The University of Nottingham, in England, has put a high-tech twist on the periodic table, creating a clickable version that points to short YouTube clips about each element.
The Periodic Table of Videos, as their creation is called, features 118 videos, each about 2 minutes long. Scientists perform experiments with the elements or describe unusual properties of each one. In the clip about Beryllium, for instance, a researcher refuses to open a jar holding a sample of the element, explaining that exposure to it can cause a rare and deadly disease. (Another researcher interviewed in the video explains that the element is used in the processing of medical X-rays.)
The “most watched” elemental video, according to the site, is the one for Sodium. If you drop sodium into water, the reaction is explosive, as researchers demonstrate. —Jeffrey R. Young
