The Periodic Table of Videos
Encyclopedia
The Periodic Table of Videos is a series of videos on YouTube
produced by Brady Haran, a former BBC
video journalist, featuring professor Martyn Poliakoff
, known as The Professor, Peter Licence, Stephen Liddle, Debbie Kays, Neil Barnes, Sam Tang and others at the University of Nottingham
. The project began recording on June 9, 2008 and the initial videos were completed on July 17, 2008. The collection includes videos, each just a few minutes long, for all 118 known elements with a video for each element, as well as many additional supplemental chemistry videos. The 118 element videos and introduction videos were all shot unscripted in June and July 2008. Since the initial videos were completed in 2008 the team has been refining and uploading revised versions of the videos with new video and in higher resolutions. A key example of this revising is with the xenon
video that was redone in honor of professor Neil Bartlett who died on August 5, 2008; Bartlett prepared one of the first xenon compounds, xenon hexafluoroplatinate
.
Professor Poliakoff is the most visible presenter on the videos and his hair, reminiscent of Einstein or a mad scientist
, is frequently commented upon in the videos. The combination of the professor's hair and sometimes crazy experiments has made these videos quite popular. Although uncertain what to think about the attention given to his hair, Professor Poliakoff is excited with the success of the videos, stating "With a few hours of work, I have lectured to more students than I have reached in my entire career." The YouTube channel as of May, 2011, has over 45,000 subscribers and the videos have had over 13 million viewers. The YouTube channel is now one of the most popular chemistry related channels on all of YouTube. The producers of the videos have received praise from Nobel Laureates, chemistry professors, and the general public says Professor Poliakoff. Chemistry Nobel Laureate Roald Hoffmann
has even offered his praise of the videos, stating they "are like the best reality show I've ever seen—the universe revealing itself, element by element."
The videos feature various experiments and demonstrations of the elements, some quite dangerous that can't be performed in a classroom. The presenters in the video though take all appropriate precautions when doing these experiments and provide adequate warnings before the dangerous experiments, still some scientists have criticized the dangerous experiments fearing people might try them at home and get hurt regardless of the warnings. The intent of the videos is to bring chemistry to a new generation of students and to get them enthused about science and understand how chemists think and what chemists are trying to do. Many school teachers now incorporate these videos into their classes, and the professor has even recorded video responses to some of the students' questions. Some of the most popular videos are those are of sodium
, potassium
and uranium
.
The Periodic Table of Videos team has had two live performances to date, the first in May 2009 at the Broadway Media Centre in Nottingham
and most recently in July 2010 at the EuroScience Open Forum in Turin
, Italy.
A grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
of £25,249 was awarded on 19 January 2010 to extend the video library to include topical videos on molecules of general interest. The first of these new videos was on carbon dioxide
and methane
.
to ununoctium
). They have also filmed several videos that discuss molecules such as D2O and sulphuric acid. Also filmed are "Chem definitions" that provide an explanation to words that are used in chemistry.
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
produced by Brady Haran, a former BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
video journalist, featuring professor Martyn Poliakoff
Martyn Poliakoff
Martyn Poliakoff CBE FRS is a British chemist, working on gaining insights into fundamental chemistry and also on developing environmentally acceptable processes and materials. The core themes of his work are supercritical fluids , infrared spectroscopy and lasers. He is a Research Professor in...
, known as The Professor, Peter Licence, Stephen Liddle, Debbie Kays, Neil Barnes, Sam Tang and others at the University of Nottingham
University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
. The project began recording on June 9, 2008 and the initial videos were completed on July 17, 2008. The collection includes videos, each just a few minutes long, for all 118 known elements with a video for each element, as well as many additional supplemental chemistry videos. The 118 element videos and introduction videos were all shot unscripted in June and July 2008. Since the initial videos were completed in 2008 the team has been refining and uploading revised versions of the videos with new video and in higher resolutions. A key example of this revising is with the xenon
Xenon
Xenon is a chemical element with the symbol Xe and atomic number 54. The element name is pronounced or . A colorless, heavy, odorless noble gas, xenon occurs in the Earth's atmosphere in trace amounts...
video that was redone in honor of professor Neil Bartlett who died on August 5, 2008; Bartlett prepared one of the first xenon compounds, xenon hexafluoroplatinate
Xenon hexafluoroplatinate
Xenon hexafluoroplatinate is the name of the product of the reaction of platinum hexafluoride and xenon, in an experiment that proved the chemical reactivity of the noble gases...
.
Professor Poliakoff is the most visible presenter on the videos and his hair, reminiscent of Einstein or a mad scientist
Mad scientist
A mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, specifically science fiction. The mad scientist may be villainous or antagonistic, benign or neutral, and whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, mad scientists often work with fictional technology in order to forward their schemes, if...
, is frequently commented upon in the videos. The combination of the professor's hair and sometimes crazy experiments has made these videos quite popular. Although uncertain what to think about the attention given to his hair, Professor Poliakoff is excited with the success of the videos, stating "With a few hours of work, I have lectured to more students than I have reached in my entire career." The YouTube channel as of May, 2011, has over 45,000 subscribers and the videos have had over 13 million viewers. The YouTube channel is now one of the most popular chemistry related channels on all of YouTube. The producers of the videos have received praise from Nobel Laureates, chemistry professors, and the general public says Professor Poliakoff. Chemistry Nobel Laureate Roald Hoffmann
Roald Hoffmann
Roald Hoffmann is an American theoretical chemist who won the 1981 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He currently teaches at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.-Escape from the Holocaust:...
has even offered his praise of the videos, stating they "are like the best reality show I've ever seen—the universe revealing itself, element by element."
The videos feature various experiments and demonstrations of the elements, some quite dangerous that can't be performed in a classroom. The presenters in the video though take all appropriate precautions when doing these experiments and provide adequate warnings before the dangerous experiments, still some scientists have criticized the dangerous experiments fearing people might try them at home and get hurt regardless of the warnings. The intent of the videos is to bring chemistry to a new generation of students and to get them enthused about science and understand how chemists think and what chemists are trying to do. Many school teachers now incorporate these videos into their classes, and the professor has even recorded video responses to some of the students' questions. Some of the most popular videos are those are of sodium
Sodium
Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal and is a member of the alkali metals; its only stable isotope is 23Na. It is an abundant element that exists in numerous minerals, most commonly as sodium chloride...
, potassium
Potassium
Potassium is the chemical element with the symbol K and atomic number 19. Elemental potassium is a soft silvery-white alkali metal that oxidizes rapidly in air and is very reactive with water, generating sufficient heat to ignite the hydrogen emitted in the reaction.Potassium and sodium are...
and uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
.
The Periodic Table of Videos team has had two live performances to date, the first in May 2009 at the Broadway Media Centre in Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
and most recently in July 2010 at the EuroScience Open Forum in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Italy.
A grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council is a British Research Council that provides government funding for grants to undertake research and postgraduate degrees in engineering and the physical sciences , mainly to universities in the United Kingdom...
of £25,249 was awarded on 19 January 2010 to extend the video library to include topical videos on molecules of general interest. The first of these new videos was on carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
and methane
Methane
Methane is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest alkane, the principal component of natural gas, and probably the most abundant organic compound on earth. The relative abundance of methane makes it an attractive fuel...
.
Videos
The Periodic Videos has filmed at least one video for each of the 118 elements (from hydrogenHydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
to ununoctium
Ununoctium
Ununoctium is the temporary IUPAC name for the transactinide element having the atomic number 118 and temporary element symbol Uuo. It is also known as eka-radon or element 118, and on the periodic table of the elements it is a p-block element and the last one of the 7th period. Ununoctium is...
). They have also filmed several videos that discuss molecules such as D2O and sulphuric acid. Also filmed are "Chem definitions" that provide an explanation to words that are used in chemistry.