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Sodium (Na)

The alkali metal that plays a role in soap, paper, human health and murder.

• 26 mins

Tungsten (W)

Hot, hard and heavy - it cuts steel and penetrates armour, yet China has a near monopoly

• 26 mins

Sulphur (S)

Does the world face a looming glut of this devilish yellow element?

• 26 mins

Silicon

Is the element behind the computing revolution about to transform the world once again?

• 26 mins

Caesium (Cs)

The caesium-based atomic clock has redefined the very meaning of time.

• 26 mins

Lead (Pb)

The sweetest of poisons, have we learnt how to handle this heavy metal?

• 26 mins

Uranium (U)

Nuclear power is carbon-free but leaves radioactive waste - a real dilemma for Greens

• 23 mins

Calcium (Ca)

The great structural element - both in the natural world and in modern engineering

• 23 mins

Bromine (Br)

Bromine-based flame retardants are all over your home, but are they a health risk?

• 23 mins

Nitrogen

The bringer of life and death on a massive scale, as well as an environmental headache.

• 23 mins

Gallium & Indium (Ga, In)

LED lighting and the other electronics revolutionised by two obscure chemical elements.

• 49 mins

Boron (B)

The mineral from the Wild West that toughens glass and stops bullets in their tracks.

• 42 mins

Copper (Cu) - materials

The distinctive red metal that distills whisky and kills hospital super-bugs.

• 45 mins

Copper (Cu) - electricity

Why copper wires? And do solar power and batteries herald the death of the old AC grid?

• 38 mins

Nickel

The economy of Nickel, the metal and element that made the jet age possible

• 23 mins

Chromium

The metal of modernity - think Harleys and skyscrapers - chromium also has a dark side.

• 23 mins

Fluorine

The key building block for CFCs and a string of other gases posing a threat to mankind

• 23 mins

Cobalt (Co)

The metal in magnets and phone batteries - but is some of it being mined by children?

• 46 mins

Technetium

Essential for medical imaging, supplies of this manmade element are far from guaranteed.

• 23 mins

Oxygen (O) - oxidation

The 鈥渆lement of life鈥� also makes our atmosphere very dangerous and costly to operate in.

• 38 mins

Titanium (Ti) - materials

Stronger than steel, could this glamorous metal eventually become as common as steel?

• 32 mins

Oxygen (O) - industrial uses

Why is oxygen essential to steelmaking, and can you inhale too much of it?

• 33 mins

Hydrogen (H) - acids

These powerful chemicals are essential for industry, but are dangerous to handle.

• 39 mins

Titanium (Ti) - catalysts

The metal behind plastics, paints, and buildings that clean both themselves and the air.

• 28 mins

Magnesium (Mg)

The metal that overcame a fiery reputation to regain its role in making planes and cars.

• 34 mins

Beryllium (Be)

This toxic metal can do serious damage to your lungs, so is it safe to use?

• 21 mins

Oxygen

The 'element of life' also makes our atmosphere very dangerous and costly to operate in

• 26 mins

Iron

How the abundant metal lron became the very stuff of modern industrial life

• 26 mins

Cobalt

The metal in magnets and phone batteries - but is some of it being mined by children?

• 26 mins

Boron

The mineral from the Wild West that toughens glass and stops bullets in their tracks.

• 26 mins