• Question: what is the most dangerous chemical on the periodic table

    Asked by wonder woman to Rob, Martin, Martin, James, Elizabeth on 10 Mar 2015.
    • Photo: Robert Woolfson

      Robert Woolfson answered on 10 Mar 2015:

      Short Answer:
      They’re all dangerous in the wrong situation but some are more dangerous than others. Probably the most dangerous to us are the radioactive ones like plutonium or uranium.

      Long Answer:
      Arsenic and Cadmium are very toxic, it doesn’t take much to poison a person. Luckily they’re rare and hard to find.

      Plutonium, Uranium and any other element that’s really radioactive are also very dangerous. There was a russian guy a few years ago who was poisoned with Polonium. I’d stay far, far away from anything radioactive.

      Mercury will make you mad if you get it in your blood. Some mercury compounds are so toxic they can kill you through gloves, which is a big problem for scientists who work with them.

      Even simple chemicals like hydrogen or oxygen can be really dangerous in the wrong situation.

    • Photo: James Coombs OBrien

      James Coombs OBrien answered on 10 Mar 2015:

      A lot of the elements on the periodic table can be dangerous but for me the most interesting (and reactive one) is the metal Caesium (on the bottom left of the periodic table).

      It is unstable in air meaning it will react and explode if air touches it! Also if you let it touch water it will blow everything up.

      Here is a video of a very small about of Caesium being dropped into water

      But there are elements that are more radioactive and toxic than Caesium. I just like it because it explodes.

      Thanks!

    • Photo: Martin Wieczysty

      Martin Wieczysty answered on 10 Mar 2015:

      I would say that fluorine is the most dangerous element on the periodic table as it reacts with anything – super fast! We don’t normally see fluorine as a gas in nature because of this (It reacts with glass as soon as you make it).

      Most of the elements on the left hand side go fizz or bang in water or acid. The elements at the bottom are all radioactive (radiation is very dangerous as it can damage DNA and living tissue). Dotted around the periodic table are elements which can be very toxic such as Arsenic – however arsenic is being used in research to try to kill cancer cells.

      Everything can be dangerous, it really just depends on the situation and how much there is of it. For example, it is important to drink water. However you can be hurt by drinking too much water, as your kidneys are designed to take a certain amount.

    • Photo: Elizabeth Cooper

      Elizabeth Cooper answered on 10 Mar 2015:

      I would say plutonium. This is used in atomic bombs which are very dangerous. Also it is radioactive making it extremely toxic.

    • Photo: Martin Ward

      Martin Ward answered on 11 Mar 2015:

      I’m going to stick with a short answer to this and I agree with everyone else. Pretty much everything in the periodic table could be dangerous if it was handled the wrong way or if it got in to your body in high levels.

      Thinking about it, the same thing could be said for the equipment and machines that we use in the lab too!

Comments