Silicon | Chemistry: A Volatile History

Silicon was discovered by Jöns Jacob Berzelius, a Swedish chemist, in 1824 by heating chips of potassium.

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Plutonium | Chemistry: A Volatile History

Invented in 1940, scientists quickly realised plutonium was capable of undergoing nuclear fission.

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Alpha particles | Chemistry: A Volatile History

Rutherford stated the fact that most alpha particles go straight through foil is evidence for the atom being mostly empty space.