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| Public domain image via Pixabay. |
Directly
after the Big Bang, there were no elements as we know them today. So no
hydrogen, helium, copper, gold, mercury, chlorine or any of the other
94 or so naturally occurring elements. There were just sub-atomic
particles such as quarks and electrons. A few millionths of a second
after the Big Bang, these aggregated to form protons and neutrons.
Hydrogen is the most common element in the universe, simply because
there's a greater probability of a single electron and proton coming
together to form a hydrogen atom. Other elements are more complex,
consisting of various arrangements of protons, neutrons and electrons in
their atoms. For instance, the total number of protons and neutrons in a
gold atom's nucleus is 197 and there are an additional 118 electrons in
its outer shells. It's much less likely for over 300 random particles
to come together to make up that arrangement, that's why gold is so
relatively rare.
In this episode of Big Picture Science, the team discuss the history of the periodic table and how we're making new elements, some useful and others purely for research purposes (The radioactive isotope Americium 241 is commonly used in smoke alarms, others are used for radiotherapy). Guests include Jennifer Pore – Research Scientist of Heavy Elements at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Mark Miodownik – professor of materials and society at University College London and the author of “It’s a Gas: The Sublime and Elusive Elements That Expand Our World.”
In this episode of Big Picture Science, the team discuss the history of the periodic table and how we're making new elements, some useful and others purely for research purposes (The radioactive isotope Americium 241 is commonly used in smoke alarms, others are used for radiotherapy). Guests include Jennifer Pore – Research Scientist of Heavy Elements at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Mark Miodownik – professor of materials and society at University College London and the author of “It’s a Gas: The Sublime and Elusive Elements That Expand Our World.”