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The Elements: Hydrogen
Hydrogen is a highly flammable element, with the potential to become a non-polluting alternative to gasoline. Chemistry - Periodic Table - Learning Points. Hydrogen is the element with the lowest density. Hydrogen is highly flammable and...
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The Elements: Uranium
Discover the vital role uranium plays in nuclear technology. Chemistry - Periodic Table - Learning Points. Uranium was discovered in 1789. Uranium was named after the planet Uranus. Uranium is weakly radioactive. Uranium is important in...
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The Elements: Gold
Find out why gold is a valuable metal element. Chemistry - Periodic Table - Learning Points. Gold is a rare element, found in very small quantities on Earth. Gold is the most malleable of all the metals and can be moulded, cast or bent...
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Factpack: Mercury in Food Chains
Discover how mercury travels through food chains, and how its concentration multiplies along the way. Biology - Ecosystems - Learning Points. A Twig FactPack Film. Open a discussion on what has been already learnt in a topic, or use to...
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The Elements: Neon
Learn about the noble gas, neon, and its uses. Chemistry - Periodic Table - Learning Points. Neon is a colourless gas. When electricity is passed through neon, it produces a bright orange-red light. Neon is a noble gas and is inert,...
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The Elements: Potassium
Potassium is one of the most unpredictable elements, a soft metal that is essential to life. Chemistry - Periodic Table - Learning Points. Potassium is a soft metal. In our bodies potassium compounds help keep us healthy. Potassium...
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Alloys
What exactly are alloys? What is it about their properties that make them so useful for a huge variety of purposes, from construction to jewellery? Chemistry - Periodic Table - Learning Points. Alloys are metals mixed with other...
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Carbon: Introduction
Carbon occurs naturally in four different forms. Discover how they differ and why? Chemistry - Atoms And Bonding - Learning Points. Carbon is present in all living organisms. Carbon in its elemental form appears as four distinct...
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Introduction to the Periodic Table
In 1869, Russian scientist Dmitri Mendeleev created the Periodic Table, ordering the naturally occurring elements by their structure and properties. His Periodic Table changed the course of Chemistry forever, and even predicted the...
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Oxidation Reactions
Why do we cook our food wrapped in aluminium foil? Why does metal rust? It all comes down to oxidation reactions. Discover what happens to cause these reactions, and how to stop them. Chemistry - ReactionsLearning Points. The combustion...
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The Elements: Radium
Learn why radium is so radioactive it can both cause and cure cancer. Chemistry - Periodic Table - Learning Points. Marie and Pierre Curie discovered radium in 1898. Radium is a product of the radioactive decay of uranium. Exposure to...
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The Curse of Phlogiston
The 17th century German chemist Johann Becher proposed that an element, phlogiston, was released when substances burned. He was wrong, and his incorrect theory led many early chemists to misunderstand the significance of some of their...
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Atom Structure: Electron Shells
Learn why electron shells are responsible for the properties of elements, and whether they are stable or have violent reactions. Chemistry - Atoms And Bonding - Learning Points. An element's reactivity is determined by the number of...
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Flame Colours and Fireworks
Exploring the science behind fireworks, discover how different elements are used to produce different colours of fireworks. Chemistry - Atoms And Bonding - Learning Points. In the mid-19th century the inventor if the Bunsen burner,...
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Heavy Water
Why did allied soldiers in World War Two embark on a dangerous mission to stop the Nazis using heavy water? Chemistry - Atoms And Bonding - Learning Points. Atoms that have the same number of protons and electrons but different numbers...
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Alkali Metals
Witness the exciting reactions that occur when alkali metals come into contact with other substances. What does this tell us about their properties? Chemistry - Periodic Table - Learning Points. The alkali metals make up Group 1 of the...
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The Noble Gases
The noble gases were one of the last groups of elements to be discovered. From helium balloons to light bulbs, these gases have many uses in the world around us. Chemistry - Periodic Table - Learning Points. The noble gases are found in...
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Mars: The Search for Water
We know that Mars once had a landscape with oceans and rivers, but what happened to it? Physics - Universe - Learning Points. Although Mars is a freezing dry world today, it is thought the planet was once like Earth. If liquid water once...
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Flame Colours and Spectroscopy
The discovery by Robert Bunsen which allowed elements to be identified more easily, and even led to the discovery of new ones. Chemistry - Atoms And Bonding - Learning Points. Gustav Kirchoff assembled the first spectroscope - two...
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Introduction to Chemical Bonding
The basic ways elements combine to create compounds, fundamental to life as we know it. Chemistry - Atoms And Bonding - Learning Points. There are 92 naturally occurring elements. They fall into two categories: metals and non-metals....
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Molecule
Two or more atoms held strongly together by covalent bonds. A Twig Science Glossary Film. Key scientific terms defined in just 60 seconds using stunning images and concise textual definitions. Twig Science Glossary Films reinforce...
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What is an Atom?
From our bodies to the oceans and stars, everything is made of millions upon millions of tiny atoms. But what are atoms made of? Chemistry - Atoms And Bonding - Learning Points. The building blocks of all elements are called atoms. Atoms...
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Atomic Structure
What does the Periodic Table tell us about the elements, their properties and behaviours? And why does the atomic number define each element? Chemistry - Periodic Table - Learning Points. The structure of the atom reveals why the...
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Extraction of Aluminium
Explore the difficulties of extracting aluminium from its ore, and how the vast quantities of heat and electricity generated by electrolysis allow this to happen. Chemistry - ReactionsLearning Points. Aluminium is difficult to extract...