IYPT 2019 Elements 071: Lutetium: Meteorite dating, catalysis and cancer...
Element 71 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is lutetium. Lutetium can be used to determine the age of meteorites and is also used as a catalyst and in some cancer treatments....
View ArticleIYPT 2019 Elements 072: Hafnium: Nuclear submarines and microchips
Element 72 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is hafnium. Hafnium is used in reactors in nuclear submarines and also helps make microchips smaller and faster. Hafnium is a neutron...
View ArticleIYPT 2019 Elements 073: Tantalum: Electronics and implants
Element 73 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is tantalum. Tantalum is used in electrical components in phones and computers; it’s also used in dental and surgical instruments and...
View ArticleThe chemistry of ant venom and pheromones – in C&EN
Ant bites and stings can cause intense pain. Here, we highlight some of the chemical components in ant venom that are responsible and zero in on molecular signals the insects use to communicate. View...
View ArticleIYPT 2019 Elements 074: Tungsten: Tools, bulbs, and counterfeit gold
Element 74 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is tungsten. Tungsten is used in tools and armour-piercing bullets and has also been used to make counterfeit gold. Tungsten carbide is...
View ArticleIYPT 2019 Elements 075: Rhenium: Superalloys and making lead-free petrol
Element 75 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is rhenium. Rhenium is used in superalloys in jet engine parts and is also used in the process for making lead-free petrol. Rhenium’s...
View ArticleThe 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine: How our cells sense and adapt to...
Today saw the first of the 2019 Nobel Prizes awarded. The 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to William G. Kaelin Jr, Sir Peter J. Ratcliffe and Gregg L. Semenza “for their...
View ArticleThe 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics: Cosmology and discovering new planets
The 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to with one half to James Peebles “for theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology”, and the other half jointly to Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz “for the...
View ArticleThe 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry: The batteries that power our phones and...
The 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino for their contributions to the development of the lithium-ion battery. To read about the...
View ArticleIYPT 2019 Elements 076: Osmium: Fountain pens and microscopy
Element 76 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is osmium. Osmium is the densest element in the periodic table and is used in fountain pens and microscopy. Osmium is the densest...
View ArticleIYPT 2019 Elements 077: Iridium: Compasses, spark plugs, and the clue to...
Element 77 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is iridium. Iridium is used in pen tips, compasses and spark plugs, and provides a key clue to what wiped out the dinosaurs. We saw for...
View ArticleIYPT 2019 Elements 078: Platinum: Cancer drugs and catalysts
Element 78 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is platinum. Platinum is found in compounds used as key anti-cancer drugs and it also one of several metals used in catalytic...
View ArticleIYPT 2019 Elements 079: Gold: Food additive and arthritis treatment
Element 79 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is gold. Gold compounds have been used to treat arthritis in the past. Gold is also used as a food additive and found in large...
View ArticleIYPT 2019 Elements 080: Mercury: Liquid metal and potent poison
Element 80 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is mercury. Mercury is the only metal which is liquid at room temperature and has a reputation for toxicity. Mercury melts at –39˚C,...
View ArticleIYPT 2019 Elements 081: Thallium: Rat poison and thermometers
Element 81 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is thallium. Thallium and its compounds are toxic, which limits their uses, though in the past it’s been used as a rat poison and in...
View ArticleIYPT 2019 Elements 082: Lead: Batteries, bullets and toxicity
Element 82 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is lead. Lead and its compounds have previously been used in petrol, water pipes and paints, though its toxicity has led many of its...
View ArticleIYPT 2019 Elements 083: Bismuth: Cosmetics and crackling fireworks
Element 83 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is bismuth. Bismuth’s compounds are used in some cosmetics and are also behind the fizzing, crackling sounds of some fireworks....
View ArticleIYPT 2019 Elements 084: Polonium: Radiation poisoning and moon rovers
Element 84 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is polonium. Polonium is a highly radioactive element which has been used as a heat source for space travel and exploration. It was...
View ArticleIYPT 2019 Elements 085: Astatine: Rare and unstable
Element 85 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is astatine. Astatine is incredibly scarce on Earth, and there’s so little of it around that we don’t know a great deal about it....
View ArticleIYPT 2019 Elements 086: Radon: Background radiation and underground health risk
Element 86 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is radon. Radon is the biggest source of natural background radiation and also has associated health risks. Radon is a radioactive gas...
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