New Uranium Bond - Periodic Table of Videos

Our very own "Mr Uranium" - Dr Steve Liddle - publishes a paper in Science about a pioneering piece of chemistry involving a bond between Uranium and Nitrogen.
A bit of extra footage from this interview at • Uranium-Nitrogen Bond ...
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From the School of Chemistry at The University of Nottingham: www.nottingham.ac.uk/chemistry...
Periodic Videos films are by video journalist Brady Haran: www.bradyharan.com/

[@tristanpatterson3843]

Good to see someone so excited by their own work and discoveries.

[@mattking3439]

It's worth a PhD in Chemistry :D

[@SGTserious87]

so the PhD student figured it out? i think someone has thier doctoral thesis done...

[@TheDoctorRulesPSN]

The actual paper- www.sciencemag.org/content/337/6095/717.full

[@rollingpaulo]

Excellent video, I find this fascinating as a Chemistry teacher, one of the best you've produced. Steve explains this complicated synthesis really well, more of this type please!

[@1959Edsel]

This shrubbery is what the Knights Who Say Ni really wanted Arthur to bring them.

[@nicougrikify]

Congratulations man good work

[@skrame01]

Best Periodic Video so far! For me, I'd love to know more about the molecules and how they are made and why they behave as they do and how it's all done, very interesting!!

[@DeluxeWarPlaya]

I think a massive congratulations is in order for David M. King the PhD student that made the molecule, as a student, after decades of research.

[@hueckelaromat]

Congratulations to the team who synthesized the compound! This is a great video, thank you Brady.

[@AlucardNoir]

This was actually one of the best explanations of a chemical reaction I've ever seen. Wish my chemistry teachers had been this capable of explaining a reaction.

[@euphgirlforever]

Love love love this! Great work guys. Can't wait to show my new class. They're a huge fan of Molymod so thanks Steve for the awesome model.

[@lsharpe69]

I'm a BS Chemist with an Associate Degree in Radiation Protection Technology. The AS Degree led to my fist real job in an environmental lab as a radiochemist looking for trace amounts of radionuclides in drinking water , etc. Must admit I was a bit skeptical of Dr Liddle in the beginning of this video series. Now I stand in awe! If I were only quite a few years younger and money was no object? I would be honored to be his grad student. Awesome job Dr. Liddle!

[@metadaptation]

Great video Brady! Really outdid yourself on this one, loved it.

[@BloodHarvest21]

Uranium has got to be one of the most amazing elements.

[@TheBroShowAus]

Brady.. thank you so much for all of your videos! Lots of love; a dedicated fan.

[@poesboes]

Fantastic bit of science! Congratulations on the find!

[@dannes22]

So, better understanding how Uranium bonds to other elements might one day help us with waste and better nuclear reactors? Fantastic. Keep up the good work.

[@RdClZn]

Congrats for the achievement. Dave looks so young for a PhD student! Also, Steve talks about why they wanted so much to achieve this particular molecular arrangement on the extra footage (description).

[@DanieleGiorgino]

Research needn't be concerned by practicalities of what is discovered. Merely that new knowledge is gained.

[@32HUD]

brady uploads so many vids at a time. he is one hardworking guy !

[@JonatanGronoset]

Hurrah for new science and uranium elements!! Always fun to see my favorite element in the spotlight. :)

[@magicbuskey]

I love this channel! Human beings are amazing!

[@Elle292]

loved this video - so interesting!

[@cristianfcao]

I don't know if an answer to this question might be too technical, but maybe it'd make an interesting full interview video for Nottingham Science: How do you "manipulate" the atoms and molecules to make this final molecule. Each grain in that powder at 7:16 may contain quadrillions of atmos, so how do you control the process of forming all those bonds between the atoms, how many may have that desired configuration, etc...

[@antivanti]

If you check the extra video linked in the description he explains why they did it which I just thought would have been better served up more in front than tucked away as extra. As for the priceless I'd guess that was because it was the fruit of their labor and their brain child if you will. But it is important in examining and verifying suspected properties of the bond which could help in Uranium clean up.

[@DudokX]

congratulation on new paper!

[@ShiroKage009]

You got published in Science? Congratulations, man. That's something to celebrate, for sure.

[@TheBentastic]

indeed amazing, molecular mechanics on heavy elements. This is chemistry on another level.

[@chemistylover]

Dave must be some sort of genius, I'd love his autograph, a true great of the chemistry world.

[@johnclavis]

Congratulations, Dr. Liddle and colleagues!

[@Zerepzerreitug]

for what I understand so far this is an amazing achievement in chemistry, but not one with an inmediate practical application. nonetheless, you can't deny that the technique of capturing the sodium molecule with a trap of two molecule "crowns" kick asses and should be really useful in the future. It's amazing how specific and detailed you can get in modern chemistry.

[@06osteventon]

Well done amazing work :)

[@leonthebleh]

It would be awesome if you could link to what ever article you mention in the video, normally they are not hard to find, but sometimes you have to look for a bit.

[@sklodowska226]

Nice work!

[@Bloodmuffin6]

Do you know if their synthesis can be scaled easily? Or is there much more work to be done before it can be used viably in this application?

[@hraunhamar]

congrats on your molecule ! and your phd of course

[@jhonbus]

I read about this in TCE, was wondering when there'd be a video :)

[@thedagr0]

Nice work.

[@Felixjin]

Wow. Science is a really good journal. Really interesting discovery!

[@0Sebek0]

what we can do with it is understand how bulky molecules can stabilize atoms in reactive states, this has to be extremely important when it come to designing reactants for chemical syntesis of complicated products

[@SecularMentat]

Tetra-dentate ligand structures very cool, Is that some modified form of TETA? Love this stuff.

[@whoneedsnames1]

Well he did list a bunch of techniques used. When they make this they also know exactly what they put in and have many formulas to know how it is going to turn out to a certain extent. So what you put in is what you get out and they can analyze it to be sure it bonded in the way the expect, etc.

[@aosteklov]

wow! thank you so much! keep on the good work man

[@Quintinohthree]

In this instance they're more concerned about the immense reactivity of the compounds than the radioactivity. It's not particularly radioactive anyway, just some α particle radiators. He said it turned into ammonia when air is added, so it's a matter of solid+liquid->gas which is the essential mechanism of any explosion.

[@fridgebulb]

Depending on the properties of the Uranium compound created, it seems like it would be a pretty good way to isolate it from the other stuff thats created in a nuclear reaction. This allow unspent fuel to be recovered from the byproducts of the reaction, thus making the energy generated cheaper, and reducing the waste generated. There are bound to be other useful things in nuclear waste, so figuring out what chemistry will work best to isolate them is definitely beneficial.

[@qoaa]

Congrats!

[@PartVIII]

excellent video

[@Quintinohthree]

It's a TREN based ligand actually. Not that I knew what TETA was before I searched it on the googles, and I only knew that the ligand is called TREN^TIPS because I've searched for the study itself yesterday. On a related note, it is "isomeric" with TETA.

[@luckystrke]

love these videos

[@SecularMentat]

That structure on paper wasn't boring at all. Inorganic Chemistry is fascinating.

[@jevicci]

Finally, a real answer! Thanks ;)

[@ANTONIOBASILEKAWABE]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

[@KillerAceUSAF]

That student is really cool, and lucky to be the one to finally do the thing that scientists have been trying to do for years!

[@BakerBoys95]

It's amazing how complicated things get down to the molecular level and even more amazing that theres still structures out there waiting to be discovered.

[@SebWilkes]

Congratulations!

[@Tazarthi]

congrats on the Science paper!

[@jacobs83133]

Well that's very superb interesting video. Just make it, don't stop 🛑.

[@Pianoguy32]

Great video, Dr Liddle is a great explainer but What happens to these powders and toxic chemicals when they're finished with?

[@Jamesterjim]

I love watching theses in school, because I have already watched them :D

[@Stroudy8976]

He explains it in the extra footage video (in the description/video response) :)

[@TonusStoneshield]

That student looks kind of like James McAvoy.

[@Xenindwarf123]

you guys should make videos explaining the different spectroscopy techniques :D

[@Quintinohthree]

A little search on google for "uranium nitride" got me to an article, called "Elusive terminal uranium nitride found", about another such molecule in which the nitrogen atom inserted itself into a neighboring C-H bond of one of the two pentamethylcyclopentadienyl ligands to form a C-N(H)-U bond. I am wondering though why this doesn't happen here. Is it to do with the aromatic ring to which the methyl was connected there, or just an issue of steric crowding preventing such a bond here?

[@DoctaBeetz]

I get too excited for these

[@TheElihs]

That was so cool!

[@jameshickson7584]

if you read the paper, it describes that U Nitrides have potential applications in catalysis and ceramic nuclear fuels :)

[@RoyalBulawa]

is it possible to recieve the full paper? i really would appreciate it...

[@itedin]

With the negative charge buried in the "shrubbery" I'm wondering if can be an ionic liquid if the Na+ is replaced by an appropriate positively charged organic?

[@nathanisbored]

I think it helps them understand Uranium better, which might lead to important discoverries/practical uses in the future.

[@Zaekk]

Grats guys! I can't wait to read it :D

[@ranadeepsingh]

wow thanks for this cool video!

[@TheJamesDVid]

To learn how Uranium bonds with different elements which has quite a few use's such as being able to produce new methods of extraction from ores or spent nuclear fuel.

[@CaryTheEagle]

It's a RTG (Radioisotopic Thermoelectric Generator). It uses the natural radioactive decay of plutonium-238. It's not really a "reactor" per-say, because there it a self-sustaining chain reaction.

[@upsyndrome]

It's nice to have Brady there to ask the questions us lay mans have.

[@Tower0fHeaven]

i love Dr. Liddle

[@theFLCLguy]

I don't understand everything in some of these videos but I know enough that it's still interesting.

[@bemanos12345]

this is very exciting! makes you want to be a chemist

[@Blinkwing]

Is there a possibility to read this paper?

[@RTzarius]

Shouldn't the glovebox with the radioactive uranium in, be negatively pressurized? I recall one of the earlier vids at the nuclear facility pointed that out...

[@102819921]

I wish there were more videos about the current research going on, but as a fellow researcher I know its tough to do because of publishing issues...

[@rogerdotlee]

That hasn't been decided yet. Don't make the mistake of combining research with development. There may not be a use for this particular product, but having a good understanding of how Nitrogen bonds with Uranium could easily lead to further discoveries that could help clean up the megatronic barkloads of nuclear waste that exists in the world. Hell, if they could pull that off, it might get Dr. Liddle not only a Nobel in Chemistry, but a Nobel Peace Prize and the undying worship of generations.

[@mecemical]

Congratulations! :D

[@BlockFin]

Finding the Higgs Boson was immensely important for particle physics and the standard model. They weren't just randomly looking for it. They had a purpose. I'd just like to know what the purpose for this was.

[@Aquilaking12]

Awesome!

[@clhlandsted]

@jevicci I think it has some computer appliances, in nano bits (one atom is one bit, compared to the current couple of million atoms per bit).

[@rockpig57]

But does this particular compound have a specific use that they were trying to make it for or is it just a proof of concept kind of thing?

[@jrgull13]

I'm sure the latest Science magazine is available to read at your local library :)

[@LosDynasty]

Yay! New video!

[@penfold1992]

isolating radioactive substances is key to making things safe in the future... sure it looks a little dull now but the techniques used may be vital for holding onto fast decaying radioactive particles... could even be a future of power?

[@alaudun2]

So what can you do with it ?

[@Borednesss]

They aren't covalent bonds, they're more of ionic bonds because of the high electronegativity of the oxygen atoms and the postive charge of the sodium ion so it's all good. Just think about it like how you dissolve table salt (NaCl) in water.. the oxygen surrounds the Na+, the hydrogen surrounds the Cl-.That's how I'd think of it, so I may be wrong.

[@IndustrialGoblin]

How about do a video on small nuclear reactor that powers Mars Curiosity Rover. As far as I remember it's plutonium-based reactor with thermocouples generating electricity from heat.

[@Technetiumalchemist]

How you can you discuss a structure in such an absolute sense without the use of single-crystal X-ray diffraction? XAS spectroscopy would also be a viable technique for determining this information as well.

[@RobustFilms1]

With this amazing discovery..what Is this going to be used for? What s this gonna help out?

[@williamkendrick]

Uranium nitride is better than platinum and uranium oxides, because they’re more stable and denser. They also conduct heat better than mixed uranium-plutonium oxide fuels, which could allow the nuclear reactors to run cooler and generate more energy.

[@madmasif]

A link to skip the chemistry bits on a chemistry video on a chemistry channel for people interested in chemistry? Why?

[@shoyrudude555]

Post a link to the paper!

[@KelMaiGaming]

Very interesting, although I didn't understand much... What practical applications could this make possible? In other words: Is it of any use? And if so, what?

[@viclorwow]

priceless indeed