https://episodictable.com A podcast about the fascinating true stories behind each element on the periodic table. Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:47:44 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Blubrry PowerPress/11.15.17 T. R. Appleton false episodic T. R. Appleton podcast https://feeds.podcastmirror.com/~images/1007191566665223.jpeg https://episodictable.com Every other Monday 5b77d3d4-de7e-5bc2-aa28-9436c0fac65a Preview The Episodic Table of Elements https://episodictable.com/americium/ Sat, 27 Sep 2025 10:00:18 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=4870 Many episodes have incorporated geology, but this one is more about geography. (And amateur nuclear science.) T. R. Appleton 95 95 Americium: Mundus Novus full 36:51 https://episodictable.com/plutonium/ Mon, 03 Mar 2025 11:00:29 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=4745 Element 94 causes a bit of a crisis for our collections. T. R. Appleton 94 94 Plutonium: Weapons-Grade full https://episodictable.com/neptunium/ Thu, 22 Aug 2024 10:00:57 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=4715 To the person who said, "the episodes are never too long," I'm terribly sorry. T. R. Appleton 93 93 Neptunium: Great Expectations full 1:07:57 https://episodictable.com/holiday/ Wed, 20 Dec 2023 11:00:20 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=4515 Time for the most traditional holiday celebration: A science lesson. T. R. Appleton The Episodic Table Of Elements Holiday Special full 26:47 https://episodictable.com/uranium/ Mon, 29 May 2023 10:00:53 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=4404 America's worst radioactive accident isn't Three Mile Island, and the Nazi nuclear physicist wasn't assassinated by the famous baseball player. T. R. Appleton 92 92 Uranium: Two Untold Tales (Live At Harvard) full 45:00 https://episodictable.com/protactinium/ Wed, 19 Oct 2022 10:00:43 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=4328 Sometimes we need a quiet moment in order to step back and look at the bigger picture. T. R. Appleton 91 91 Protactinium: Decolonize Science full 21:37 https://episodictable.com/thorium/ Tue, 22 Feb 2022 13:30:39 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=4223 Sure, thorium could provide practically limitless clean energy, but then we couldn't build weapons of mass destruction. T. R. Appleton 90 90 Thorium: Bright Lights, Big City full 18:33 https://episodictable.com/actinium/ Mon, 08 Nov 2021 11:00:59 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=4180 We all know that radioactive rocks glow in the dark, except they actually don't, except for when they actually do. T. R. Appleton 89 89 Actinium: The Windup... And The Pitchblende full 15:33 https://episodictable.com/radium/ Mon, 18 Oct 2021 10:00:53 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=4129 Out of all the characters who encounter radium in this episode, the only one to emerge unscathed is the guy who comes face-to-face with Satan. T. R. Appleton 88 88 Radium: Several Sordid Affairs full 33:41 https://episodictable.com/francium/ Mon, 13 Sep 2021 10:00:57 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=4104 You don't have to have a degree to do science, but it helps. T. R. Appleton 87 87 Francium: Nothing To Do With Cats full 15:23 https://episodictable.com/radon/ Mon, 23 Aug 2021 10:00:28 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=4069 You know something's amiss when you set off the radiation alarms while walking in to the nuclear power plant. T. R. Appleton 86 86 Radon: It's Coming From Inside The House full 21:11 https://episodictable.com/astatine/ Mon, 02 Aug 2021 10:00:22 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=4028 The story of astatine takes us to Alabama, Dacca, Romania, Vienna, and California, but definitely not Switzerland. T. R. Appleton 85 85 Astatine: Pathological Science full 19:30 https://episodictable.com/polonium/ Mon, 05 Jul 2021 10:00:16 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=4003 Sadly, it's no longer possible to purchase this lethally radioactive element for fifteen cents and a cereal boxtop. T. R. Appleton 84 84 Polonium: The Distinguished Alumna Of Warsaw's Flying University full 19:17 https://episodictable.com/bismuth/ Mon, 14 Jun 2021 10:00:05 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=3970 The periodic table shows the natural patterns and trends among the elements. Bismuth does not abide. T. R. Appleton 83 83 Bismuth: The Friendly Oddball full 18:03 https://episodictable.com/lead/ Mon, 24 May 2021 11:00:59 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=3908 We just can't seem to stop chasing the sweet, sweet taste of element 82. T. R. Appleton 82 82 Lead: Irrational Self-Interest full 26:29 https://episodictable.com/thallium/ Mon, 26 Apr 2021 10:00:32 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=3881 In which we learn how reading mystery novels might very well save a life. T. R. Appleton 81 81 Thallium: It Rides A Pale Horse full 24:12 https://episodictable.com/mercury/ Mon, 12 Apr 2021 10:00:10 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=3839 Even if you hate tuna, have flawless teeth, and only use digital thermometers, humans have historically not been shy about getting a mouthful of mercury. T. R. Appleton 80 80 Mercury: Fatally Toxic And Probably In Your Mouth full 22:19 https://episodictable.com/gold/ Mon, 29 Mar 2021 10:00:53 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=3796 All other metals step aside, because today we deal with the king of elements. T. R. Appleton 79 79 Gold: Lump Sum full 28:43 https://episodictable.com/platinum/ Mon, 15 Mar 2021 10:00:53 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=3763 Sometimes, being set in stone isn't permanent enough. T. R. Appleton 78 78 Platinum: A Tous Les Temps, A Tous Les Peuples full 21:01 https://episodictable.com/iridium/ Mon, 01 Mar 2021 11:00:04 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=3727 Alvarez noticed a great disturbance in the rocks, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. T. R. Appleton 77 77 Iridium: T. Rex And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day full 26:12 https://episodictable.com/osmium/ Mon, 08 Feb 2021 11:00:31 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=3684 This entire episode serves as cautionary advice to anyone seeking to add osmium to their element collection. T. R. Appleton 76 76 Osmium: It Stinks! full 19:00 https://episodictable.com/rhenium/ Mon, 25 Jan 2021 11:00:05 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=3657 Witness an incredible, unbreakable bond between two who couldn't be more alike. We'll also learn about a married couple. T. R. Appleton 75 75 Rhenium: A Love Of Two Brains full 13:48 https://episodictable.com/tungsten/ Mon, 11 Jan 2021 11:00:12 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=3585 All right, everybody settle down. Welcome to the weekly meeting of the National Association Of W Lovers. T. R. Appleton 74 74 Tungsten: What Is The Atom We Love? full 22:11 https://episodictable.com/tantalum/ Mon, 28 Dec 2020 11:00:31 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=3602 Once more, the periodic table drags us to hell -- this time by way of ancient Greece. T. R. Appleton 73 73 Tantalum: Mystery Meat full 13:11 https://episodictable.com/hafnium/ Mon, 14 Dec 2020 11:00:34 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=3547 The science suggests hafnium can't be used to create a gamma ray bomb, but that won't stop the U.S. government from trying. T. R. Appleton 72 72 Hafnium: The Isomer Bomb full 16:29 https://episodictable.com/lutetium/ Mon, 16 Nov 2020 11:00:22 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=3514 Let us ensure we remember the lanthanide series before we leave it behind once and for all. T. R. Appleton 71 71 Lutetium: Swampland Centaurs full 14:44 https://episodictable.com/ytterbium/ Mon, 02 Nov 2020 11:00:20 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=3496 When Johann Bottger failed to turn lead into gold, porcelain made a pretty good consolation prize. T. R. Appleton 70 70 Ytterbium: White Gold full 14:58 https://episodictable.com/thulium/ Mon, 19 Oct 2020 10:00:00 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=3478 We'll go to the land of the ice and snow... and figure out exactly where that is, too. T. R. Appleton 69 69 Thulium: Out Of The Way full 14:48 https://episodictable.com/erbium/ Mon, 05 Oct 2020 10:00:18 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=3410 Element 68 plays an important role in stitching together the World Wide Web -- for better or for worse. T. R. Appleton 68 68 Erbium: Hyperlink full 19:14 https://episodictable.com/holmium/ Mon, 24 Aug 2020 10:00:33 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=3390 Holmium: Equally beloved by theoretical physicists and Jedi Knights. T. R. Appleton 67 67 Holmium: This Magnet Moment full 12:19 https://episodictable.com/dysprosium/ Mon, 10 Aug 2020 10:00:17 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=3356 You spin me right round, baby, right round, like a windmill, baby, right round round round. T. R. Appleton 66 66 Dysprosium: Hard To Get full 9:43 https://episodictable.com/terbium/ Mon, 27 Jul 2020 10:00:46 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=3335 For more than one reason, element 65 makes the short list of "most annoying elements." T. R. Appleton 65 65 Terbium: The Joy Of Tedium full 14:06 https://episodictable.com/gadolinium/ Mon, 13 Jul 2020 10:00:03 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=3291 Like Luke Skywalker, today's tale takes a farmboy to greatness. T. R. Appleton 64 64 Gadolinium: Three Wise Men full 18:07 https://episodictable.com/europium/ Mon, 22 Jun 2020 10:00:36 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=3263 As element collectors, may we all one day be as fortunate as Frank Harold Spedding. T. R. Appleton 63 63 Europium: The Age Of Enlightenment full 14:13 https://episodictable.com/samarium/ Mon, 01 Jun 2020 10:00:09 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=3240 We hear all sorts of incredible stories on this podcast, but today we'll meet the most unbelievable character of all time: A friendly bureaucrat. T. R. Appleton 62 62 Samarium: Eponymous Honorarium full 13:52 https://episodictable.com/promethium/ Mon, 18 May 2020 10:00:38 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=3201 We've met mythological light-bearers before, but this one possesses a decidedly nobler spirit. T. R. Appleton 61 61 Promethium: What A Friend We Have In Prometheus full 18:30 https://episodictable.com/neodymium/ Mon, 04 May 2020 10:00:34 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=3152 Decades of complex geopolitical chaos ultimately result in one afternoon's rather embarrassing hospital visit. T. R. Appleton 60 60 Neodymium: Anarchy And Order full 20:05 https://episodictable.com/praseodymium/ Mon, 20 Apr 2020 10:00:14 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=3113 Sometimes, the most interesting aspect of an element has nothing to do with chemistry at all. T. R. Appleton 59 59 Praseodymium: Grandiloquent Sesquipedalianism full 24:08 https://episodictable.com/cerium/ Thu, 02 Apr 2020 10:00:30 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=3089 It's the most common flint you'll find, except it's not actually flint at all. T. R. Appleton 58 58 full 16:12 https://episodictable.com/lanthanum/ Mon, 23 Mar 2020 10:00:32 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=3063 Let's uncover element 57, and find out why the "rare earths" are neither rare nor earths nor an empire. T. R. Appleton 57 57 Lanthanum: Hiding In Plain Sight full 14:39 https://episodictable.com/barium/ Mon, 09 Mar 2020 10:00:18 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=3029 When you really want to suck all the air out of a room, barium will help you out. T. R. Appleton 56 56 Barium: Glow-Getter full 13:33 https://episodictable.com/caesium/ Mon, 24 Feb 2020 11:00:43 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=2969 We'll trace the history of the most important caesium-based technology all the way back to its original roots: a stick. T. R. Appleton 55 55 full 30:19 https://episodictable.com/xenon/ Mon, 10 Feb 2020 11:00:12 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=2893 Truly strange things start to happen when you breathe this rarefied air. T. R. Appleton 54 54 Xenon: Ignoble Gas full 21:14 https://episodictable.com/iodine/ Mon, 27 Jan 2020 11:00:58 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=2852 We'll pull in our elemental haul from the sea while Lady Jane Davy spits in the ocean. T. R. Appleton 53 53 Iodine: Purple Haze full 24:20 https://episodictable.com/tellurium/ Mon, 30 Dec 2019 11:00:19 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=2772 Collecting elements can be risky business. Tellurium is one of those elements that poses a dire threat -- not to one's health, but to the element collector's reputation in polite society. T. R. Appleton 52 52 Tellurium: To Hell You Ride full 23:29 https://episodictable.com/antimony/ Mon, 16 Dec 2019 11:00:03 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=2751 It's like an Everlasting Gobstopper, but Willy Wonka is a fratricidal German monk. T. R. Appleton 51 51 Antimony: Can You Return An Inheritance? full 37:46 https://episodictable.com/tin/ Mon, 25 Nov 2019 11:00:05 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=2620 We've palled around with tin for thousands of years, but you should know that it's a fair-weather friend. T. R. Appleton 50 50 Tin: Your Metal Pal Who's Fun To Be With full 28:54 https://episodictable.com/indium/ Mon, 11 Nov 2019 11:00:06 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=2558 The story of indium is pretty straightforward, but its namesake is practically impossible to pin down. T. R. Appleton 49 49 Indium: The Spectre Of Isaac full 33:15 https://episodictable.com/cadmium/ Mon, 28 Oct 2019 10:00:55 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=2464 Cadmium will let you choose among a range of orange-ish hues, but it's some pretty awful news if you contract the "cadmium blues." T. R. Appleton 48 48 Cadmium: Don't You Know That You're Toxic? full 18:32 https://episodictable.com/silver/ Mon, 14 Oct 2019 10:00:53 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=2376 Silver is more than just a precious metal. It's also a reflection of ourselves. T. R. Appleton 47 47 Silver: Our Own Image full 34:11 https://episodictable.com/palladium/ Mon, 23 Sep 2019 10:00:20 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=2371 Those people who've been involved with palladium's history seem to harbor a dubious predilection for stretching the truth. T. R. Appleton 46 46 Palladium: The Old Razzle Dazzle full 30:42 https://episodictable.com/rhodium/ Mon, 09 Sep 2019 10:00:49 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=2282 For some people, rhodium's most important aspect is its high price. For others, it's absolutely priceless. T. R. Appleton 45 45 Rhodium: The Most Precious Metal full 17:17 https://episodictable.com/ruthenium/ Mon, 26 Aug 2019 10:00:17 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=2251 Element 44 is technically not named for Russia... but perhaps it should be. T. R. Appleton 44 44 Ruthenium: The Glow Cloud full 25:29 https://episodictable.com/technetium/ Mon, 12 Aug 2019 10:00:07 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=2222 It's only after we gave up searching for this element that we found it out in the universe. T. R. Appleton 43 43 Technetium: Naturally Synthetic full 19:50 https://episodictable.com/molybdenum/ Mon, 29 Jul 2019 10:00:31 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=2100 Before we talk about one big gun, let's discuss 1,500 years of military technology. T. R. Appleton 42 42 Molybdenum: Conventional Weapons full 36:16 https://episodictable.com/niobium/ Mon, 15 Jul 2019 10:00:08 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=2080 We delve into elemental etymology today, and get to investigate a chemical phenomenon. T. R. Appleton 41 41 Niobium: No More Tears full 19:01 https://episodictable.com/zirconium/ Mon, 01 Jul 2019 10:00:11 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=2011 Today, we reach the last element on the periodic table -- but only alphabetically speaking. T. R. Appleton 40 40 Zirconium: Burning Up, Melting Down full 14:45 https://episodictable.com/yttrium/ Mon, 17 Jun 2019 10:00:51 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=1978 Welcome to the sleepy Swedish town of Ytterby. I hope you like it, because we'll be spending an awful lot of time there later in the series. T. R. Appleton 39 39 Yttrium: It's A Quiet Village full 26:44 https://episodictable.com/strontium/ Mon, 03 Jun 2019 10:00:13 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=1955 Let's look past the bad reputation this element has to learn how it's an essential part of an idyllic childhood. T. R. Appleton 38 38 Strontium: Little Town full 14:14 https://episodictable.com/rubidium/ Mon, 20 May 2019 10:00:34 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=1926 Rubidium is more explosive than the alkali metals above it on the table, but it's much more interesting when it's standing almost perfectly still. T. R. Appleton 37 37 Rubidium: What's Cooler Than Being Cool? full 19:26 https://episodictable.com/krypton/ Mon, 06 May 2019 10:00:10 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=1870 Like argon, today's noble gas coincidentally features prominently in science fiction -- albeit in name only. But krypton also takes a place in the science factual story of international weights and measures. T. R. Appleton 36 36 Krypton: It's A Metric full 12:13 https://episodictable.com/bromine/ Mon, 22 Apr 2019 10:00:35 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=1791 Don't get too excited, because bromine is an element that brings the hammer down on both extreme emotions and extreme actions. T. R. Appleton 35 35 Bromine: Come At Me full 20:51 https://episodictable.com/selenium/ Mon, 25 Mar 2019 10:00:17 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=1788 Throughout history, copying information has been arduous, messy, and even dangerous -- until one bored, depressed man figured out the secrets of selenium. T. R. Appleton 34 34 Selenium: A Fit Of Heat And Light full 25:32 https://episodictable.com/arsenic/ Mon, 11 Mar 2019 10:00:46 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=1708 Considering how synonymous this episode's element is with "poison," it's shocking how eager people have historically been to ingest the stuff. T. R. Appleton 33 33 Arsenic: It's Not Easy Being Green full 22:09 https://episodictable.com/germanium/ Mon, 25 Feb 2019 11:00:43 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=1677 Silicon gets all the press, but germanium was the real trailblazer of the Information Age. T. R. Appleton 32 32 Germanium: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger full 17:10 https://episodictable.com/gallium/ Mon, 11 Feb 2019 11:00:32 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=1643 Meet one of the periodic table's lesser-known liquid metals -- and beware some dangerous competition from a few felonious element collectors. T. R. Appleton 31 31 Gallium: Caught Wet-Handed full 17:36 https://episodictable.com/zinc/ Mon, 28 Jan 2019 11:00:32 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=1599 Learn about some of Italy's most renowned chemists and how they inspired a most gruesome quest to conquer death. T. R. Appleton 30 30 Zinc: The Lecture Circuit full 31:20 https://episodictable.com/copper/ Mon, 14 Jan 2019 11:00:26 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=1486 We get lost in the woods with a couple of little guys in today's episode, and learn about a lesser-known American Civil War. T. R. Appleton 29 29 Copper: Wires Crossed full 28:47 https://episodictable.com/nickel/ Mon, 31 Dec 2018 11:00:22 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=1464 From religion to money to politics, nickel finds itself at the center of all kinds of awkward conversations. T. R. Appleton 28 28 Nickel: Face Value full 18:55 https://episodictable.com/cobalt/ Mon, 17 Dec 2018 11:00:51 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=1421 Cobalt is a tricksy little element, which means the scientists who've dealt with it the most are some of the cleverest people to have ever walked the Earth. T. R. Appleton 27 27 Cobalt: Mischief Managed full 25:01 https://episodictable.com/iron/ Mon, 03 Dec 2018 11:00:31 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=1387 Is iron a metal that's more valuable than gold, or are we forever trapped in its "hated shadow?" T. R. Appleton 26 26 Iron: As Above, So Below full 22:59 https://episodictable.com/manganese/ Mon, 19 Nov 2018 11:00:19 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=1361 From giant prehistoric sharks to clandestine Cold War projects, manganese is an element that has concealed a lot of secrets. T. R. Appleton 25 25 Manganese: Undercover Operations full 25:14 https://episodictable.com/chromium/ Mon, 05 Nov 2018 11:00:51 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=1329 It might be tempting to speed right on by, but it's worth stopping for a moment to gaze at element 24. T. R. Appleton 24 24 Chromium: I'll Be Your Mirror full 22:57 https://episodictable.com/vanadium/ Mon, 22 Oct 2018 10:00:07 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=1300 From freeways to firefights to unfathomable depths, vanadium can often be found quietly doing the hardest work. T. R. Appleton 23 23 Vanadium: Beauty In The Background full 20:15 https://episodictable.com/titanium/ Mon, 08 Oct 2018 10:00:57 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=1262 Titanium is an element valued as much for its beauty as its strength -- provided you can find a genuine sample of the stuff. T. R. Appleton 22 22 Titanium: Dignity Over Dentures full 18:07 https://episodictable.com/scandium/ Mon, 24 Sep 2018 10:00:59 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=1239 From jet fighters to sporting events to Low Earth Orbit, scandium seems to find itself at the center of conflict. T. R. Appleton 21 21 Scandium: Spoiling For A Fight full 19:29 https://episodictable.com/calcium/ Mon, 10 Sep 2018 10:00:16 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=1186 Stories of turning flesh to stone -- and vice versa -- are common in mythology. With calcium, we see how those same transitions can happen in the real world. T. R. Appleton 20 20 Calcium: Stone and Bone full 27:02 https://episodictable.com/potassium/ Mon, 20 Aug 2018 10:00:27 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=1144 There's no avoiding discussing the banana in this episode, even though it really doesn't deserve its strong association with Element 19. T. R. Appleton 19 19 Potassium: An Undeserved Reputation full 20:17 https://episodictable.com/argon/ Mon, 06 Aug 2018 10:00:48 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=1098 Today's element gets called "lazy," but that's actually a terrible misnomer. T. R. Appleton 18 18 Argon: More Than Meets The Eye full 16:04 https://episodictable.com/chlorine/ Mon, 23 Jul 2018 10:00:26 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=1043 Chlorine is an element that causes some extreme reactions, and occasionally inspires some pretty extreme reactions in humans, too. T. R. Appleton 17 17 Chlorine: Too High Or Too Low, There Ain't No In-Betweens full 32:53 https://episodictable.com/sulfur/ Mon, 09 Jul 2018 10:00:16 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=1005 From Vulcan to vultures, today's element brings stories of unintended consequences. T. R. Appleton 16 16 Sulfur: No Mistakes, Only Happy Accidents full 18:58 https://episodictable.com/phosphorus/ Mon, 11 Jun 2018 10:00:59 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=953 The history of phosphorus is largely a tale of people getting their hands dirty. Very, very dirty. T. R. Appleton 15 15 Phosphorus: Dealing With The Devil full 16:53 https://episodictable.com/silicon/ Mon, 28 May 2018 10:00:36 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=909 From prehistoric times right through today, our hand-held tools have been made of silicon. T. R. Appleton 14 14 Silicon: Tool Of All Trades full 27:53 https://episodictable.com/aluminium/ Mon, 14 May 2018 10:00:02 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=854 Listen to some of the pointless arguments caused by element 13, and take a look at the argument-filled history of one sharp aluminum point. T. R. Appleton 13 13 Aluminium: War Of The Words full 27:56 https://episodictable.com/magnesium/ Mon, 30 Apr 2018 10:00:08 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=814 Magnesium makes for quite a fireworks display, whether inside your body or out. T. R. Appleton 12 12 Magnesium: White Light/White Heat full 14:11 https://episodictable.com/sodium/ Mon, 16 Apr 2018 10:00:38 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=721 Turns out ancient sages and seers might've actually known a thing or two. Also, is there a good reason for sodium's chemical symbol? Na. T. R. Appleton 11 11 Sodium: What's In Na? full 24:53 https://episodictable.com/neon/ Mon, 02 Apr 2018 10:00:07 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=691 Neon may no longer be "the new one," but it might have a better claim to the name than any other element on the periodic table. T. R. Appleton 10 10 Neon: A Sign Of The Times full 13:25 https://episodictable.com/fluorine/ Mon, 19 Mar 2018 10:00:16 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=660 Just *try* to tally the body count behind the periodic table's most reactive element, and learn why you should drink it. T. R. Appleton 9 9 Fluorine: Tyger Tyger, Burning Bright full 20:36 https://episodictable.com/oxygen/ Mon, 05 Mar 2018 11:00:37 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=624 Element 8 brings us two different stories about a population that gets a little too swept up in the latest craze, happening to commit mass murder in the process. T. R. Appleton 8 8 Oxygen: Take What You Can Get full 31:36 https://episodictable.com/nitrogen/ Mon, 19 Feb 2018 11:00:58 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=587 Today we meet one man who's responsible for the death of millions -- and the survival of billions. T. R. Appleton 7 7 Nitrogen: Taking The Good With The Bad full 33:25 https://episodictable.com/carbon/ Mon, 12 Feb 2018 11:00:28 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=525 Learn why carbon is the foundation of all life on Earth as we investigate a chemist's suicide, death by air pollution, and one very, very cold murder case. T. R. Appleton 6 6 Carbon: The Circle Of Life full 35:21 https://episodictable.com/boron/ Mon, 05 Feb 2018 11:00:43 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=393 Today, we look past boron's hard exterior to get to know its softer side. Its confusing, gooey, softer side. T. R. Appleton 5 5 Boron: Working Hard, Or Hardly Working? full 17:02 https://episodictable.com/beryllium/ Mon, 29 Jan 2018 11:00:42 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=357 As we try to dive deep into beryllium, we discover its irritating tendency to send us back to the beginning. T. R. Appleton 4 4 Beryllium: The Modern Sisyphus full 21:21 https://episodictable.com/lithium/ Mon, 22 Jan 2018 11:00:25 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=240 We cautiously approach this explosively reactive element and learn about its surprising ability to stabilize moods, with a brief foray into Bolivian economics along the way. T. R. Appleton 3 3 Lithium: The Element Of Surprise full 28:07 https://episodictable.com/helium/ Mon, 15 Jan 2018 11:00:56 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=180 This week, we try to interact with helium, even though it really doesn't want to. Plus, we explore the occult side of chemistry as described by the theosophists. T. R. Appleton 2 2 Helium: Above All That full 18:00 https://episodictable.com/hydrogen/ Mon, 08 Jan 2018 11:00:57 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=100 As we investigate our first element, we'll meet warring balloonists, witness mass media's first major tragedy, and see how the tiniest mistake can cost a lot of money. Plus, we'll try to pin down where hydrogen belongs on the periodic table. T. R. Appleton 1 1 Hydrogen: Close To The Sun full 27:22 https://episodictable.com/0-everything-the-light-touches/ Mon, 01 Jan 2018 11:00:50 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=15 In our inaugural episode, we'll cover the creation of the periodic table before we start exploring each element one-by-one. T. R. Appleton Everything The Light Touches full 10:27 https://episodictable.com/preview-the-episodic-table-of-elements/ Thu, 14 Dec 2017 14:30:49 +0000 https://episodictable.com/?p=254 Wondering what sorts of things you might here on The Episodic Table of Elements? I've produced this brief teaser so you can get an idea of what kinds of stories you'll hear. T. R. Appleton trailer 1:24