Chemistry song, dance, and hair

I can’t help it, I love chemistry. It’s so beautiful. It’s so everything.

So how can I not love the periodic table? Ah, the rows and columns that give the atoms of the world meaning. In college, I carried a laminated copy of it around in my wallet, just in case I needed to reassure myself of the primacy of oxygen and carbon in the physical world.

There are a zillion periodic tables to be had. Lately everyone is swooning over TouchPress’s iPad app, “The Elements; A Visual Exploration.” And it’s got all the whiz-bang stuff: pretty pictures, 3-D animation, fun factoids. But it doesn’t have personality.

Or great hair.

May I introduce Dr. Martyn Poliakoff, Research professor of chemistry at the University of Nottingham and periodic table rock star? I can’t imagine anyone else making fluorine so much fun:

Our chemistry hero has created a video for each element, and even videos for some very enticing molecules. And one that features a lot of cute shots of a koala munching eucalyptus while we learn about the chemistry of eucalyptol.

http://www.periodicvideos.com/index.htm

If only YouTube had been around when I first studied chemistry…