The Episodic Table of Elements

95. Americium: Mundus Novus

27 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Many episodes have incorporated geology, but this one is more about geography. (And amateur nuclear science.)

94. Plutonium: Weapons-Grade

03 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Element 94 causes a bit of a crisis for our collections.

93. Neptunium: Great Expectations

22 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

To the person who said, "the episodes are never too long," I'm terribly sorry.

The Episodic Table Of Elements Holiday Special

20 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Time for the most traditional holiday celebration: A science lesson.

92. Uranium: Two Untold Tales (Live At Harvard)

29 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

America's worst radioactive accident isn't Three Mile Island, and the Nazi nuclear physicist wasn't assassinated by the famous baseball player.

91. Protactinium: Decolonize Science

19 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes we need a quiet moment in order to step back and look at the bigger picture.

90. Thorium: Bright Lights, Big City

22 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sure, thorium could provide practically limitless clean energy, but then we couldn't build weapons of mass destruction.

89. Actinium: The Windup… And The Pitchblende

08 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We all know that radioactive rocks glow in the dark, except they actually don't, except for when they actually do.

88. Radium: Several Sordid Affairs

18 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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.

87. Francium: Nothing To Do With Cats

13 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You don't have to have a degree to do science, but it helps.

86. Radon: It’s Coming From Inside The House

23 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You know something's amiss when you set off the radiation alarms while walking in to the nuclear power plant.

85. Astatine: Pathological Science

02 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The story of astatine takes us to Alabama, Dacca, Romania, Vienna, and California, but definitely not Switzerland.

84. Polonium: The Distinguished Alumna Of Warsaw’s Flying University

05 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Sadly, it's no longer possible to purchase this lethally radioactive element for fifteen cents and a cereal boxtop.

83. Bismuth: The Friendly Oddball

14 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The periodic table shows the natural patterns and trends among the elements. Bismuth does not abide.

82. Lead: Irrational Self-Interest

24 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We just can't seem to stop chasing the sweet, sweet taste of element 82.

81. Thallium: It Rides A Pale Horse

26 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In which we learn how reading mystery novels might very well save a life.

80. Mercury: Fatally Toxic And Probably In Your Mouth

12 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Even if you hate tuna, have flawless teeth, and only use digital thermometers, humans have historically not been shy about getting a mouthful of mercu...

79. Gold: Lump Sum

29 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

All other metals step aside, because today we deal with the king of elements.

78. Platinum: A Tous Les Temps, A Tous Les Peuples

15 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes, being set in stone isn't permanent enough.

77. Iridium: T. Rex And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

01 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Alvarez noticed a great disturbance in the rocks, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.

76. Osmium: It Stinks!

08 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This entire episode serves as cautionary advice to anyone seeking to add osmium to their element collection.

75. Rhenium: A Love Of Two Brains

25 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Witness an incredible, unbreakable bond between two who couldn't be more alike. We'll also learn about a married couple.

74. Tungsten: What Is The Atom We Love?

11 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

All right, everybody settle down. Welcome to the weekly meeting of the National Association Of W Lovers.

73. Tantalum: Mystery Meat

28 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Once more, the periodic table drags us to hell -- this time by way of ancient Greece.

72. Hafnium: The Isomer Bomb

14 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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.

71. Lutetium: Swampland Centaurs

16 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Let us ensure we remember the lanthanide series before we leave it behind once and for all.

70. Ytterbium: White Gold

02 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When Johann Bottger failed to turn lead into gold, porcelain made a pretty good consolation prize.

69. Thulium: Out Of The Way

19 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We'll go to the land of the ice and snow... and figure out exactly where that is, too.

68. Erbium: Hyperlink

05 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Element 68 plays an important role in stitching together the World Wide Web -- for better or for worse.

67. Holmium: This Magnet Moment

24 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Holmium: Equally beloved by theoretical physicists and Jedi Knights.

66. Dysprosium: Hard To Get

10 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

You spin me right round, baby, right round, like a windmill, baby, right round round round.

65. Terbium: The Joy of Tedium

27 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

For more than one reason, element 65 makes the short list of "most annoying elements."

64. Gadolinium: Three Wise Men

13 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Like Luke Skywalker, today's tale takes a farmboy to greatness.

63. Europium: The Age Of Enlightenment

22 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As element collectors, may we all one day be as fortunate as Frank Harold Spedding.

62. Samarium: Eponymous Honorarium

01 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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.

61. Promethium: What A Friend We Have In Prometheus

18 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We've met mythological light-bearers before, but this one possesses a decidedly nobler spirit.

60. Neodymium: Anarchy And Order

04 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Decades of complex geopolitical chaos ultimately result in one afternoon's rather embarrassing hospital visit.

59. Praseodymium: Grandiloquent Sesquipedalianism

20 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes, the most interesting aspect of an element has nothing to do with chemistry at all.

58. Cerium: Light My Fire

02 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It's the most common flint you'll find, except it's not actually flint at all.

57. Lanthanum: Hidden In Plain Sight

23 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Let's uncover element 57, and find out why the "rare earths" are neither rare nor earths nor an empire.

56. Barium: Glow-Getter

09 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When you really want to suck all the air out of a room, barium will help you out.

55. Caesium: A Brief History Of Time

24 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We'll trace the history of the most important caesium-based technology all the way back to its original roots: a stick.

54. Xenon: Ignoble Gas

10 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Truly strange things start to happen when you breathe this rarefied air.

53. Iodine: Purple Haze

27 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We'll pull in our elemental haul from the sea while Lady Jane Davy spits in the ocean.

52. Tellurium: To Hell You Ride

30 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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 coll...

51. Antimony: Can You Return An Inheritance?

16 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

It's like an Everlasting Gobstopper, but Willy Wonka is a fratricidal German monk.

50. Tin: Your Metal Pal Who’s Fun To Be With

25 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We've palled around with tin for thousands of years, but you should know that it's a fair-weather friend.

49. Indium: The Spectre Of Isaac

11 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The story of indium is pretty straightforward, but its namesake is practically impossible to pin down.

48. Cadmium: Don’t You Know That You’re Toxic?

28 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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."

47. Silver: Our Own Image

14 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Silver is more than just a precious metal. It's also a reflection of ourselves.

46. Palladium: The Old Razzle Dazzle

23 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Those people who've been involved with palladium's history seem to harbor a dubious predilection for stretching the truth.

45. Rhodium: The Most Precious Metal

09 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

For some people, rhodium's most important aspect is its high price. For others, it's absolutely priceless.

44. Ruthenium: The Glow Cloud

26 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Element 44 is technically not named for Russia... but perhaps it should be.

43. Technetium: Naturally Synthetic

12 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

It's only after we gave up searching for this element that we found it out in the universe.

42. Molybdenum: Conventional Weapons

29 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Before we talk about one big gun, let's discuss 1,500 years of military technology.

41. Niobium: No More Tears

15 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We delve into elemental etymology today, and get to investigate a chemical phenomenon.

40. Zirconium: Burning Up, Melting Down

01 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we reach the last element on the periodic table -- but only alphabetically speaking.

39. Yttrium: It’s A Quiet Village

17 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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.

38. Strontium: Little Town

03 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Let's look past the bad reputation this element has to learn how it's an essential part of an idyllic childhood.

37. Rubidium: What’s Cooler Than Being Cool?

20 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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.

36. Krypton: It’s A Metric

06 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Like argon, today's noble gas coincidentally features prominently in science fiction -- albeit in name only. But krypton also takes a place in the sci...

35. Bromine: Come At Me

22 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Don't get too excited, because bromine is an element that brings the hammer down on both extreme emotions and extreme actions.

34. Selenium: A Fit Of Heat And Light

25 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Throughout history, copying information has been arduous, messy, and even dangerous -- until one bored, depressed man figured out the secrets of selen...

33. Arsenic: It’s Not Easy Being Green

11 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Considering how synonymous this episode's element is with "poison," it's shocking how eager people have historically been to ingest the stuff.

32. Germanium: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

25 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Silicon gets all the press, but germanium was the real trailblazer of the Information Age.

31. Gallium: The Wet Bandits

11 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Meet one of the periodic table's lesser-known liquid metals -- and beware some dangerous competition from a few felonious element collectors.

30. Zinc: The Lecture Circuit

28 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Learn about some of Italy's most renowned chemists and how they inspired a most gruesome quest to conquer death.

29. Copper: Wires Crossed

14 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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.

28. Nickel: Face Value

31 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

From religion to money to politics, nickel finds itself at the center of all kinds of awkward conversations.

27. Cobalt: Mischief Managed

17 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

26. Iron: As Above, So Below

03 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Is iron a metal that's more valuable than gold, or are we forever trapped in its "hated shadow?"

25. Manganese: Undercover Operations

19 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

From giant prehistoric sharks to clandestine Cold War projects, manganese is an element that has concealed a lot of secrets.

24. Chromium: I’ll Be Your Mirror

05 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

It might be tempting to speed right on by, but it's worth stopping for a moment to gaze at element 24.

23. Vanadium: Beauty In The Background

22 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

From freeways to firefights to unfathomable depths, vanadium can often be found quietly doing the hardest work.

22. Titanium: Dignity Over Dentures

08 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Titanium is an element valued as much for its beauty as its strength -- provided you can find a genuine sample of the stuff.

21. Scandium: Spoiling For A Fight

24 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

From jet fighters to sporting events to Low Earth Orbit, scandium seems to find itself at the center of conflict.

20. Calcium: Stone and Bone

10 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

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...

19. Potassium: An Undeserved Reputation

20 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

There's no avoiding discussing the banana in this episode, even though it really doesn't deserve its strong association with Element 19.

18. Argon: More Than Meets The Eye

06 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Today's element gets called "lazy," but that's actually a terrible misnomer.

17. Chlorine: Too High Or Too Low, There Ain’t No In-Betweens

23 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Chlorine is an element that causes some extreme reactions, and occasionally inspires some pretty extreme reactions in humans, too.

16. Sulfur: No Mistakes, Only Happy Accidents

09 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

From Vulcan to vultures, today's element brings stories of unintended consequences.

15. Phosphorus: Dealing With The Devil

11 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The history of phosphorus is largely a tale of people getting their hands dirty. Very, very dirty.

14. Silicon: Tool Of All Trades

28 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

From prehistoric times right through today, our hand-held tools have been made of silicon.

13. Aluminium: War Of The Words

14 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

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.

12. Magnesium: White Light/White Heat

30 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Magnesium makes for quite a fireworks display, whether inside your body or out.

11. Sodium: What’s In Na?

16 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

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.

10. Neon: A Sign Of The Times

02 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

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.

9. Fluorine: Tyger Tyger, Burning Bright

19 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Just *try* to tally the body count behind the periodic table's most reactive element, and learn why you should drink it.

8. Oxygen: Take What You Can Get

05 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

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 t...

7. Nitrogen: Taking The Good With The Bad

19 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Today we meet one man who's responsible for the death of millions -- and the survival of billions.

6. Carbon: The Circle Of Life

12 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

5. Boron: Working Hard, Or Hardly Working?

05 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we look past boron's hard exterior to get to know its softer side. Its confusing, gooey, softer side.

4. Beryllium: The Modern Sisyphus

29 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

As we try to dive deep into beryllium, we discover its irritating tendency to send us back to the beginning.

3. Lithium: The Element Of Surprise

22 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We cautiously approach this explosively reactive element and learn about its surprising ability to stabilize moods, with a brief foray into Bolivian e...

2. Helium: Above All That

15 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

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 th...

1. Hydrogen: Close To The Sun

08 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

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 cos...

0. Everything The Light Touches

01 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In our inaugural episode, we'll cover the creation of the periodic table before we start exploring each element one-by-one.

Preview The Episodic Table of Elements

14 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...