Mercury - Chemistry's Jekyll and Hyde

Discovery

BBC

Science, Technology

4.3 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 24 July 2017

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The most beautiful and shimmering of the elements, the weirdest, and yet the most reviled.

Chemist Andrea Sella tell the story of Mercury, explaining the significance of this element not just for chemistry, but also the development of modern civilisation.

It's been a a source of wonder for thousands of years - why is this metal a liquid? and what is its contribution to art, from the Stone Age to the Renaissance?

We look at how Mercury is integral to hundreds of years of scientific discoveries, from weather forecasting to steam engines and the detection of atomic particles it has a key role.

However Mercury is highly toxic in certain forms and ironically the industrial processes it helped create have led to global pollution which now threatens fish, wildlife and ourselves.

We ask is it time to say goodbye to Mercury?

Picture: Hg, mercury metal drops, credit: AlexeyVS/Getty Images

Transcript

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1:16.5	Well I certainly remember my earliest encounter with Mercury, which is when we found a pale of mercury at the back of the classroom.
1:27.0	Did you?
1:28.0	Yeah, and we pulled it out of the cupboard.
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	...

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