Here we learn about how scientists in the early 20th Century gradually became able to create isotopes, convert transmute elements from one to another, and eventually the invention of new, artificial isotopes not found in nature, such as phosphorus-31. We hear of tritium and carbon-14. Then we get to George Hevesy and his idea of radioactive tracing, including a prank he pulled on his landlady. Finally we get to scientists filling in the last gaps (unknown, undiscovered elements) up to uranium on the periodic table by the mid-1940s.<a rel="payment" href="https://www.patreon.com/thehistoryofchemistry">Support the Show.</a><ul> <li>Support my podcast at <a href='https://www.patreon.com/thehistoryofchemistry'>https://www.patreon.com/thehistoryofchemistry</a> </li> <li>Tell me how your life relates to chemistry! E-mail me at steve@historyofchem.com</li> <li>Get my book, O Mg! How Chemistry Came to Be, from World Scientific Publishing, <a href='https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/12670#t=aboutBook'>https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/12670#t=aboutBook</a> </li> </ul>

44: Teflon Don

Chemistry is everywhere, and involves everything. But how did chemistry get to be what it is? I'm Steve Cohen, a chemist and writer, bringing you The History of Chemistry. This podcast explores the development of chemistry from prehistoric times to the present, including the people and societies who made chemistry what it is today. The History of Chemistry is for you, whether you hated chemistry in high school, or got a PhD in inorganic chemistry. We'll explore how chemistry affected art, music, language, politics and vice-versa. Whether it's ancient Greek philosophers, medieval alchemists, or modern laboratory apparatus, it's all here. Don't forget to support my series at https://www.patreon.com/thehistoryofchemistry !