Show Notes
The radioactive gas radon can be a risk in the basements of stone houses and used to, erroneously, be touted for its health benefits, says Prof Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 69 of Elemental. Radon was originally named 'radium emanation' by its discoverer, Kiwi chemist Lord Ernest Rutherford. It is a noble gas and is produced by the radioactive decay of uranium and thorium. People who live in stone buildings can be at risk from radon gas as it escapes from rocks - it is heavy so it tends to lodge in the basements of houses. This is a problem in some parts of the United States, where you can buy radon detectors in supermarkets, but is not an issue in New Zealand. In the early twentieth century radon was touted as having health benefits before the dangers of radioactivity were recognised, says Professor Allan Blackman from the Auckland University of Technology in episode 69 of Elemental. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
More from Elemental
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 98 of Elemental. Zirconium is a metal that is a shape-shifting tough cookie. It is found in gemstones - think zircons and cubic zirconia, often known as 'fake diamond.' Zirconia is nearly as hard as diamond and it is a refractory material that is pretty impervious to heat and pressure. Zircons are tiny geological time capsules containing trace amounts of uranium and thorium that geologists can use to work out how old they are. Zirconium alloyed with tin is used in nuclear reactors as it doesn't corrode and isn't itself radioactive, says Professor Allan Blackman from the Auckland University of Technology, in episode 98 of Elemental. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Zinc is a very useful metal that turns up in everything from sunscreen to paint, & galvanised metals to cereals, as well as brass instruments, says Prof Allan Blackman in ep 97 of Elemental. The major use of zinc is to galvanise steel in order to stop it corroding. This is because zinc oxidises more readily than iron, meaning it loses electrons more easily; chemists describe zinc as acting as the sacrificial anode, as oxidation occurs at the anode. The transition metal was well-known to the ancients who alloyed zinc and copper to make brass. Zinc is also well-known as a UV protector and turns up in sunblock (think cricketers' noses) as well as paint. You can also find zinc in car tyres, added to foods such as cereals and in anti-dandruff shampoo, says Professor Allan Blackman from the Auckland University of Technology, in episode 97 of Elemental. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
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 96 of Elemental. Here we go again - yet another element named after the Swedish village of Ytterby with a suitably tortuous extraction process, although surprisingly it is actually not a lanthanoid; it is a transition metal. It is used in camping gas mantles along with thorium, is added to cast iron to make it more ductile, and appears in alloys used in cutting tools, bearings and jet engines. When used with ytterbium, barium, copper and oxygen, it creates a high-temperature superconductor that operates at much warmer temperatures than most superconductors. Kiwi scientists Jeff Tallon and Bob Buckley are at the forefront of high temperature superconductor research, says Professor Allan Blackman from the Auckland University of Technology, in episode 96 of Elemental. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Ytterbium is yet another lanthanoid named after the Swedish village of Ytterby, says Prof Allan Blackman in ep 95 of Elemental. Ytterbium is yet another lanthanoid named after the Swedish village of Ytterby. It is a sister element to erbium, terbium and yttrium. The ytterbium lattice clock is one of the world's most accurate clocks, says Professor Allan Blackman from the Auckland University of Technology, in episode 95 of Elemental. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Xenon is a noble gas that turns up in various lights, gets used in xenon ion propulsion systems for spacecraft & plays a key role in the search for dark matter, says Prof Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 94 of Elemental. Xenon is a noble gas that turns up in various lights. It gets used in xenon ion propulsion systems for spacecraft. Xenon plays a key role in the XENON detector which is used in the search for dark matter. Xenon is also the 'perfect' anaesthetic, says Professor Allan Blackman from the Auckland University of Technology, in episode 94 of Elemental. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details