meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
BBC Inside Science

White phosphorus

BBC Inside Science

BBC

Technology, Science

4.51.3K Ratings

🗓️ 16 November 2023

⏱️ 28 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

White phosphorous is an incendiary material and if it were to be used in any built-up civilian areas, the practice would violate international law. We find out what makes white phosphorus so dangerous, and we ask how easy is it to identify? Andrea Sella, professor of chemistry at University College London, grants access to his laboratory and conducts an experiment with this highly flammable and volatile substance. Whole words and phrases from crushed and carbonised scrolls can be read for the first time in almost two thousand years. The documents, uncovered from Herculaneum, an ancient Roman town close to Pompeii which was buried under volcanic ash, have been made legible thanks to 3D scans and artificial intelligence. Dr. Federica Nicolardi, a papyrologist at the University of Naples, tells us more about this exciting discovery. Kate Zernike discusses her book The Exceptions, which tells the story of a group of 16 women who used their scientific know-how to inspire radical change. It’s been shortlisted for this year’s Royal Society Science Book Prize. And finally, this month marks exactly a year since beavers became a protected species in England. BBC Inside Science goes to Devon in search of these charismatic animals and we ask what effect they have been having on the countryside. Presenter:  Victoria Gill Producers: Hannah Robins, Harrison Lewis, Alice Lipscombe-Southwell and Patrick Hughes Editor: Richard Collings Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth BBC Inside Science is produced in collaboration with the Open University.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

BBC Sounds, music radio podcasts.

0:04.6

Hello, welcome to Inside Science.

0:09.7

Today I'm in London.

0:11.0

I'm visiting a laboratory where a hazardous substance is kept in carefully

0:14.8

controlled conditions. It's a chemical that's made headlines in the last week in connection

0:19.4

with the conflict in Gaza. It's called white phosphorus.

0:23.0

Now you won't find this extremely flammable element in many labs,

0:27.0

but here at University College London, it's used in research.

0:30.0

So we've come to find out what is this stuff, why is it so dangerous and how would you know if it was being used?

0:37.0

Andrea Sella is professor of chemistry here at UCL and he's going to give us a lesson in the fundamental chemistry of a substance with a long and fiery history.

0:45.7

So let's head inside.

0:51.7

Andrea Sala, hello, how are you doing? It's great to see you Vic.

0:55.0

Yeah, good to see you too. Thank you so much for inviting us.

0:57.5

So we're getting our lab coats on and eye protection and then can we go into your chemistry?

1:02.9

Absolutely, I think we should just go through the door

1:05.1

and into the lab.

1:09.7

Thank you.

1:10.7

The soundscape is really quite different.

1:13.0

Lots of extraction.

1:14.0

We turn over the air and hear quite a lot.

1:16.8

We want to talk to you as a chemist about white phosphorus just to find out what it is. What can you tell us and what can you show us in your

1:24.0

chemistry lab about white phosphorus? From a chemist's point of view, it's kind of a

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.