Admit it, lanthanum is a bit of a mystery

I was over at the BBC earlier this week, recording a couple more elements for the the Royal Society of Chemistry's series of podcasts Chemistry in its Element - but it was an earlier recording that has just been added to the oeuvre - and it's an element that I have to confess to knowing little about before making a start on this podcast - lanthanum.

This is a successful bit part player of an element with fingers in a lot of chemical pies... and it gives its name to one of the floating rows of the periodic table. But its best claim to fame is probably dating things so old that nothing else would consider even a blind date. Take a listen, and find out more.

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Why I hate opera

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