Explosive Science with Kate the Chemist

About This Episode

What are chemical reactions like in space? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice team up with Kate the Chemist to explore how cesium helps us tell time, the elusive quest for the periodic table’s “island of stability,” how AI is revolutionizing chemistry, and more!

We kick things off with a bang as we explore cesium, one of the most reactive elements on the periodic table. Why does it react so violently with oxygen and water? Kate breaks down the atomic structure of this heavy Group 1 metal, explains how its loose electrons contribute to its volatility. Plus, learn why it’s used for telling time and the history of how we defined a second.

We break down the chemistry behind the famous Diet Coke and Mentos eruption, and why your nose might just be your most underrated scientific instrument. From nucleation sites to the role of hydrogen sulfide in early evolution, we explore the elements in our world that go boom—and the ones that quietly shape our lives.

Then it’s on to more mind-bending questions: Are there stable superheavy elements hiding in the “island of stability”? Can quantum entanglement lead to entangled molecules? What happens to chemical reactions in zero gravity? Plus, we ask: Should graduate-level science be taught like a kid’s experiment? Why is science communication more important than ever? And what’s the next big thing in applied chemistry?

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