Are there Undiscovered Elements Beyond The Periodic Table?

[@Haksdo2]

The element nobody will be expecting: the element of surprise!

[@damianortiz6265]

Nice dad joke

[@jezlawrence720]

Inquisitorium. It has one proton: proton a, and proton b. Two! Two protons! Proton a, and proton b. And that one it has THREE! THREE PROTONS

[@tommihommi1]

Calm down there Lu-Tze

[@quimicalobo61d]

"20 years ago", I sent an Email to webelements about chemical island and element 118.. so, I asked about how it would go after that?! ... even today we cannot do that... not saying that we can't, but I am sure that is really hard because "islands of stability" math/chemistry issue! ...20 years ago.. :) Of course, I would be happy to be wrong..

[@T3sl4]

It's only Surprise when it's from the Inquisition region of Spain, everywhere else it's just sparkling excitement.

[@flipnotrab]

5th grade in mid 70’s we were required to memorize the periodic table and were told “THIS is everything that everything in made of..” I asked how that was possible and couldn’t there be more we haven’t found yet. Teacher berated me for “questioning” the scientists knowledge and told the class “they are much smarter than all of you..” Always wanted to go back and find that teacher after more and more elements have been added over the years.

[@fjb4932]

flipnotrab, Not every teacher Should be a teacher . . . - - - . . .

[@MorbidEel]

yikes, that is the opposite of what a teacher should do especially a science teacher

[@jensraab2902]

Wow, that was a scarily bad teacher. They could have used your question to engage the class and go a little deeper. Throw the question back at everybody and see if anyone had a good idea. One of the obvious lessons would be that elements as we know them (made out of protons, neutrons and electrons*) are complete in the sense that there is no longer any gaps in the table, just room for even heavier elements. The next lesson could then be to get the class to realize that all the heaviest elements are unstable and that the half-lives are rather getting shorter, and potentially hint at how the heaviest elements are synthesized. They could have hinted at the possibility of hypothetical stable elements (or at least those whose half-lives are long enough to be around for a reasonably long time) even though synthesis is currently out of our reach. Even saying all of this in a two or three sentences would have been more productive than shutting you down with an argument from authority. * there are actually atom-like formations -so-called exotic atoms- where any of these is replaced by another particle but this might have been a little too-much off-topic cf. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exotic_atom

[@UrbanMediaReview]

Right. Some stuff is obvious af also. Just maybe at the time with the limited technology, they can't PROVE or unprove anything.

[@SpinDip42069]

They weren't exactly wrong tho. Everything that occurs abundantly in nature has been known for a good amount of time. They definitely shouldn't be a teacher with that attitude tho.

[@briandiehl9257]

I read a paper a while back about the possiblity of a 'continent of stability'. Basically an Island of stability but could hold an entire periodic table's worth of new elements, made possible by strange quarks or something

[@cammccauley]

Ohhhh I’m very interested in that

[@quantumbanana]

ud-quark matter is one possible example of this, but without the strange quarks. the protons and neutrons dissolve entirely into a stable quark blob. Apparently if it exists it would allow incredibly dynamic matter properties that you could custom design, as well as extremely efficient and small fusion reactions.

[@deleted-something]

Yea

[@DrexYiii]

I've heard about the island of stability but haven't read anything on it, would you be able to link to the paper you read?

[@-Kerstin]

Wikipedia has a page on "Continent of stability"

[@blaine5589]

In 9th grade in my chemistry class i did this pretty cool exercise in thought where we looked at the fictional material vibranium from marvel and tried to figure out where it would go on the periodic table based on its properties. Fun stuff

[@Eujejfifkejshcifkoe]

What was the answer?

[@blaine5589]

@@Eujejfifkejshcifkoe There wasn't really any "correct" answer. After all, vibranium isn't real, but I think we got credit so long as where we placed it sort of made sense with the properties it has in the movies. I totally forget what I tried to do with it though.

[@markmyjak7739]

Did you figure it out?

[@Dhanraj919]

​@@blaine5589 some experts say it goes around 200 to 250 something Even after being stable and non radioactive

[@BaconGrilledCheeseSanwich]

That's so cool I wanna do it

[@100percentSNAFU]

I'm old enough that I remember seeing the periodic table in chemistry class with elements 104 and up not even having proper names, just placeholder numeric names.

[@donovancurtis9381]

Dude, how old are you?

[@lenorapalminteri1002]

I recall there were 103 elements on the Periodic Table when I was in high school.

[@rasin9391]

That sounds amazing. You must be super old!

[@damiannguyen9868]

@@rasin9391 maybe you should reword how you say your compliments...

[@dantewegetit]

​@@damiannguyen9868 🤣🤣🤣

[@TheTwober]

The sheer fact that we don't fully know yet what is required to make an atom stable means that there are most likely big surprises ahead of us.

[@eeshwargrewal]

I have always been excited by this 2nd island of stability. Just imagine everything we have ever done is through what we have found in nature but maybe in the long long future if we could start building these elements what wonderful properties could we expect. Like we use iron and then steel then carbon nanotubes but instead, we start with something stronger than iron and then alloy it further.

[@SMCwasTaken]

Imagine how francium and astatine would look like

[@bryanergau6682]

Lots of explosions and radiation I bet.

[@Predated2]

I'd say we do know, not exactly knowing what the difference is between stability and instability (while we are quite close, we are either not seeing how the factors interact, or we are missing a factor, considering simulations provide technium with its instability based on our math, I'm guessing we simply don't see the combined factor) )

[@dimitristripakis7364]

I believe we know what makes atoms stable. Full external electron shell and small nucleus atomic number (number of protons). Isn't this true ?

[@SomeThingOrMaybeAnother]

I would strongly recommend "The man who tried to fake an element" video by BobbyBroccoli. It goes into a lot of detail about history of new element synthesis and basic physics.

[@sooperman05]

seen the title, came here to say this exact same thing! that video has helped me understand so much more than i did before watching

[@ERBEpic]

As someone who already knew about the chemistry in the before, I still recommend the video. Was really interesting, as much as it might just look like an educational video by reading comments above

[@brettjenkins1645]

Excellent recommendation! I’ll second it

[@sam08g16]

Man, his representation of elements as islands and mountains is simply genius

[@hunterhicks6726]

I was also just about to mention it. That video is a masterpiece.

[@friedpicklezzz]

I’m always amazed at how early scientist discovered… stuff. Take Mendelev, arranging the known elements to their known atomic weight… the dude was born in 1834!

[@HenryGengler]

Yknow tha just becuase they didn't have iPhone didn't mean that everyone back then was a knuckledragging Neanderthal right?

[@adumpster235]

its insane how they utilized resources to be able to make legitimate subatomic discoveries

[@kingofhearts3185]

Even without the tools to know why things were happening, humans have a remarkable ability of pattern recognition to realize that something is happening and it isn't random.

[@wesc6755]

No matter what's going on, Spacetime always raises my spirits. It's a showcase of the best humans making the species better.

[@DeKevers]

Amungus 🥶

[@imarchello]

@@DeKevers Not you.

[@hiimplansub]

Sudo forget everything n reset

[@tyedye3d]

@@DeKevers boo [__]

[@zainabe9503]

Wait, better in terms of what?

[@speedrat6507]

I had a nightmare once that we synthesized element 125 and it instantly destroyed the universe

[@DrDeuteron]

cat's cradle.

[@eljanrimsa5843]

if it destroyed it instantly, how did you notice it?

[@speedrat6507]

@@eljanrimsa5843 it was a dream don't think too hard

[@clover7359]

All at once or was a sphere of annihilation that expanded at the speed of light?

[@speedrat6507]

@@clover7359 it was a while ago now but I wrote in the journal it was similar to the church explosion in GOT. super entertaining dream in hindsight but I woke up shaking lol

[@dreffon9213]

I think I read somewhere that the island of stability is a moving frontier. A few years back, it was expected that elements above 115 or 116 would be found to be a bit more stable than the ones before, as they would be the "shore" of the island. Now that we are up to 118 with each new element being less and less stable, the island is predicted to be further away...

[@garethdean6382]

Yes. There's a few issues at play. One is that our knowledge is imperfect, there are several theories on where the island (Or in some places 'continent') will be, a few of which are now disproven. Our creation of heavy elements often informs us of more distant possibilities. (Or lack thereof.)

[@davidguthary8147]

There's also the issue that we have only created certain isotopes of these elements. For example, Og-294 is the only isotope of oganesson to be successfully synthesized, but Og-297 is predicted to have a longer half-life.

[@ThePeterDislikeShow]

@@davidguthary8147 I hope we have a stable 115. I love bismuth crystals and can't wait to make one out of 115.

[@rob_over_9000]

It’s not predicted further without reason. As he said, there are computer models that shows the increasing stability as these nucleon numbers increase. It’s likely there’s another “island” after this one, and it’s probably even further.

[@Eradicator-jv9xr]

@@garethdean6382 I mean... It being a continent is very unlikely. It would likely contain 4-5 elements at best, and even then they would decay into lead in a few hundred years (which is short for an element in case people reading this think it's long)

[@p3chv0gel22]

I love how the Video is about undiscovered elements And at least two of the examples at the beginning (adamantium and netherite) can be argued to not be elemental to begin with. One is stated to be an alloy and the other is at least crafted by using gold

[@GerinoMorn]

I remember sitting in the chemistry classroom, looking at the sun-bleached periodic table above the blackboard. It "ended" probably around Seaborgium, having the "Unununium" names. I remember reading about the Island of Stability some time later, and that made me... believe, I guess, that those new sorta-stable elements are going to be the most amazing thing ever. I hope I will live to hear about them :)

[@The3nd187]

I remember my Chem teacher in High School had a funky Periodic Table that was a circle and he told us about the "island of stability".

[@jovetj]

I think the "Island of Stability" is one of those things that's always 30 years off, or maybe 6-7 protons away...

[@frun]

Will be worthless. Better read how physicists managed to create universe in the lab right now.

[@charlesbrightman4237]

Potential completion of the Periodic Table of the Elements: I currently believe that there are 120 chemical elements in this universe. If a person were to look at how electrons fill up the shells in atoms: 2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 18, 8 (seven shells), and realizing that energy could freely flow in this universe if nothing stopped it from doing so, then a natural bell shaped curve might occur. An eighth energy shell might exist with a maximum of two elements in it, chemical element #119 (8s1) and chemical element #120 (8s2). Chemical Element #119 (8s1): #119 I put at the bottom of the Hydrogen group on the Periodic Table of the Elements. It only has one electron in it's outer shell with room for only one more electron. Energy might even enter the atom through the missing electron spot and then at least some of the energy might get trapped inside of the atom under the atom's outer shell. Chemical Element #120 (8s2): #120 I put at the bottom of the Helium group since it's outer shell is full of electrons. It might have some of the properties of group two, Beryllium group (Alkali Earth Metals group) since it has two electrons in it's outer shell; as well as some of the properties of the Helium group (Noble Gases group) since it's outer shell is full of electrons; and if you look at the step down deflection of the semi-metals and where #120 would be located on the chart, it's possible #120 might even have some semi-metal characteristics. #120 would be the heaviest element in this universe. I believe chemical element #120 could possibly be found inside the center of stars. When a neutron split inside of this atom, it would give off one proton, one electron, neutrinos and energy. The proton and electron would be ejected outside of the atom since all their respective areas are full. One proton and one electron are basic hydrogen, of which the Sun is primarily made up of, and the Sun certainly gives off neutrinos and energy. And note, it's the neutron that split, not a proton. So even after the split, there are still 120 protons inside of the atom and the atom still exists as element #120. The star would last longer that way. In addition, if the neutron that split triggered a chain reaction inside of the star, this could possibly be how stars nova, (even if only periodically). If stars were looked at as if this theoretical idea were true, and found to even be somewhat true, then we might just have a better model of the universe to work with, even if it's not totally 100% true. And if it's all 100% true, then all the better.

[@CAPSLOCKPUNDIT]

We have yet to exhaust all options for finding the island of stability. Sure, physicists have been making making innovative use of particle accelerators. But no one is looking for a message in a bottle.

[@clintmsmith]

It regularly amazes me that we, as humans, know anything about stuff on this scale let alone these details (which, despite the great detail in this video only scratch the surface). The dedication of really intelligent people coming up with theoretical models, designing tests, and then building on that is so incredible. When we want to be we are an amazing species that explore the world around us, the world unseen, and the universe at an unimaginable scale. Thanks for providing a path to explore this world!

[@Matty002]

'when we want to be' but the issue has never been lack of want. almost all humans are born to explore by the drive of curiosity. the problem is that people can gain massive power through unquestioning followers, and once in power, they actively prevent questioning ie: monarchies, dictatorships, religions, consevatives

[@dantippett2676]

And when we "want to be" we are also hopelessly selfish, greedy, immoral, amoral, depraved shits who are wantonly destroying the planet that sustains us in our never ending lust for more, more, more... ... sorry, my sincere apologies for treading on your comment... but it had to be said.

[@sebasstein7014]

@@Matty002 Like the guy above you

[@Babalas]

It is also usually interesting to think that each step on the way can feel quite minor or even worthless to the person who originally discovered that tidbit of information. Doubt Curie would have ever imagined her discoveries being used to navigate with an planetary constellation of devices.

[@garyk1334]

@Repent and believe in Jesus Christ 🤣

[@yesjo1456]

Hey Matt, Thank you for being the host of PBS Space Time. I've been watching for quite some time now and I feel like I get smarter every time! It feels weird to have been watching for a while because it makes me feel kind of at home with you as a host, which is a parasocial thing, but then again, all that we consider a relationship is just a representation of an image in our minds. A thank you to you and the PBS Space Time team for keeping this channel running! It's a really great source of information and, in that, it's a really nice contrast from the news or media, which is oftentimes coloured by emotions and superficial reasons. PBS Space Time is only coloured by the emotion of wonder and is otherwise coloured by science, which is a very stable and comforting way to think about the world. Thank you.

[@mattwojtowicz7848]

I’m not the host

[@stz03]

Jeez, you scared me; thought Matt was retiring from his S tier hosting. S being for Spacetime of course 😊

[@edward_swing]

I would expect the next row of the periodic table to be even longer than the current ones. Every two rows, we see the addition of a new electron orbital (the rare earths actually fit in the table, but are dropped below it for display purposes). And with the next row, we're due for a fifth electron orbital type with 18 electrons.

[@Feyser1970]

quantity of electrons don't define what a atom is

[@edward_swing]

@@Feyser1970 No, but they do determine how the element reacts. And electrons = protons in (non-ionic) atoms. The S orbital holds 2 electrons. That's Hydrogen & Helium, then the first two columns of the periodic table. Then the P orbital is next; it holds 6 electrons, which are the last 6 columns (Boron through Neon in the first row). Two rows later, we add the D orbital, which holds 10 electrons. That's the middle of the periodic table. Finally (for now), we add the F orbital two rows later which has 14 electrons. That's the rare earths. With the upcoming row, we're due for a fifth orbital with 18 electrons if the pattern continues

[@Glitterkittyxyz]

​@@Feyser1970Valence electrons (electrons in the outermost orbital) pretty much define how an atom bonds with other atoms

[@stuartdann1261]

@@edward_swing and then we start talking about negative binding energies for electrons!

[@yakkosmemes8364]

@@Glitterkittyxyz There are a lot many other factors as well. For example, if we take lead, Pb wants to form into +2 ion instead of +4 (even though it has 4 e in its valence shell). This is because of lanthanide contractions by f block metals earlier. There are a lot of other factors, which change how an atom would bond, even though they have a fixed number of valence electrons. If a new orbital (18 e) is found, it may completely change their reactivity.

[@DrBilly619]

Technetium has always seemed like a clue that we should not stop synthesizing new elements. If there’s a radioactive element smack dab in the middle of the periodic table, could there be a stable element in the middle of radioactive ones?

[@PalladianPD]

Unfortunately the answer is no. The recent hypothesis that heavy elements are made in neutron star collisions makes it clear that all possible superheavy elements would be created. If there were any stable ones we'd have found them in nature. Another possibility is forms of matter made of non-standard quarks, I don't believe that is ruled out.

[@icecold9511]

Anything stars can make would be evenly spread out like iron and nickel. This is why the star trek "This planet has this magic element." makes no scientific sense. So...the star exploded and aimed it at this one rock? Thanks Mr Star!

[@PalladianPD]

@@icecold9511 not necessarily, the concentration of elements on each planet in the solar system do vary widely. Standard stuff like iron and silicon seems to be pretty much everywhere though.

[@icecold9511]

@@PalladianPD A star system would likely clump the elements based on gravity. But the elements would be scattered by an exploding star pretty evenly. Gravity from other stars might affect the spread some, same as inner planets and gas giants. But as has been said, the superheavy stuff, if stable, would show up. Maybe not in significant quantities, but then gold is very rare too. We find that stuff.

[@WackyAmoebatrons]

@@PalladianPD At what concentration could we still detect a new element? What if that stable trans-uranium element has only a concentration below that, say 1 part in a mol?

[@Lucius_Chiaraviglio]

Originally we were supposed to get an island of stability around element 114, but they just keep getting more unstable as we make heavier elements. The heavier elements seem to be caught in a squeeze in which those that do not have a high enough neutron to proton ratio alpha decay very rapidly, whereas those that have a higher neutron to proton ratio spontaneously fission (you see this first with fermium, of which isotope 257 is the most stable isotope, alpha decaying with a half-life of 100.5 days, and then isotope 258 spontaneously fissions in less than a millisecond (and note that the even-even rule of stability doesn't work here and for some other transuranium elements), and isotopes 259 and 260 also spontaneously fission very quickly. After fermium, you get a slight break with mendelevium, for which you can get the highest few isotopes to have enough neutrons that they can actually beta decay, but then starting with nobelium anything that doesn't alpha decay spontaneously fissions, and it gets faster until by the time you get to the upper end of what we have been able to make, you can't do anything with what you have made other than confirm detection. Current technology (ramming calcium 48 into a heavy element) should in principle get us to Element 121 -- in principle, it should be possible to make macroscopic quantities of einsteinium (actually, we already did that at least once, with einsteinium 253, half life 20.47 days, and that isn't even the most stable isotope), Fermium 257 (half-life 100.5 days), and mendelevium 260 (half life 27.8 days); adding 20 protons gets you Elements 119, 120, and 121, respectively. After that, you would have to use a heavier projectile (they're already trying titanium 50, with no success so far), but then you won't be able to get as high a neutron to proton ratio, so alpha decay instability will be even worse, and then you really won't be able to detect what you have made, let alone do anything with it.

[@HellopeepsStavros]

Thanyou for your comment. The fact that we make plutonium is a technical marvel.

[@botezsimp5808]

Does gravity play a role in why heavier elements are unstable? Love your comment, you sound like a scientist.

[@Lucius_Chiaraviglio]

@@botezsimp5808 I am, although physics (including nuclear physics) isn't my specialty (but I do know how to look stuff up and read it). As far as is known, gravity plays no role (*)in the instability of heavier elements, but electromagnetism does: Protons repel each other because they are all positively charged, and their repulsion declines only with the square of the distance, because electromagnetism has no range limit; whereas protons and neutrons attract each other by way of the strong nuclear force, which starts out stronger but falls off faster than the square of the distance, so that as a nucleus gets bigger, the electromagnetic repulsion starts to catch up. Well before getting to the point at which the nucleus would simply fly apart, you get a situation in which the nucleus can become more strongly bound by rearranging itself into 2 (or sometimes more) smaller nuclei; in the case of rearranging into 2 moderate-sized nuclei, enough energy is left over from this to kick out a few neutrons (hence the possibility of fission chain reactions). (*)If it turns out that gravity and the other forces (including electromagnetism) unify, then gravity would play a role; however, at this point, it is not proven whether gravity is a real force in the sense of the other forces or simply the result of the mathematics of spacetime curvature caused by concentrated accumulations of mass/energy. Many scientists think that gravity is an actual force (as well as curving spacetime) that does unify with the other forces at extremely high energies, but have no way to test the hypothesis with current or foreseeable technology.

[@botezsimp5808]

@@Lucius_Chiaraviglio Interesting.. My intuition says gravity and electromagnetism are related somehow.. gravity is related to size.. you make me want to study more.

[@JamesDavy2009]

@@botezsimp5808 Funny that you want to try to unify gravity with electromagnetism. This was actually what Einstein was doing in the lead-up to his death.

[@sigmagx8956]

I really enjoyed this episode and the talk about elements! Please do more deep dives on these topics! It's refreshing!

[@NosirrathOfficial]

You should check out a youtube documentary by BobbyBroccoli called "the man who tried to fake an element", it's a great comprehensive history of nuclear physics regarding how we created new elements over the past 100 years :)

[@ChinnuWoW]

There's a channel called "Periodic Videos" in case you haven't heard of it, excellent channel!

[@humphreybumblecuck5151]

More nuclear and quantum chemistry would be great.

[@BierBart12]

The extended periodic table is pretty interesting. The largest theoretical element on it has the atomic no. 168 "Unhexoctium"

[@zzzxhrg]

Wow. Another awesome episode. This kind of channel makes me really appreciate the value of the internet. Seriously, I wish I'd had this kind of information and divulgation when I was in high school, 30+ years ago. Only now I begin to grasp what all this craziness was really about (and yes, I passed all my grades with really good scores). But, in reality, I didn't know anything. It's only starting, just starting, to make sense now. 30+ years later. I wasn't at all anything nearly close to how smart I thought I was based on my scores.

[@jerryballstein]

No kidding, I missed having access to this kind of free educational content by like ~10 years. I was lucky enough to get the Discovery channel when it was actually educational, then there was like a ~5-10 year gap where Discovery had turned into reality TV slop without good free alternatives (like this) online. Who knows how this might've shaped my education & career paths! I enjoyed reading about these topics but I feel like I would've devoured these videos in high school

[@jakublizon6375]

I remember the island of stability being one of the first ideas that got me so into physics. Yes, It's a physics problem that just has applications in chemistry. Ironically, it was in a chemus5ry class where I got a periodic table and wondered, why does it stop?

[@OlegSidorenko1974]

Excellent episode. I've always been fascinated with elements. In my childhood I really enjoyed my encyclopedia of elements, with histories of their discovery, naming and applications. Feeling nostalgic now:)

[@therealslimshadyisnot]

Nerd

[@OlegSidorenko1974]

@@therealslimshadyisnot Of course! Isn't that a prerequisite for this channel?

[@Echo3_]

Understanding this is one thing but knowing it so well you can contribute to the knowledge seems supernatural to me. I will never know what it’s like to have a mind like that

[@Yazon2006]

What is most satisfying in this video is that it has millons of view. It makes me think that millions of people are interested in science. So it gives the hope that the humanity is not yet doomed to extinction. Make science, not war.

[@asandax6]

Some people just watch to get the feeling of being smart and don't even comprehend what is being talked about.

[@Just-a-Orion-on-the-internet.]

@@asandax6exactly.

[@perks6292]

I may have failed chemistry in high school but now I'm fascinated by this stuff!

[@danko5866]

same

[@waff6ix]

i had the same science teacher 3 years in a row during my high school💯flunked his class every year but still his was always my favorite class🤣🤣🤣

[@MrJoeju420]

Don't listen to these guys. Elements above 112 are not yet discovered, it was proven to be FAKED! The same guy tried faking a discovery for 110-112 at Berkly when they actually found it, his mathematics and proof of fraud is in the papers for the discovery of 112, it wasn't scrutinized heavily because the other scientists actually found 112 at the same time. I'm really sad to see PBS continuing the fake periodic table.

[@jelink22]

True story: Way back in 1951/52 I spent 1st and 2nd grade in a one-room schoolhouse in rural Pennsylvania, near Shanksville where Flight 93 went down during 9/11. About 30 kids in 8 grades, one teacher, no running water and outhouses in the back. We kids used to fill a bucket of water from a hand pump and dump it into a big crock at the back of the class. It was a fantastic experience for an inquisitive and curious kid like me. I was able to listen to and learn from the lessons given to the other classes above me. I absorbed huge amounts far beyond my 6 and 7 year old self. But I never could figure out what was going on when long division was being taught. So...we were poor, so poor that the Periodic Table on our wall had only the Alkali Metals and the Lanthanide series. It's true. Trust me.

[@alexandrevieira2410]

I trust you

[@thepotatoincident3593]

would've been a great time to grow up for a lover of science i imagine.

[@mlittletn]

ty chatgpt

[@RealmsSMPStudios]

I was wondering how C14 decayed into N14, and now I finally understand how that goes down…

[@Eeatch]

8:02 i've never heard anyone explained it at all, and you did that so good. I only found myself hearing about such things separately, in different context. If i was reading it in the book it, i could'nt fathom it. Thank you, that was interesting

[@syeda4493]

9:22 Helium-4 Oxygen-16 Calcium-40 Nickel-56 Tin-100 Lead-164 Flerovium-240

[@GigaHalal68]

True

[@mikeholmstrom1899]

Przybylski's Star has an abundance of Actinides in it's spectra. Like, plutonium, americium, & einsteinium seem to be in it. These should not be present if that star is of any reasonable age. So, either they are from decay of super heavy elements inside that star, or, the light spectrum of this star is being misunderstood.

[@posmoo9790]

the entire theory of dark matter is a con designed to disguise the failure of astrophysical observation methods, so I think you can guess.

[@TheExplosiveGuy]

From my understanding stars can't fuse anything heavier than iron, they go supernova once iron begins to be produced in the core, since anything as heavy or heavier than iron takes more energy to fuse than it produces. Maybe the spectra emissions come from ionized material being absorbed into the star from surrounding space? Perhaps it's passing through the remnants of a neutron star collision? That is really interesting regardless.

[@jess500texas]

Are you making a joke? Eistienium, americum?

[@mikeholmstrom1899]

@@jess500texas Those are real elements.

[@everettduncan7543]

Such elements can't be formed in typical stars, but if Przybylski's Star contains a neutron star, that could easily be possible

[@HellopeepsStavros]

May i just say, i never heard this story assuming that anything below lead could be found in some quantities somewhere. Learn something new everyday. Thankyou so much for your channel.

[@publiconions6313]

This channel is so freaking good - my only regret is finding it so early ... oh, the jealousy of the other-me who only just found it and gets to binge it for the first time.

[@WackyAmoebatrons]

Search YT for "PBS infinite series" for another mind blowing experience. 🙂

[@publiconions6313]

@@WackyAmoebatrons I agree - excellent channel ... alas, seen em all and I don't think they're making any more. I found this other dude ComboClass -- sort of a whacky Beakman's World sorta dude with excellent quirky math content. He'd fit right in with Brady Haran and the bunch

[@kukulroukul4698]

true true true ...i was one of them...but the comments back WERE tremendously good and well argumented GEEZZZ!

[@erik-ic3tp]

@@WackyAmoebatrons, but that channel’s dead.😢

[@RoentegFan]

Great video. Loved it. There are a few tiny errors in the brief section about Tc in medical imaging. Tc-99m with its 140 keV photon is the "work-horse" of nuclear radiology, and we use a gamma camera to collect those photons. There is a kernel of truth in that it plays an important role in medical imaging. However, it's not a "contrast agent" as radiologists typically use the term, and none of the images shown were of a nuclear medicine study using Tc-99m. The contrast agents used in the images you showed were gadolinium-based (MRI) and iodine-based (CT). These elements do have useful physical properties, but radioactivity isn't among them. Apologies if this has already been pointed out.

[@synonymous1079]

Hopefully you can do an episode on the continent of stability and the hypothetical UDQM form of matter that those elements are thought to be comprised of. It's even more speculative and much harder to reach than the already speculative and hard-to-reach island of stability, but there may be far more potential for useful and even stable elements there.

[@ReconOne123456789]

Somebody did their homework :) Congrats :D

[@cyrilio]

I want this too

[@yodo9000]

Don't forget exotic elements such as positronium and muonium that have already been discovered.

[@Robert-n5t9v]

This Gentleman is explaining very well. When explaining complicated physics he may discover new ideas or rejecting old theory that can't be true.

[@Man_of_Tears]

That part on the end was my favourite! How delightful to hear of all of these paradoxes in such an interested way :)

[@LeoiCaangWan]

The little 'Damnit.' at the end was perfect.

[@tazz250]

I was excited to see a chemistry episode, these aren't as common on this channel as the big spacey cosmology ones (which are also fantastic).

[@johnnycochicken]

@@ClaudiuPurice haha

[@Patrik6920]

Chemistry?...>Particle physics...

[@scottmantooth8785]

*you would probably really enjoy this channel then: **kzbin.info/www/bejne/iHrHaXttaZZ0rMU** the professor and his team are such a joy to watch*

[@peteranon8455]

I imagine there are a finite number of atoms possible, with the limiting factor being exactly how many protons there are in the entirety of reality. So... yes, there's more than 118 or so.

[@BassRemedy]

a singular atom with so big of a nucleus that its visible to the naked eye XD

[@curseofgladstone4981]

@@BassRemedy neutron stars

[@Jokerwolf666]

The only thing that throws a wrench into that is that atoms can be in multiple places at once.

[@DragonsAndDragons777]

Imagine sticking enough of them together so you get an atom the size of a planet 🤤

[@TheChemNerd44]

Great video! This is a topic that is extensively discussed in modern chemistry, and it's great to see your theories.

[@brandonvasser5902]

The number of topics this channel can cover is the best part of it

[@KainniaK]

Cause if you go deep enough into any phemonom if it's not abstract it's physics, if it is it's math.

[@GuillotinedChemistry]

Thank you for this video on element stability and the nucleus. As a high school chemistry teacher, this will be an excellent enrichment resource for the particularly curious student! 😃

[@kamilziemian995]

I wish you many curious students.

[@markanticole5460]

@@kamilziemian995 Thanks! I'm lucky that most are!

[@xMorogothx]

teach your students how to make meth

[@MattttG3]

🤔 the only kind of “guillotined chemistry” I can think of is those amazing, beautiful , intelligent humans that do chemistry to idkkkk produce let’s sayyyy methydioxymethamphetamine (for the spelling, guessed it ) or lysergic diethylamine 😅❤

[@raulvirag6460]

Vibranium?

[@davidpescod7573]

This was a really fascinating video. I was particularly interested in your explanation on the instability of technetium which I have received for medical diagnosis. Considering it’s place in the periodic table it is fascinating to know why it does not exist in nature. Thanks to your description I am in a better position to understand

[@bobbythomas6520]

Doesn’t exist in our system. It could in another

[@NTJedi]

We needed less talk about existing elements and more talk about the unknown elements

[@DonCarlos590]

I am thoroughly enjoying your discussions. The way you explain, very unique. Very simple to comprehend. Thanks homie

[@justasimplenoob5977]

His T-shirt is literally the periodic table of minecraft💀

[@01io]

Is it literally 😑

[@fireteam_]

They use music from the Mass Effect series all the time too, just thought I'd add that 😊

[@stefanfyhn4668]

Luckily its not figuratively the periodic table of minecraft

[@M370gg]

Based Individual

[@mattsmith5421]

I can't believe you literally said that

[@TransRoofKorean]

It's worth considering that some of the elements we call "radioactive" due in large part to where they are on the Periodic Table, ie. how heavy, are essentially extremely stable, almost not radioactive -- U-238 having a half-life of 4 and a half billion years. Since our models aren't going to predict before we create any new elements among the Island of Stability, there very well could be an isotope or two (or more) that are perfectly stable, even moreso than a U-238 etc. And who knows what secrets that could unlock...

[@lubricustheslippery5028]

Or they will just fission in nanoseconds...

[@zrath67]

I saw a video a few weeks ago by BobbyBroccoli called "The man who tried to fake an element". its about the history of man made elements and the race to be the first to actually make them. If you want to know more about how these elements are made and the surrounding drama, its a great video.

[@robinsparrow1618]

first time i had seen that stability chart, and i was kind of upset i'd never seen it before! it holds a lot of insight!

[@julieparry3992]

I watched that whole video too

[@DanHarkless_Halloween_YTPs_etc]

"That whole video"? Ah, I see, it's an hour and 20 minutes long. OK, good one for the "Watch later" list. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@grumblycurmudgeon]

Seconded. Fantastic documentary (as all of his latest vids have been).

[@thedoublessymbol]

@@DanHarkless_Halloween_YTPs_etc and it's a trilogy

[@cRAVEtrance]

SO INTERESTING! Thanks PBS Spacetime! ❤

[@CatFish107]

Cool that we are apparently up to a buck eighteen. The first time I had heard of lab created heavy elements, the max people had done, and barely detected was 111 or 112. Very interesting stuff. Thanks for the vid!

[@peterkerr6562]

There were some great nuggets in there that didn't even get touched on in my Chemistry degree! Looking forward to the deeper dive episode into nucleon stability

[@kevincrosby1760]

And therein lies one of the problems with a college education. Your college education is only as current and comprehensive as the Prof's knowledge and training, and the provided resources as current and comprehensive as the Curriculum Committee (and the accountants) provide. The above is not really a problem if everybody is striving towards the goal of providing a well-rounded basic education to the students with the final result being grads with the knowledge and tools to continue learning in the field. Now to the problem. Were the "nuggets" that were not touched during your education not available at the time, or were they so new or controversial that somebody felt that such ridiculous nonsense had no place in your education? I am NOT trying to minimize your hard work in any way. I understand that earning a degree is not easy. I'm simply throwing out there the possibility that your education could have been deliberately narrowed or guided based on the politics/beliefs/finances of others. You are obviously continuing to learn. The problem lies with those who believe that they became the consummate expert in their field the day they graduated, and simply consider anybody who disagrees with them to be flat wrong. Thanks for not being in the latter group.

[@thetrashmann8140]

I appreciate the Half-Life & Minecraft references it's always good to have a sense of humor even when talking about science or mathematics.

[@Emm_Hi]

I've always dreamt about a fictional,, futuristic process in which we are able to stabilise all the radioactive elements and use them at their full potential. Like, imagine what would those elements be used for if they weren't unstable.

[@vendetta1429]

This is my guess on how we'll be able to create new usable elements in the distant future.

[@brooksbryant2478]

I was reading about what might be the largest possible element and saw something saying it might be 137, and thanks to a recent video from here I recognized that number!

[@sjoer]

I loved the isotopes explainer, because this is something a LOT of people simply do not understand is a real feature of our physical world!

[@sjoer]

Also, imagine the immense pressures needed to make those high proton elements stay together for even a moment!

[@jovetj]

@@sjoer It isn't so much pressure as it is luck.

[@sjoer]

@@jovetj no, it isn't luck or we wouldn't call it science.

[@muzzletov]

@@sjoera very small probability outcome coming true is luck. this doesnt disregard science in any way.

[@sjoer]

@@muzzletov no, luck is when you do s something without intention. If you are doing a scientific measurement, you are not measuring luck... but as you said probability. Your intention is to measure, not to completely fail your understanding of the subject.

[@foragreenfuture6030]

The International Atomic Energy Agency has an “Isotope Browser” app that graphically represents all the known elements and their isotopes. I’ve always wondered why there were holes in the graphic-areas with no combination of protons and neutrons.

[@jakethomas6123]

Wow! Never heard of protons and neutrons having their own “shells” like electrons! Really neat.

[@CBlargh]

I like how the stone age and the silicon age are basically the same elements. It's fitting to be moving forward and backward at the same time, given the human behaviour we see on the internet.

[@althomas6045]

we were taught in middle school in the mid 1970s about a supposed island of instability. and higher up the elements may settle down and become stable.

[@LoveHandle4890]

“And there are many, many others but they haven’t been discovered.” -The Elements Song.

[@joemon1505]

Nice, simple, but entertaining video. Thank you for making free educational content

[@dhananjaysawant4646]

3:53 there is actually some technetium in a uranium mine in Africa but it is produced by radioactive decay, similar to how they first discovered it.

[@user-pr6ed3ri2k]

There was also a uranium mine that once sustained nuclear fission like a standard light-water modulated reactor

[@dhananjaysawant4646]

I think it’s the same one

[@CHUCKLZLORD]

That outro was the longest I've been waiting for the SpaceTime drop. What an odd sensation, is this what Dubstep enthusiasts live for?

[@lucascsrs2581]

Wow, amazing episode! It's so good to see Matt diving a little bit into Chemistry... I mean, the "Physics part" of Chemistry :D

[@Sednethal]

Has Zach Weinersmith of SMBC has pointed out, Chemistry is the "central science"

[@jovetj]

Chemistry is a subset of physics!!

[@razeezar]

@@jovetj By extension, everything is. Even sexytime.

[@mfaizsyahmi]

Chemistry just happen to be in the middle spot between the very small physics and the very large physics.

[@rmt3589]

Thank you for this. Working on worldbuilding new elements. Plan is, a new subatomic particle, one that has its own stages of matter in its own right, but can combine in the nucleus of an atom to make it more stable and more able to store/conduct "energy".

[@dregoth0]

I wonder how much similarity there is between nucleons arranging themselves into their most efficient (and sometime unstable) configuration and protein folding.

[@justmoritz]

This is the first episode in a long time I could listen to while on a run and understand absolutely every word.

[@rickbannan7110]

This is one of those few episodes of Space Time I can almost completely understand, but I had known about the island for like a decade or more so I had some time to wrap my brain around it.

[@markfox1545]

'Like a decade or more'? You're going to have to explain that one to me. You don't mean a decade, you mean LIKE a decade. Plus 'or more'. What on earth are you trying to say?

[@SupersuMC]

@@markfox1545 Let's just say Theodore Gray mentioned it in his book on the Periodic Table, _The Elements._

[@Xeneonic]

@@markfox1545 >= ~10 Easy.

[@rb3872]

@@Xeneonic or more decades ;)

[@michelemerick599]

2 questions: is life inevitable? And: the periodic table looks as it does because of our 2D representation. What would it look like if it were 3D? What does the 3rd axis represent? And could we then “pry in” new elements that way?

[@fuzzblightyear145]

well i suppose you could put that stability chart with the various isotopes on the 3rd axis ( with neutron count as the third axis) but i can't think of it's usefulness. Unfortunately you can't squeeze in any extra elements on the existing periodic table, except on the end, as each element is defined by the number of protons in the nucleus. And we have everything up to 118. And the periodic table looks like it does as elements with similar *chemical* properties are grouped together in the vertical columns. Which when you dive into it, is related to the structure of the electrons around the nucleus.

[@MrBrineplays_]

It's just so weird how atoms behave so differently with every addition of a proton. Like how mercury is a liquid metal but most metals are solid in room temperature, or how adding 1 proton to a nitrogen atom turns it into an oxygen atom. Makes you wonder what part of it makes it have unique properties.

[@TravisR1982]

Matt thank you for addressing Tc head-on, and for pronouncing it on the video for us. Technetium has bothered me since high school chemistry. still not any clear, easy-to-understand answers for the lack of stable isotopes, but, at least there are some unclear ones and a really good computer model.

[@markzambelli]

I'm going to be 'that guy' that highlights Matt's incorrect pronunciation... Tc should be pronounced _tek·nee·shee·uhm_ in both British and US (I'm English and worked with the stuff while in Radio-Pharmacy at Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester; used to be part of WDGH NHSTrust) I know Matt is Oz (the chemical symbol for an Australian😉) but we must'nt hold that against him, Ha Ha (the chemical symbol for Humour)

[@TravisR1982]

@@markzambelli Maybe in 'Stralia they pronounce it that way! Seems plausible! I have never ever heard it pronounced; I need to pole the New English community now.

[@markzambelli]

@@TravisR1982 (psst... have you seen the new vid about Neutrino detection where Matt's had time to check Tc's pronunciation😉... I'm sure there're technical words in high-energy cosmology that we get wrong that Matt just puts up with so fair dinkum)

[@Bassotronics]

I love this science channel. It makes me feel like a scientist every time I watch.

[@ivanp7]

you know, I'm something of a scientist myself

[@mars9118]

Impressive, your parents must be proud.

[@Elemental-IT]

this is the first PBS Space Time that I followed completely. lolol either this is an extraordinarily simplistic episode, or I have stepped up my game significantly. I fear the former is most likely.

[@dunkelfels]

Same :(

[@vinniehuish3987]

Extraordinarily simplistic. He’s talking about chemistry Lmao give me a break

[@joebob4579]

@@vinniehuish3987 dude stfu chemistry is hard

[@vinniehuish3987]

@@joebob4579 No. PHYSICS.. Is hard. Chemistry is for those who are not intelligent enough to take physics because physics encapsulates chemistry. That’s why it’s called physics. It’s a mathematical representation of chemistry which is essentially just diagrams lol. Considering that chemists will be replaced by AI within the next 10 years where as experimental physicists and machine learning engineers will still have jobs because of their backgrounds in physics.

[@vinniehuish3987]

@@joebob4579 I would know.. I’m a machine learning engineer.

[@jeffreyb.2817]

You should have throw everyone and said Element-115. I'd loved to see that Easter Egg.

[@strehlow]

At about 19:00, Matt speaks of possible multiple separate origins of life on Earth, and why that hasn't apparently happened. I think it is just the Grabby Aliens mechanism, but confined to the bounds of our own ecosystem.

[@DeltafangEX]

Ah, fellow Isaac Arthur enjoyer spotted. 🔭

[@DaysDX]

YES

[@RafitoOoO]

Yeah, you totally got me onboard when you mentioned how our ages are defined by what we can master. It'd be cool to get some stuff like vibranium or whatever.

[@MonkeysEmperor]

Ah yes the Age of Bolognium

[@mastershooter64]

@@MonkeysEmperor Age of memeium

[@krikeydial3430]

Vibranium is the most popular element amongst women.

[@alastor8091]

We're currently living in the age of Copium.

[@RafitoOoO]

@@alastor8091 that was nice haha

[@Mike23443]

Just imagine holding an ingot of this heaviest yet undiscovered element. People are already surprised with the weight of gold. It's nigh on impossible to just hold Uranium for an average person, and yet these elements have the potential of being 3-4 times as heavy as those. Imagine a golf ball that weighs 8 lbs / 4 kg. Nutty.

[@PSwayBeats]

Watching this video a year later still one of the most interesting videos by far

[@Mr8411s]

I would have loved to hear some more about limitations in this context, like relativistic stuff and the structure of period 8.

[@pwnmeisterage]

These elements are too theoretical and speculative for anything useful to be said about them. Especially if it has to be simplified to the point of uselessness for those of us (myself included) who lack doctorates in advanced material sciences or particle physics.

[@NoVIcE_Source]

5:08 yesss that half life reference :D

[@eduardoroman2691]

Excelente relator, de un elevado nivel de sensatez y de conocimientos científicos y filosóficos. ¡Mis más sinceras felicitaciones!

[@excelwizard5621]

Como dice don Eduardo, dentro de todas las noticias y TikToks falsos, a veces se encuentra una joya.

[@hanna_GG2]

Speak English

[@That-powerful-cat]

thanks!. this really challanged my current thoughts on the universe. made me have some good ol existential crisis!

[@Crimsin19937]

This concept of undiscovered elements is pretty awesome and a core part of a story I've been working on for a long time!

[@RCaIabraro]

Excellent episode. I love when you do episodes on chemistry.

[@bowenmadden6122]

I wonder if elements in the Island of Stability will have wondrous applications as alloys or chemical compounds, but be rather unimpressive in their pure elemental form.

[@Tom_Quixote]

I'm thinking they will be like lead, just a bit more heavy and a bit more grey.

[@damonedrington3453]

If they’re stable they’re likely hyper dense metals. Assuming we could melt them we could essentially make the same kind of metal-ceramic and other such composites with them.

[@bowenmadden6122]

@@damonedrington3453 maybe something about the way they form chemical bonds is unique and useful

[@heidiwilliams9427]

I agree! The possabilitys. Everything has purpose... watch ur step.

[@Dalamr]

@@damonedrington3453 maybe one of them could make room temperature superconductors possible.

[@ScalarInfluon]

0:06 are yall armor or tools with your first piece

[@tnvrxyz]

Pickaxe is the greatest option

[@ScalarInfluon]

@@tnvrxyz yes

[@deangeloenriquez1603]

0:06 The ancient debris material might be an element outside of the table but netherite is comprised of ancient debris and gold and thus is an alloy (and there is a good chance ancient debris is just platinum)

[@manioqqqq]

🤔

[@toasterjimmy3058]

He showed it as iron

[@manioqqqq]

@@toasterjimmy3058 it's netherite with a green filter

[@salmanmalambut3999]

He can't find any pic of netherite in real life so he use minecraft instead🤣🤣🤣

[@Rifat-21]

Or tungsten as it has better durability

[@Galadonin]

That periodic table of Minecraft has never been so on point ! Absolute classic

[@orsonzedd]

Netherite is an alloy soooo

[@yodo9000]

You can enable Education Edition features in Minecraft Bedrock to get all the elements; and some compounds such as salt.

[@triplecastsleep1924]

One use for elements in the island is that they'd logically make extraordinarily good shielding due to their extreme density, which would be fantastic for nuclear science, fission and fusion power generation, and space travel.

[@jeremygalloway1348]

Extreme density rarely is good for space travel(weight)

[@HasekuraIsuna]

Getting it into space yes, but if constructed in space the weight shouldn't matter should it?

[@volodymyr_budii]

​@HasekuraIsuna You still have to accelerate and decelerate it in space, so it still matters a lot

[@triplecastsleep1924]

If you have 10kg of steel, and 10kg of super dense futuristic metal, the latter will shield better for the same weight.

[@volodymyr_budii]

@triplecastsleep1924 and take less space which is also very important, good point!

[@v.yaswanth5793]

I think temperature also plays an important role in stability of atoms like if temperature is very low movement of atoms decreases also stability increases. So if we go low enough temperature and do experiments at that temperature we can discover not only new elements but also many compounds which are now impossible to synthesise due to instability. Of course radio active elements are also very instable elements that we know very less information. Their half life period is like milli seconds or micro seconds.

[@aziris7257]

I like the idea of us humans being cosmic horrors.

[@Reythscipe]

We will be. We just don't have the range yet

[@paininthebox1291]

@@Reythscipe thats strangely calming

[@sotros1]

@@paininthebox1291 Having tentacles, claws, bat-wings and a beak would be interesting.

[@paininthebox1291]

@@sotros1 or multiple arms so you can do the whole 2 arms trick and then smoothly unfold the rest

[@paininthebox1291]

@@sotros1 or multiple arms so you can do the whole 2 arms trick and then smoothly unfold the rest

[@AifDaimon]

I've always been intrigued by the idea of unknown elements possibly being out there

[@jovetj]

Rile up some matter made out of different quarks.

[@AifDaimon]

@@jovetj but then, they'd most likely be too unstable to be properly studied & experimented on to see what kinda chemical compounds could be made out of binding them to already available elements like oxygen & calcium

[@denalozecon9074]

On this channel I think Nuetron Star described as over one billion gravities on surface, and temperatures up to trillions of degrees inside. Whatever exotic particles we can't find on Earth, would have great odds of being in or on Nuetron Stars...if they are possible in this Universe. If other Universes are considered and idea if different Laws of Physics? I would say millions or billions of particles that cannot exist in this Universe would exist in others; being impossible to exist they'd disappear into energy if they somehow transported to location with incompatible laws of physics.

[@jovetj]

@@AifDaimon Bingo. The universe is lazy.

[@pavannoolvi4274]

It is possible to have element upto 136 beyond which it would be impossible actually.

[@inturnetexplorer8005]

Shouldn’t the numbering in the table at 6:11 also include extension of the bottom of the actinides? Those were part of the table but separated to put everything in a good ratio.

[@lubomirhambalek]

Not only that, but whole new g-group to the left of actinides (f-group). Alas, the aufbau principle may not be valid anymore because of overlaping energy levels of outer shells

[@pepe6666]

this episode was massively elemental in understanding chemistry. i actually get all this stuff now. thanks dude. belly rubs.

[@TruckPuzzles]

Totally using the element Sugdenium in my time travel story! :)

[@TruckPuzzles]

I did it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hmbYp4CMaLZ3nKs

[@beeallen2743]

I have a feeling the next breakthrough as far as new elements are concerned is going to have less to do with an island of stability among heavier elements and more to do with insight into the working of quarks and the creation of new subatomic particles. Who knows what strange elements we may find some day.

[@jakes.house.]

God I remember going down this month long rabbit hole when I was like 14, almost a decade ago and I was really hoping we'd come further than this but literally nothing has changed

[@ReinCooked]

The fact he said Netherite and he is wearing a minecraft periodic table is not a coincidence

[@robertpallazolla6669]

Not sure it's been mentioned yet... but Technetium 99m (Tc99m) is used in medical imagining in Nuclear Medicine. It has a half-life of 6 hours and is combined with different products to image various organs. Pretty cool, and that's what I do! Serious! He mentions it later in vid, but the scans shown are CT or MRI scans not NM scans.

[@bradmitchell3831]

I was going to say the same thing. He calls it a "contrast agent" which is not accurate. Tc99m is a tag for a radiotracer to be used in emission scintigraphy. Plus I've never heard it pronounced the way he does; we say tech-nee-shee-um. But great video nonetheless!

[@huldu]

Wish I had teachers like this when I was a kid it would have made all the difference. I honestly can't even remember a single chemistry class and we had those for 3 years. Pretty sure I learned nothing from that. While a lot of blame is on me it also comes down to the teacher, pretty certain my classmates at the time would have agreed with me. Even to this day I remember the few *good* teachers and they made all the difference, they made learning exciting and fun. Then you have the majority of teachers that just go to the job to clock in for the paycheck.

[@davidbowman3744]

I remember my old HS chem teacher made his own glassware. He let his best students learn how he did it and welcomed experimentation--knowing full well all we did was make bongs. He even let us listen to Pink Floyd in class a couple times. He was awesome though. He gave me a 2400 baud modem to explore the online world (back in 1993) and introduced me to ham radio. Quite the teacher, really! He inspired me to be the "cool nerd", I suppose.

[@kevincrosby1760]

After much wailing and hand-wringing, I finally forced the school admin folks that there was no official or documented reason that I couldn't elect to take the "Bonehead" Biology class, although I qualified to take the AP classes. AP classes had a lab every two weeks or so. The "slow" class was almost all labs with minimal bookwork. The whole point was to present Biology in a "hands-on" and entertaining manner. You can book-teach that high temperatures can kill microorganisms, and prove it in the lab using petri dishes. We canned pickles in class to prove it. I believe that was also where we were all over the "Off Limits - Staff" areas with swabs collecting samples which we could incubate to see what would grow. Combine that with a teacher who, when asked something that he couldn't answer, would say "Let's find out!" and throw the book out the window for a day or two, and you had a recipe for a class where you actually learned something.

[@NethDugan]

This is the most new chemistry I've learned since my GCSE - I'd heard of the island and stuff but not the shells of protons and neutrons and wow that seems pretty important. Why did they not teach us that?

[@falnica]

I know, right?

[@CeesaX]

I'm a chemistry teacher and I can tell you -- there isn't enough time in the school year. There are so many things I want to teach my students that I just don't have time for. Cuts have to be made.

[@w花b]

@@CeesaX extra hours would be nice if the students want to but then the teacher won't have much free time anymore I guess.

[@vonschlesien]

Because this isn't chemistry! Chemical reactions are, by definition, the ones involving electron shells only. The more complicated nuclear interactions aren't relevant to that, and require whole courses of their own.

[@klausmaus1886]

as someone who teaches a lot of GCSE chemistry, a lot of students melt down when asked to contemplate the formation of ions. This is several bridges too far, and they would revolt and refuse to do chemistry any more.

[@thepinoyphysicsteacher]

This one is very good. Learned much about synthesizing future elements