Zirconium is a shape-shifting tough cookie, that is a tale of gemstones, medical implants and nuclear reactors, says Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 96 of Elemental.

Zirconium - shape-shifting time capsule

Zinc is a very useful metal that turns up in everything from sunscreen to paint, &amp; galvanised metals to cereals, as well as brass instruments, says Prof Allan Blackman in ep 95 of Elemental.

Zinc - more useful than you realise

Yttrium is yet another element named after the village of Ytterby and is important in the development of high temperature superconductors, says Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 94 of Elemental.

Yttrium - here's that village Ytterby again

Ytterbium is yet another lanthanoid named after the Swedish village of Ytterby, says Prof Allan Blackman in ep 93 of Elemental.

Ytterbium - yet another element named after Ytterby

Xenon is a noble gas that turns up in various lights, gets used in xenon ion propulsion systems for spacecraft &amp; plays a key role in the search for dark matter, says Prof Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 92 of Elemental.

Xenon - a stranger in search of strange particles

Vanadium makes steel stronger &amp; lighter, is being used in what will be the world's largest battery, and sea squirts are full of it, says Prof Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 91 of Elemental.

Vanadium - Model T Fords, big batteries & sea squirts

Named after the planet Uranus &amp; associated with Hiroshima &amp; nuclear bombs, uranium is the highest-numbered element found naturally in significant quantities on earth, says Prof Allan Blackman in ep 90 of Elemental.

Uranium - first radioactive element to be discovered

Tungsten's very high melting point made it an ideal filament for incandescent light bulbs, &amp; as it is in some enzymes it is the heaviest element used in nature, says Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 89 of Elemental.

Tungsten - highest melting point of any metal

Titanium is light, strong, corrosion resistant &amp; is used to repair broken limbs as it is able to get integrated into the bone, says Allan Blackman from AUT speaking from personal experience in ep 88 of Elemental.

Titanium - light, strong & quite pretty

The element tin turns up in all sorts of alloys, but tin cans are - mostly - not made from tin, says Prof Allan Blackman from AUT, in ep 87 of Elemental.

Tin - from whistles to organ pipes & anti-fouling paint

A journey through the periodic table of elements with chemistry professor Allan Blackman, from AUT, and Alison Ballance

My 11-year old grandson and I have learned so much from this podcast!  The delightful chemistry between hosts Allan &amp; Alison makes exploring the periodic table an enjoyable experience like never before.  Our heartfelt thanks to RNZ for producing this podcast!

Wonderful Exploration of the Periodical Table

I am really enjoying the fun facts and chatting about the elements!

Fun and informative!

Elemental

Neodydmium magnets include the strongest permanent magnets known and are found in devices like speakers &amp; headphones, says chemistry professor Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 50 of Elemental.

Neodymium - the secret behind supermagnets

Protactinium is a rare, radioactive element that has no uses and may be the most boring element, says Prof Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 65 of Elemental.

Protactinium - a very dull chemical element

Despite its gruesome mythical name, the radioactive element promethium has no particular claim to fame, says Prof Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 64 of Elemental.

Promethium - rare and unremarkable

Technetium was the first element on the periodic table to be synthesised. It is rare, radioactive and has only a few uses, says Prof Allan Blackman in ep 81 of Elemental.

Technetium - the first synthetic element

Tellurium is a metalloid often found with gold and the US town Telluride is named after it, says Prof Allan Blackman, in ep 82 of Elemental.

Tellurium - usually associated with gold

Carbon underpins life as we know it, fuels our world and gets its own branch of chemistry, according to AUT professor Allan Blackman, in ep 17 of Elemental.

Carbon - life & times of the 'king of elements'

Calcium creates objects that are strong and beautiful, from caves, to teeth and bones, and coral reefs. Find out more in ep 16 of Elemental, with Allan Blackman from AUT.

Calcium - strength and beauty

Barium is never found on its own in nature, as it loves buddying up - but a version of it is found in hospitals. Allan Blackman from AUT reveals barium's secrets in episode 8 of Elemental.

Barium - never found on its own

Polonium will be forever linked with the names Curie and Litvinenko and has negligible desirable features, says Prof Allan Blackman in ep 61 of Elemental.

Polonium - few redeeming features

Germanium is a metalloid that was a key element in early transistors and is now used in optical fibres and infrared night vision scopes, says Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 31 of Elemental.

Germanium - important in the first transistors

Antimony can be used to take lives - and to save lives. Check out episode 4 of Elemental with Professor Allan Blackman from AUT.

Antimony - takes lives, saves lives

Gallium is the second element named after France, is a key element in mobile phones &amp; Blu-ray players &amp; melts at body temperature, says Prof Allan Blackman in ep 30 of Elemental.

Gallium - mysterious case of the disappearing spoon

Arsenic is a well-known killer that was once dubbed 'succession powder'. Join Allan Blackman from AUT in episode 6 of Elemental, a journey through the periodic table.

Arsenic - the well-known poison

From levitating burnt buttocks, to excitable nerves and sure-to-rise baking, potassium is highly reactive and vital to life, says Prof Allan Blackman in ep 62 of Elemental.

Potassium - a matter of life and death

Erbium is named after a chemically famous Swedish village, and adds a rose-tinted glow to the periodic table, in ep 25 of Elemental with Allan Blackman from AUT.

Erbium - through rose-tinted glasses

Praseodymium is a metal wirh the second longest name on the periodic table and not many uses, says Prof Alan Blackman from AUT in ep 63 of Elemental.

Praseodymium - a long name but not many uses

Argon is in every breath you take and its inertness is its best feature, as we discover with AUT chemistry professor Allan Blackman, in episode 5 of Elemental.

Argon - every breath you take

Samarium magnets are used in headphones &amp; guitar pickups, and samarium was the first element named after a real person, says Prof Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 72 of Elemental.

Samarium -  magnets for making & listening to music

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