Chemistry: A Volatile History

Episode 1

Discovering the Elements

In this series, Jim al-Khalili takes the viewer on a journey through the history of modern chemistry, from the age of the alchemists, through to the present day. This 3-part series encompasses the early alchemical age of secrecy and discovery, the early advances toward a scientific understanding of the elements, and finally to the establishment of a standardized system of chemical notation and categorization, while also introducing the viewer to many historically significant contributors to the discipline of chemistry that we know today.