Investigating the World's Elements | BBC Earth Science

From the secret history of your gold jewellery to nitrogen’s role in the First World War, there’s so much more to elements than knowing your periodic table. But what happens when these resources are manipulated or run out for good?
Source:
47:00 - American Geophysical Union 2017
48:30 - Environmental Science and Technology 2019
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[@FergyGuitar]

When I was at school (a very long time ago) I hated chemistry with a passion. I didn't understand it and didn't particularly want to because it bored me rigid. I am not sure how I stumbled upon this video or even why I started watching it but I am so glad I did as it explains science in a way that even a dunce like me can understand. Great work and I just wish I had been taught like this all those years ago.

[@tonyppe]

you're not a dunce, you've just not had a good teacher. Even when I was a kid I told teachers they were wrong but of course I respected my elders and only done that twice in my entire school journey before succumbing to their instant anger/condescending attitudes.

[@kisho2679]

How about properties, resources, extraction and usage of Lanthanides as well as Actanides?

[@CanadianBakin42O]

I LOVE BBC AND SCIENCE

[@MrSimonw58]

And weed

[@CanadianBakin42O]

@@MrSimonw58 Oh yeah, that too lol.

[@samuelgarrod8327]

Wow, I'd never admit that 😮

[@rsimpson69]

Yeah that's why I stopped watching too. I love them too much to watch this dreck

[@csbrudy]

The answer is LFTS. Liquid Fluride Thorium Salt Reactors. Proven, as fail safe as can be, cheap and inexhaustible. The oak ridge labs ran a LFTS reactor for years. It was cancelled because, a: it didn't make weapons grade material, and b: There is no big money in it. It is virtually free.

[@HairyNumbNuts]

The gold and swimming pool thing is close, but an underestimate. It's an old urban myth usually given as "less than one Olympic swimming pool of gold has ever been mined". A conservative average of authoritative estimates is say around 200,000 tonnes of gold has ever been mined. Gold has a density of 19.3 tonnes per cubic metre, so that's 10,360 cubic metres. An Olympic swimming pool is 50m x 25m x 2m (may be deeper) which is 2,500 cubic metres. So, *at least* 4 Olympic swimming pools worth of gold has been mined (not 2 1/2). The Boddington mine in Australia - just one mine - produced more than a cubic metre (22 tonnes) just last year. Australia produced 313 tonnes of gold in 2022, 16 cubic metres, so that one country would fill an Olympic swimming pool in just 156 years, and China and Russia produce a similar amount each year, so together they'd fill a pool in less than 50 years.

[@gameeverything816]

The video says 3.5 swimming pools not 2.5 as per your comment. Just fyi

[@craigb8228]

And that's why we spread it thin.

[@sewthuis9659]

when 2 neutronstars collided in 2017 they made 3 earth masses of gold thats insane

[@garyk1334]

Let's go get it ! Which direction ? 🤑

[@snasturbate1087]

audio normalization, how hard could it be.

[@NGC-catseye]

Haa Haa😹 it’s good to see regular channels get context labels too. Congratulations 🥳

[@FA-ft9sq]

The biggest benefit of mining (and manufacturing, farming, etc) in space is that you can pollute to your hearts content. Space is big and will likely take literal aeons before we even worry about it, if at all.

[@WhiteGeared]

Really dude! Y'all are already crying about losing your precious spacecrafts and satellites lol! Implement recycling and/or planned obsolescence first in every major pollutant industry first. Also USA first, this is the major culprit for pollution not India or china.

[@rwm1980]

Wowzer a major problem that I knew little abou

[@renerene9048]

The total amount of all money ever issued in history including the value of all gold ever produced can be writen down on piece of paper in a single sentence

[@tonyhawthorne3222]

Nine countries possess nuclear weapons:NOT SIX.

[@harrisonshone7769]

Nine countries possess nuclear weapons. Only six of those possess hydrogen bombs.

[@bwest6275]

That thumbnail represents the elusive roulette spin you never win in Gran Turismo 7 😂

[@standardranchstash221]

Very BBC.

[@richardbennett4365]

❤ gold reacts with two acids in mixture and is DISSOLVED by them. It isn't the most inert element in the universe.

[@wsmith6170]

So... What IS the most inert element in the universe???

[@nofacee94]

@@wsmith6170 what about noble gases?

[@nofacee94]

death by helium

[@daveking3494]

Does this mean that when I clean my cat’s toilet, I should put the contents into my plants?

[@markkosloski4768]

The commonality of posing speculative ideas as well known facts in a supposed attempt to seem intelligent is startling. They were up to the task.

[@TG-lp9vi]

Ignore the spelling mistakes. This Chanel won’t let me correct it.

[@babusastry]

I find it fascinationg that name an element in the universe and you are likely to find that on the earth in the raw or in a compound AND IF NOT you witll a few persons who will know how to create it and more over they will create for you other elements and compounds not likely to be found elsewhere in the universe AND FURTHER these persons themselves are made up of a handful of COMMON elements abundunt in the universe!

I saw those gold bars and I thought this was about Bob Menendez.

[@josef1858]

3.5 Olympic pools is 7000 m³. That seems like a lot to me lol

[@FrankBoston]

My god seeing those helium balloons fly makes me absolutely furious.

[@nofacee94]

Awesome

[@davehedgehog9795]

Incorrect info BBC. he World Gold Council estimated that the total amount of gold ever mined up to 2021 was around 197,576 tons. An Olympic-sized swimming pool typically holds about 2,500 cubic meters (or 2.5 million liters) of water. To estimate how many Olympic-sized pools the mined gold could fill, we need to convert the weight of gold into volume. Gold has a density of approximately 19.32 grams per cubic centimeter. 197,576 tons of gold is equal to 197,576,000 kilograms or 197,576,000,000 grams. Volume = Mass / Density Volume of gold = 197,576,000,000 grams / 19.32 grams per cubic centimeter This gives us the volume of gold in cubic centimeters. To convert this to cubic meters (for easier comparison with Olympic-sized pools), we divide by 1,000,000 (since there are 1,000,000 cubic centimeters in a cubic meter). Now we can calculate the number of Olympic-sized pools: Number of pools = Volume of gold (cubic meters) / Volume of an Olympic-sized pool (cubic meters) Keep in mind that these calculations are based on approximate values. Using the rough estimates and calculations provided earlier, the total amount of gold ever mined (about 197,576 tons) could fill roughly 63 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Please note that this is an approximation, and the actual amount of gold mined may have changed since my last update in January 2022.

[@davehedgehog9795]

Focus on scamming people with the TV licenses ;)

[@2595220]

​@davehedgehog9795 😂😂😂😂 brilliant couldnt of said it better myself

[@davehedgehog9795]

@@2595220 True though. And to get the amount of Gold wrong in this video makes me wonder where they get their info.

[@ingoise]

Excellent video! For those who are interested in Nitrogen issues, specially its agricultural uses, please study the life and contributions of Johanna Döbereiner!

[@richardbennett4365]

Gold in space? Of course. Earth 🌎 is in space, and gold is here, so gold is in a space. Everything is in space. Water is in space. Mars is in space. Water 🌊💦 is on Mars. Water is in the sun. Gold is in the sun. How about that! Cool. Sunglasses 😎.

[@freemanc6258]

At the hydrogen car fueling part first I was like “Ya, hydrogen is already used in rockets, why not cars?” Then I realized hydrogen is technically rocket fuel, and adding rocket fuel to cars don’t sound right

[@user-jd1kc9xw1x]

It’s a completely different process, here are the short versions… Hydrogen and an oxidizer, will combust and provide thrust… passing hydrogen through a conductive membrane will produce electric current.

[@PerumPalli]

❤❤❤

[@richardbennett4365]

Well, when we figure out how to commercially produce energy by fusion reactions, then we can make all the petroleum products (hydrocarbons) we would want and use tgem in combustion reaxtions to release their energy for rickets, airplanes, automobikes, mirircycles, etc., but there's an environmental cost if that oxidized carbon isn't seayestered from the atmosphere. 👍 Right! I know.

[@theo3000]

You cannot "investigate" an element.

[@MrBOOKS007]

dna now 01 program quantum computer a1 rebuilds you has a a1 version of them. not that hard. think quantum

[@markedis5902]

27:00 Argon is also seriously important. Imagine if nothing could be welded, we’re back to the pre industrial era. Much as I quite like that idea, I don’t think the general population would like to be thrown back into the dark ages.

[@LFTRnow]

Hydrogen will not be the solution to the world's energy. If you burn it in air, the temperature is high enough to convert N2 to NOx, that is H2 engines still pollute. If you use it in fuel cells, the energy is clean, but hard to store. Liquid H2 requires temps way colder than LN2 and requires energy to produce as well as store. If you try to store it compressed, tanks up to 10,000 PSI are used, and the energy density doesn't come close to gasoline (it doesn't in liquid form either BTW). Waiting around for fusion is not happening anytime soon. Our best bet is to keep building out anything other than carbon-based sources (nuclear, solar, etc) and keep in mind the non-nuclear will require backup. These pipe dreams sway public opinion easily, and though the research is worth pursuing it should not be thought of as "the" solution.

[@gustavoramirez3268]

Totally agree with you. I think that, for the moment, the best thing to do is go full nuclear. Until they invent something that is realistically doable, clean and powerful and abundant enough to supply the world's energy needs.

[@markedis5902]

Agree. The hope is that they can achieve fusion with it. I’ve heard that we’re 10 years away from fusion but they’ve been saying that for nearly 40 years.

[@fredhawken1112]

finally someone with sense.

[@csbrudy]

Try Liquid Flouride Thorium Salts.

[@TG-lp9vi]

Actually your wrong JCB can control the temperature to less then 2300 degrees in there ICE so that Nitrogen oxide is not created. The heat value of Hydrogen is determined by the amount of oxygen it combusts with. So designing a proper burner that burns below 2300 degrees will not produce Nitrogen oxide. These are the facts.

[@tonyhawthorne3222]

The United States, Russia, France, China, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea.

[@mikebetts2046]

Tuning out within the first few minutes. I thought i was going to learn some things about the periodic table of elements, but this seems to be nothing more than another lecture designed to make me feel guilty.

[@dataeater1319]

Runny nose for 3 days straight is so fun ngl

[@nineshkumarpradhan7277]

Is that a virus

[@charlesbrightman4237]

PERIODIC TABLE OF THE ELEMENTS: 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. (Except of course for those who might be in the way of a periodic nova or supernova. They might have a no good, very bad, horrible day.)

[@WhiteGeared]

Bro if y'all want to increase population then also plan to decrease it SMH. Y'all still need to master The Balance.

[@richardbennett4365]

It was announced several years ago the discovery of a huge reserve of helium right here in the planet. That story wasnt even menrioned.

[@egaaronp]

Argh the missing t's

[@AlphaChinou]

I don’t believe these gold amount estimates. I think it’s false.

[@flemmingaaberg4457]

Good content ruined by production style. Got about 1/4 of the way through and found the background 'music' (noise) just too distracting and also made it harder to hear what was being said.

[@charlesbrightman4237]

IN THE INTEREST OF FINDING THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING: SOME THINGS MODERN SCIENCE DOES NOT APPARENTLY KNOW: Consider the following: a. Numbers: Modern science does not even know how numbers and certain mathematical constants exist for math to do what math does. (And nobody as of yet has been able to show me how numbers and certain mathematical constants can come from the Standard Model Of Particle Physics). b. Space: Modern science does not even know what 'space' actually is nor how it could actually warp and expand. c. Time: Modern science does not even know what 'time' actually is nor how it could actually warp and vary. d. Gravity: Modern science does not even know what 'gravity' actually is nor how gravity actually does what it appears to do. And for those who claim that 'gravity' is matter warping the fabric of spacetime, see 'b' and 'c' above. e. Speed of Light: 'Speed', distance divided by time, distance being two points in space with space between those two points. But yet, here again, modern science does not even know what space and time actually are that makes up 'speed' and they also claim that space can warp and expand and time can warp and vary, so how could they truly know even what the speed of light actually is that they utilize in many of the formulas? Speed of light should also warp, expand and vary depending upon what space and time it was in. And if the speed of light can warp, expand and vary in space and time, how then do far away astronomical observations actually work that are based upon light and the speed of light that could warp, expand and vary in actual reality? f. Photons: A photon swirls with the 'e' and 'm' energy fields 90 degrees to each other. A photon is also considered massless. What keeps the 'e' and 'm' energy fields together across the vast universe? And why doesn't the momentum of the 'e' and 'm' energy fields as they swirl about not fling them away from the central area of the photon? And electricity is electricity and magnetism is magnetism varying possibly only in energy modality, energy density and energy frequency. Why doesn't the 'e' and 'm' of other photons and of matter basically tear apart a photon going across the vast universe? Also, 'if' a photon actually red shifts, where does the red shifted energy go and why does the photon red shift? And for those who claim space expanding causes a photon to red shift, see 'b' above. Why does radio 'em' (large 'em' waves) have low energy and gamma 'em' (small 'em' waves) have high energy? And for those who say E = hf; see also 'b' and 'c' above. (f = frequency, cycles per second. But modern science claims space can warp and expand and time can warp and vary. If 'space' warps and expands and/or 'time' warps and varies, what does that do to 'E'? And why doesn't 'E' keep space from expanding and time from varying?). g. Energy: Modern science claims that energy cannot be created nor destroyed, it's one of the foundations of physics. Hence, energy is either truly a finite amount and eternally existent, or modern science is wrong. First Law Of Thermodynamics: "Energy can neither be created nor destroyed." How exactly is 'energy' eternally existent? h. Existence and Non-Existence side by side throughout all of eternity. How? * ADDED NOTE: My current TOE idea can potentially answer all of these above items, and more, in a logical, coherent and inter-related manner. And wouldn't one expect the true TOE of existence itself to be able to do that? What other TOE idea in known existence can currently do that? Surely not the General or Special Relativity Models nor even the Standard Model of Particle Physics. TOE Idea: Short version: (currently dependent upon the results of my gravity test): The 'gem' photon is the eternally existent energy unit of this universe. The strong and weak nuclear forces are derivatives of the electromagnetic ('em') interactions between quarks and electrons. The nucleus is a magnetic field boundary. 'Gravity' is a part of electromagnetic radiation, gravity acting 90 degrees to the 'em' modalities, which of course act 90 degrees to each other. I am open to any and all theory of everything ideas that can potentially answer all those above items in a logical, coherent and inter-related manner. Currently, as far as I am currently aware of, there are no others but my own.

[@JohnDelong-qm9iv]

We need to protect our citizens from marxism

[@bugsbunny8691]

50 ads in one hour? F off

[@jeremylukk2483]

i was liking this video about gold and elements until you started talking about racism in California

[@JohnDelong-qm9iv]

Actually women did all th discovering.

[@discipulussimplex]

disgusting media policy

[@fredhawken1112]

we should go nuclear. all the rest is just fooling around

[@richardbennett4365]

Why is the narrator placing so much emphasus on where the existing gokd was originally mined? What difference dies it make? Whoa, Turbo. But when is the lady going to get to the otger elements? Shes spending a lot if time in just ine. Tgere are 117 more to discuss.

[@andrewgarcia6951]

N fertilizer is an earth killer ... 😂😂😂 This is anti-scientific 😂

[@minirock000]

Ugh the growl after every word. It is annoying stop doing it!

[@johnnyjohnson3733]

Well, the James Webb is making the Big Bang theory questionable. James Webb is turning everything on its head. Science is not always right.

[@user-jd1kc9xw1x]

Value can be found in the most extraordinary places… While scientists are not always correct, they do have the ability to recognize and exploit (learn from) their mistakes. Coincidentally and ironically, the value of a mistake is amplified when shared… Compare that to a polar opposite of scientific thinking, narcissism. Mistakes are ignored, and learning comes to a halt… Just a thought🧐

[@teebagz1]

"science" does not claim to be "right". science presents models of how the universe works based on the evidence that is available. as the evidence expands so do those models and so does scientific consensus.

[@mrtoastyman07]

Wow it's like you have 0 idea what science even is.

[@rsimpson69]

This is propaganda posing as chemistry education. Thx beebz

[@dazisback2]

The BBC just can't seem to stop with the virtue signalling nonsense, settling down for a science program you have to listen to huge amounts of tosh. This should have been titled Investigating The Worlds Navel.

[@user-cv7lk7xn1z]

Our Messiah will teach us all how to do it

[@1093156]

Womansplaners 🥴 it’s science and stuff and it’s empowering and brave and fierce

[@BitMilkshake]

Gold is just #bitcoin for boomers

[@leroybrown8926]

What happened to the BBC? Propaganda machine now.

[@eddyimpanis]

Climate scammers