides of the age-o...
21 Sep 201629min
Thorium (Th)
This radioactive metal holds the promise of thousands of years of energy for the world. But is it really any cleaner or safer than traditional uranium-based nuclear power?Chemistry Professor Andrea Se...
16 Sep 201629min
Platinum group (Pt, Pd, Ru, Rh, Os, Ir)
Six extremely rare metals that clean your car exhaust and turbocharge industrial chemistry, but which are also the focus of a violent power struggle in South Africa.Presenter Laurence Knight heads to ...
7 Sep 201630min
Arsenic (As)
The macabre poison we know from crime novels and history books has some surprising modern uses.Justin Rowlatt travels the Subcontinent - first to India's Forest Research Institute in the Himalayas whe...
31 Aug 201630min
Silver (Ag)
The shiniest and showiest of metals is still mainly used in silverware. But it also has some surprisingly modern applications.Justin Rowlatt heads deep under the city streets to the sparkling London S...
24 Aug 201629min
Iodine (I)
Why does iodine deficiency still blight children in developing countries like India?Justin Rowlatt travels to Dehradun in the Himalayas with world expert Chandrakant Pandav to diagnose schoolchildren ...
17 Aug 201629min
