Skip to main content
Education and outreach

Education and outreach

Web life: The Periodic Table of Videos

05 Jan 2009

Eagle-eyed readers may spot a change in this column. Previously known as Blog life, it highlighted top picks from the physics blogosphere, and was itself an outgrowth of an earlier column on physics books, Shelf life. The new Web life column will continue to feature the best of physics blogging, but it will also include other types of Web content of interest to Physics World readers. First up is a periodic table of videos from Nottingham University in the UK.

What is it?

The website’s main page contains a periodic table with links to short (about five minute) videos on all 118 chemical elements. It is the brainchild of video-journalist Brady Haran, who teamed up with a group of chemists — most notably the Einstein-haired Martyn Poliakoff — from Nottingham University to produce the short films.

Can you describe a typical video?

Almost all of the videos are structured around anecdotes from Poliakoff, a veritable chemical raconteur who even manages to spend nearly three minutes talking about unniloctium, otherwise known as element-118. Videos of the more common elements often feature trips to the laboratory or chemical stockroom, where chemists Pete Licence, Stephen Liddle and Debbie Barnes examine carefully wrapped samples, play with gases and/or blow things up. The science they present is serious and well explained but the researchers are also clearly having fun.

Who is it aimed at?

The most obvious answer is chemists, but there is plenty here for the more physics-minded as well. For example, the video on helium has a nice demonstration of gas-law physics (as well as the obligatory squeaky voices), and the lanthanides and actinides beloved of nuclear physicists and engineers are not neglected — in fact, they are Liddle’s speciality. Many of the videos also contain laboratory stunts that should definitely not be tried at home, and these should appeal to science teachers with limited budgets (or nerve!) for, say, dropping lumps of caesium into water.

Why should I visit?

In an introductory clip, Poliakoff compares the periodic table to a family: some members you know well, while others (ruthenium, anyone?) may not be as familiar. Whether your most recent peek at Dmitry Mendeleev’s table came last week or last century, you are sure to find something here you did not know. After watching a few videos, you may even find yourself thinking “Oh, just one more…”.

How often is it updated?

The team finished the periodic table in summer 2008, but the researchers have not rested on their laurels. Updated videos crop up every few weeks, and the site maintains a list of elements soon to be refreshed. In late 2008 Liddle and Haran travelled to Ytterby, Sweden, to make a special video about the mine where four elements — yttrium, erbium, terbium and ytterbium — were discovered.

Can you give me a sample quote?

“Potassium is very reactive. One of my colleagues who used to work with it describes it as ‘evil’,” says Poliakoff.

Copyright © 2024 by IOP Publishing Ltd and individual contributors