If you've ever wondered what the universe is actually made of, this video tells the story of how we found out. You'll trace the discovery of the chemical elements from ancient Greek philosophy, through the mysterious world of the alchemists, to the experiments that transformed chemistry into a modern science — and finally to Mendeleev's Periodic Table, one of the most powerful ideas in the whole of chemistry.

What You Will Learn

01:05What a chemical element is defined as at GCSE and how this links to the structure of atoms.

05:00How early Greek philosophers, including Empedocles and Democritus, first attempted to explain the fundamental substances of the universe.

06:28How alchemists contributed to experimental chemistry despite their focus on transmutation.

07:51How Robert Boyle redefined the concept of an element and helped separate chemistry from philosophy.

09:32How Antoine Lavoisier's careful measurements transformed our understanding of combustion and helped identify new elements.

10:28How John Dalton's atomic theory explained the nature of elements and compounds using a single simple idea.

11:35Why scientists began searching for patterns among the known elements.

12:01How Dmitri Mendeleev developed the Periodic Table, including predicting the existence and properties of undiscovered elements.