All Elements and the periodic table articles – Page 10
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Fire and Flame: Part 3
A series of short video clips of explosive and exciting chemical reactions, taken from a lecture called “Fire and Flame” by Dr. Peter Wothers at the University of Cambridge. Video: Fire and Flame: 25 - Pure Propane in Air Video: Fire and Flame: ...
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The alkali metals videos: part 2
More short, fun videos exploring the chemistry of the alkali metals
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Chemistry of the noble gases
Behind the scenes of Education in Chemistry 50 years ago - The not-so-stable octet theory
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On This Day - Jun 26 : Fluorine was isolated
The existence of fluorine (F) was well known, but for years scientists had failed to isolate it from its compounds, with some even dying in the attempt (called “fluorine martyrs”). Fluorine is the lightest of the halogen elements and has one single stable isotope, 19F.
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On This Day - Jun 16 : First vanadium isolated
Vanadium (V) is a useful transition metal. Adding small amounts of vanadium to steel considerably increases its strength. Vanadium oxide (V2O5) is used as a catalyst in the industrial manufacture of sulfuric acid (H2SO4).
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On This Day - Jun 15 : Pilâtre de Rozier died
Pilâtre de Rozier was a pioneer of aviation, but he and his partner Pierre Romain were sadly killed when trying to cross the English Channel in a hot air balloon fuelled by hydrogen. Their balloon deflated and crash-landed just 5 km away from the starting point.
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On This Day - Mar 24 : Joseph Priestley was born
He is most famous for his discovery of oxygen (O), but he also discovered laughing gas, was the first to carbonate water and was a pioneer of research into electricity.
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On This Day - Dec 30 : Tungsten filaments patent
American physicist William David Coolidge brought tungsten (W) from laboratory obscurity to the centre of the industrial stage and gave the x-ray a central role in the progress of medicine throughout the world.
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On This Day - May 30 : Krypton was discovered
Krypton (Kr) was discovered by William Ramsay and Morris Travers. Its name is derived from the Greek “kryptos”, meaning hidden. Krypton is one of the rarest gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, accounting for only 1 part per million by volume.
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On This Day - Nov 30 : Smithson Tennant was born
He discovered iridium (Ir) and osmium (Os), the latter named for the unpleasant odour of some of its compounds (from the Greek word ‘osme’ meaning odour). He also proved that diamonds are pure carbon.
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On This Day - Nov 29 : Iodine was discovered
The discovery was made during the process of producing potassium nitrate for gunpowder and was made public in a meeting of the Imperial Institute of France. Its name is derived from the Greek ‘iodes’ meaning violet.
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On This Day - Apr 27 : Philip Abelson was born
He proposed the gas diffusion process to separate uranium-235 and uranium-238 needed to develop the atomic bomb. He also co-discovered the element neptunium (Np) with Edwin McMillan.