Thorium - Periodic Table of Videos

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 มี.ค. 2016
  • Thorium, element 90 on the periodic table.
    Extra footage: • Thorium (extra footage)
    More radioactive videos: bit.ly/radioactive_vids
    Support us on Patreon: / periodicvideos
    Featuring Professor Sir Martyn Poliakoff.
    More chemistry at www.periodicvideos.com/
    Follow us on Facebook at / periodicvideos
    And on Twitter at / periodicvideos
    From the School of Chemistry at The University of Nottingham: bit.ly/NottChem
    Periodic Videos films are by video journalist Brady Haran: www.bradyharan.com/
    Brady's Blog: www.bradyharanblog.com
    Join Brady's mailing list for updates and extra stuff --- eepurl.com/YdjL9
  • วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี

ความคิดเห็น • 1.4K

  • @NightWind099
    @NightWind099 8 ปีที่แล้ว +1033

    he asking for that haircut in the barbershop
    "what kind of cut do you want"
    "science"

    • @doncarlo5
      @doncarlo5 8 ปีที่แล้ว +29

      nope ! he goes like: back to the future - doc hair cut please !

    • @adizmal
      @adizmal 7 ปีที่แล้ว +50

      Poliakof in the barbershop... "Lemme get dat Einstein"
      Barber... "Say no more fam"

    • @Tuxedo2680
      @Tuxedo2680 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Same haircut as the Sesame Street character Beaker.

    • @rob3125
      @rob3125 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      His answer to the barber is i want mushroom cloud style 😃

    • @DarkShroom
      @DarkShroom 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      ​@@rob3125 the barbar is like "well i dunno about that doc, but i remember doing a bicarbonate of soda experiment when i was younger"

  • @JeremiahMcCoy
    @JeremiahMcCoy 8 ปีที่แล้ว +324

    My grandfather worked with Thorium while working on some Molten Salt Reactor designs during his stint at ORNL. He was quite keen on it as an alternative fuel source.

    • @becurieus1
      @becurieus1 8 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      +Jeremiah McCoy Wait, is your Grandpa H. E. McCoy?!?!

    • @timhyatt9185
      @timhyatt9185 8 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      +Jeremiah McCoy we REALLY need to revisit the work done at Oak Ridge...they had an answer we need today, but was bypassed due to largely political issues....

    • @becurieus1
      @becurieus1 8 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Tim Hyatt Actually, financial and political IMO. In fact, the financial might have been the bigger driver of the political issues. We will have to rely on the private sector going forward I think, and we have over a billion dollars in new, advanced reactors in today's world, so things moving along now!

    • @timhyatt9185
      @timhyatt9185 8 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      +BeCurieus agreed, the financial angle was a huge factor and likely the PRIMARY reason Nixon advocated the California development as it put money into his state... Adm Rickover pushed for the Light-water design (the type we use now) as he wanted them for his submarine fleet (and later the naval fleet)...between the two, it forced Oak Ridge's LFTR research to be shut down....

    • @seigeengine
      @seigeengine 8 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      My limited knowledge of molten salt reactors is that they're fairly dangerous.
      Thoughts?

  • @jbdragonlance
    @jbdragonlance 8 ปีที่แล้ว +50

    I love how he teaches us. I really wish he was a high school teacher. Maybe I wouldn't have failed Chem. The prof is amazing! Best Teacher in the world award!

  • @pco1984
    @pco1984 8 ปีที่แล้ว +146

    Professor Sir Martyn Poliakoff is my hero! I want a bobblehead of him on my desk!

    • @kerberossi
      @kerberossi 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      it's rather cheeky naming off all your titles

    • @BozHogan
      @BozHogan 6 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Pieter Ouborg - Bobblehead? I'd rather a Chia Pet. Lol. Gotta love him tho.

    • @Amateur0Visionary
      @Amateur0Visionary 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      He is a bobblehead.

    • @jdavis7993
      @jdavis7993 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @Sasuke Uchiha just ProfesSir 🙃

    • @monika.alt197
      @monika.alt197 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Dr. Professor Sir*

  • @abdelhamidcherragui
    @abdelhamidcherragui 8 ปีที่แล้ว +39

    The things the professor carries in his pockets are just fascinating!

  • @leburnham5864
    @leburnham5864 8 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Here in the US, Thorium was widely used in vacuum valves in the early days of radio. They used a Thoriated Tungsten filament. Also my Alladin kerosene lamps and my Coleman white gas lamps both use Thoriated mantles in them.Please keep up this series. I find it quite informative.

  • @wo262
    @wo262 8 ปีที่แล้ว +1241

    "You are not worthium" - Thorium

    • @GaunabNeunundneunzig
      @GaunabNeunundneunzig 8 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      +Wo!262 You made my day! :D

    • @jasonpatowsky6929
      @jasonpatowsky6929 8 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      +Wo!262 Guess we need more elevators then ;--;

    • @Ashtree81
      @Ashtree81 8 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      +Wo!262 I dont get it

    • @zerocalvin
      @zerocalvin 8 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      +Ashtree81 if you arent joking... google marvel's thor...

    • @Kal-Grayskull
      @Kal-Grayskull 8 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      There are no strings on me

  • @gordonmcdowell
    @gordonmcdowell 8 ปีที่แล้ว +181

    Enjoy this very much. At 6:50 you mention Thorium Oxide and the challenge of fabricating solid fuel. I'd love for your viewers to know that many thorium advocates (myself being one) feel that only in Molten Salt Reactors can thorium be efficiently consumed as a nuclear fuel. That is a solution where fabricating nuclear fuel is not a challenge, and in fact the CHEMICAL properties of thorium provide distinct advantages over breeding U/Pu. So in solid fuel: Th=harder... in molten salts: Th=easier.

    • @ThoriumRemix
      @ThoriumRemix 8 ปีที่แล้ว +23

      +gordonmcdowell Explain: The Protactinium-233 lasts for a month before decaying into U-233, liquid chemistry (via Molten Salts) is a great way to get Pa-233 out-of-way of neutrons while it decays. Same with fission-product Xenon... bubble the Xenon gas out of salt and move it out of way of neutrons until it decays. So less undesirable stuff being produced in reactor, and less wasted neutrons. Doable with Molten Salt. Impossible with solid fuel.

    • @EricMeyer9
      @EricMeyer9 8 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      Yeah, it doesn't seem like this fellow has heard of the molten salt reactor (LFTR)! Important thing to know about for a video about Thorium.

    • @achalhp
      @achalhp 8 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      +gordonmcdowell Periodic Videos should also consider making videos about Molten Salts. The fluid fuel can be kept inside the reactor much longer than solid fuels, which gets damaged as a result of nuclear reactions. So MSR's are much more efficient than any solid fueled reactors.

    • @DDBwest
      @DDBwest 8 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      +gordonmcdowell any timeline for the 2016 video? very excited for that

    • @EricMeyer9
      @EricMeyer9 8 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      +gordonmcdowell thanks for the link! Though academic reports are a little harder to digest than your docs!

  • @DavidWaeldervideo
    @DavidWaeldervideo 8 ปีที่แล้ว +68

    Love this channel, thank you.

    • @theyesman91
      @theyesman91 8 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Hey, love your channel man! crazy seeing the ways people I follow also follow each other's work :D

    • @Brascofarian
      @Brascofarian 8 ปีที่แล้ว

      +Aidan Connolly the way TH-cam used to work you mean?

    • @doutcast1002
      @doutcast1002 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@theyesman91 ppp

  • @vitorpmemm
    @vitorpmemm 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    The Professor deserves absolute respect. A source of unique and deep knowledge for everyone with internet. My sadness is that even today, some people cannot view his videos. He is the best Professor I had in life, without a single test......just because he don´t hesitate on spreading all he know in a special and "addicting" way, without fear of a test and scores. all elements are amazing but thorium is my favourite

  • @LilyBlossom1337
    @LilyBlossom1337 8 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Thanks to videos like these, I can honestly say I've garnered more knowledge outside of school than in. Thanks so, so much for putting the time, effort, and cost into making these videos!

  • @Fishhookjack
    @Fishhookjack 8 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    I had no idea thorium was so difficult to obtain. I use it on a daily basis in TIG welding (tungsten inert gas). I use 2% thoriated electrodes most often and no we don't put them in our pockets.

  • @stroke_of_luck
    @stroke_of_luck 8 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    Thank you for a very solid description of the problems with it.

  • @seigeengine
    @seigeengine 8 ปีที่แล้ว +266

    It is very pleasnt to hear about thorium from a level-headed perspective.
    Few things turn me off more than fanaticism.

    • @seigeengine
      @seigeengine 8 ปีที่แล้ว

      Chelsea Ducat Huh?

    • @chelseaducat1598
      @chelseaducat1598 8 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      My kid got in my phone

    • @lukassberg7850
      @lukassberg7850 8 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      +seigeengine pff, laughable

    • @seigeengine
      @seigeengine 8 ปีที่แล้ว +26

      ***** Except it isn't, and you come across like the evangelical preachy scumbags that I slam my front door at.

    • @General12th
      @General12th 7 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Thorium really *isn't* a cure-all.

  • @richardzippler3330
    @richardzippler3330 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I want to thank you for your show. I'm an engineer not a chemist. So chemistry is kind of boring , for me. But you kids get so excited. you take one clear liquid and you put it with another clear liquid and you get a clear liquid ,yeah ! you make chemistry seem fun and interesting, thanks. Keep it up ,we love you out here.

  • @wild_fire6636
    @wild_fire6636 8 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    1st of all congratulations on getting your hands on Thorium.
    2nd Great job on getting so much information and history on Thorium with there not being to much in the world.
    And 3rd: LOVE YOUR VIDEOS!!!!!

  • @leptonsoup337
    @leptonsoup337 8 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    How about a video on thorium-based reactors? There is something very interesting stuff out there that people should be aware of!

  • @scottssurfshop
    @scottssurfshop 8 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    In the past, Thorium Oxides were used to dope optical glass lenses.
    Love the channel!

  • @ChrisWilson999
    @ChrisWilson999 8 ปีที่แล้ว +27

    A working megawatt range Thorium reactor ran in the US at ORNL for more than a year around 1969. I don't think its cost was higher than a Uranium reactor though I'm no expert.
    Awesome video.

    • @utah133
      @utah133 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Same year that I graduated high school. We were more scientifically advenuresome in those days...

    • @advanceringnewholder
      @advanceringnewholder 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      i heard the refining process of uranium is quite costly. i maybe wrong

    • @somethingsnowing
      @somethingsnowing 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Advancering Newholder yes it is quite expensive and energy intensive to refine uranium but the primary reason they abandoned the molten salt thorium reactor was the fact that uranium reactors and refinement produces plutonium for weapons

  • @SnowBlind853
    @SnowBlind853 8 ปีที่แล้ว +35

    Want to know how to start a fight on a periodic video?
    Aluminum.

    • @mattomanx77
      @mattomanx77 8 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      +SnowBlind853
      Aluminum is the American spelling and Aluminium is the British spelling,
      Spell it based on where you live
      *bomb has been defused*

    • @SnowBlind853
      @SnowBlind853 8 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      Solarius The Blaziken
      I am afraid your argument is only valid for places with common sense and human decency.
      This is the internet.

    • @mattomanx77
      @mattomanx77 8 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      SnowBlind853
      Internet spelling:
      Alumnum

    • @SnowBlind853
      @SnowBlind853 8 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Solarius The Blaziken
      You (Offensive term for homosexual) it's spelled anuminiumiumalum where I am from and so that is the only possible way to spell it and all other ways are wrong. How do I know? Because I have an insanely narrow view of the world and get angry at anything even slightly outside of that perception, and because I have an opinion that makes me right.

    • @mattomanx77
      @mattomanx77 8 ปีที่แล้ว +6

  • @danidzs
    @danidzs 8 ปีที่แล้ว +14

    Love this channel so much!

  • @Cosimate
    @Cosimate 8 ปีที่แล้ว +56

    I suggest showing how aluminium oxide is made.
    Edited for common spelling mistake.

    • @Minecraftster148790
      @Minecraftster148790 8 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      Aluminium

    • @chaos_omega
      @chaos_omega 8 ปีที่แล้ว +26

      Aluminum is an accepted spelling in the United States and Canada.

    • @CeresIsAwesome
      @CeresIsAwesome 8 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      +Chaos Omega It was discovered in Denmark, however, and because of that the English translation from Danish passed through Britain before it came to the US & Canada. That translation happens to be Aluminium, which is considered the "correct" spelling of the word, and its foundation word. Aluminum is just a variant.
      Plus, it sort of sounds cooler as Aluminium. :D

    • @chaos_omega
      @chaos_omega 8 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      I understand that... This variant is accepted as "correct" in the US & Canada. And I'm from Canada, so... yeah.

    • @SpitefulAZ
      @SpitefulAZ 8 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      +James Nunn Aluminium is prefered by IUPAC, but they also prefer Sulfur over Sulphur, so we are even.

  • @codediporpal
    @codediporpal 8 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Fabulous video. So dense with key information.

  • @HPPavillionUser
    @HPPavillionUser 8 ปีที่แล้ว

    Just want to congratulate you on these interesting and educational videos! Keep them coming please!

  • @Spartan536
    @Spartan536 8 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    FINALLY!!!! THANK YOU PROFESSOR!!!!
    I would love to see you in a talk with Kirk Sorensen, that guy is a genius in his own right ( he should be, he was an astrophysicist for NASA before he went back to get his PhD in Nuclear Physics). Using FLiBe salts in a reactor instead of light or heavy water you do not need to use 60-70x times normal pressure to generate power through steam, and its incredibly more stable than current and even new proposed H2O/2H2O reactors. Not to mention that you can use up around 95% of Thorium fuel while depleting Plutonium at the same time where as with U238 Oxide in a light water reactor you generally use up .5% of the fissile material. This cuts down on Nuclear byproduct waste by itself alone, not to mention that per KG of 232 Thorium vs 238 Uranium, Thorium is 1000X more energy dense. Given as you stated there are issues to overcome, however if Thorium FLiBe technology were to be given the same funding and attention that Uranium 238 reactors have been given we could easily get LFTR (Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors) within the next 5 years thanks to all the kept research from the scientists at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory who ran a small scale molten salt reactor powered by Thorium back in the early 1960's- early 1980's.
    SPREAD THE WORD, SUPPORT LFTR's!

  • @unknowncuyler5449
    @unknowncuyler5449 8 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    even an old timer like martyn looks fresh with a new hair cut!

  • @freshdonuts7361
    @freshdonuts7361 8 ปีที่แล้ว

    Very intresting stuff Sir Martyn Poliakoff, you always keep me coming back for more

  • @stephenbardzilowski6618
    @stephenbardzilowski6618 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great presentation! Concise!
    Please follow up with another video on Thorium🙏🏽

  • @matthewday7565
    @matthewday7565 5 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    I seem to recall that Thorium was also used in valves/tubes, the thoriated tungsten cathode, and in welding rods

    • @leion800
      @leion800 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      They are still used tin TIG welding electrodes.

    • @smithno41
      @smithno41 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Thoriated Tungsten is still used for filaments in transmitting tubes/valves

  • @KarbineKyle
    @KarbineKyle 8 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I have thorium samples and chemicals. It's an interesting element! Unfortunately, it's hard to find chemicals and metal samples now. You can find minerals that contain thorium, like thorianite, thorite, monazite, zircon, and ekanite. It's great as a check source and also for gamma spectroscopy. TIG welding electrodes, certain vacuum tubes, and some lantern mantles contain some ThO2.

  • @UhandisiAfrika
    @UhandisiAfrika 25 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Of the whole series, Thorium has been my best.

  • @GrayShark09
    @GrayShark09 8 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Great! I love how this subject is flourishing!

  • @SaceedAbul
    @SaceedAbul 8 ปีที่แล้ว +348

    He looks like science.

    • @DanielDogeanu
      @DanielDogeanu 8 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      +SaceedAbul He is science! Professor Sir Martyn Poliakoff is a professor of chemistry at the University of Nottingham.

    • @loganbailey5814
      @loganbailey5814 8 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      +Daniel Dogeanu he's a knight

    • @DanielDogeanu
      @DanielDogeanu 8 ปีที่แล้ว

      Logan Bailey
      You could say that...

    • @aaaaZa100
      @aaaaZa100 8 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Science Knight!

    • @RusticKey
      @RusticKey 8 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      +Victor Frankenstein Knight of Science?

  • @gaminawulfsdottir3253
    @gaminawulfsdottir3253 6 ปีที่แล้ว +21

    "It used to be used..." You have to love English.

  • @TeeJayChapmion
    @TeeJayChapmion 8 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    It'd be great if there was a follow-up video explaining how radioactive waste is dealt with in principle vs in practice!! :)

  • @George-Edwards
    @George-Edwards 8 ปีที่แล้ว

    I still have a few of the old Coleman lantern mantles around. They sure send a Geiger counter's reading up pretty high.
    Thank you for all the interesting videos on the elements that make up our world and universe.

  • @Pillowcase
    @Pillowcase 8 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    This is fantastic, thanks for making this video!
    Its very exciting to hear more be said about the potential of Thorium based power.

  • @adobe825
    @adobe825 8 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    This channel doesn't post often so I guess you could say he periodically posts...

  • @crispincain5373
    @crispincain5373 8 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thanks for going the extra mile in presenting this video. We in California salute you!

  • @Moonflower1313
    @Moonflower1313 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you for making this video. Very interesting. I hope this topic is explored further.

  • @txbrz6153
    @txbrz6153 8 ปีที่แล้ว +14

    This man looks like Science.

  • @TheCommentAcc
    @TheCommentAcc 8 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Omg, the music they played during the demonstration graphics reminded me alot of some horror.exe videos, I was constantly expecting a jumpscare D:

  • @colefrick
    @colefrick 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    I remember watching when the playlist for all the elements was only around 40-50 videos or so, I stopped watching for some reason, so now I’m back and catching up.
    I did forget how interesting the professor and the editors / creators explain everything and it makes it easier to learn.

  • @MoreAboutStuff
    @MoreAboutStuff 8 ปีที่แล้ว

    Yes! So glad you guys posted this! Thorium will take us into the future!

  • @islamicstate5080
    @islamicstate5080 8 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Early vacuum tubes also used thoriated tungsten filaments.

    • @OnlyTheEd
      @OnlyTheEd 8 ปีที่แล้ว

      +Islamic State Over in the "English area", they call vacuum tubes "valves"........for some reason.

    • @tracylemme1375
      @tracylemme1375 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Thoriated tungsten is used for some TIG welding electrodes.

  • @nefariumxxx
    @nefariumxxx 8 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    You can still find thoriated lantern mantles for sale. Coleman brand stopped using it though. And yes, they do make a geiger counter go crazy. Also TIG welding rods are 2% thoriated tungsten. Very mild in activity compared to the mantles though. Got some geiger counter testing vids on my channel.

    • @corylannon8546
      @corylannon8546 8 ปีที่แล้ว

      +Geiger Mouse They don't really use/produce those anymore. Maybe in old school shops there could be some thoriated tungsten laying around... use a mask when grinding your electrode people!

    • @cyrusebrahimi9436
      @cyrusebrahimi9436 8 ปีที่แล้ว

      +Cory Lannon 2% Thoriated is still the most widely used TIG electrode. You can buy it today from multiple big name distributors. I think one came with my new tig welder lol.

    • @corylannon8546
      @corylannon8546 8 ปีที่แล้ว

      Geiger Mouse oh wow, I was misinformed, I was under the impression that the US wasn't selling them any more.

    • @nefariumxxx
      @nefariumxxx 8 ปีที่แล้ว

      I have a lot of fun going to antique shops with my geiger counter. It's amazing how much stuff is out there and people are mostly clueless about it. I am careful not to be rude about it or scare off customers. :)

    • @NorfKhazad
      @NorfKhazad 8 ปีที่แล้ว

      +Geiger Mouse The problem with thoriated tungsten is that the dust is a carcinogen. Never grind a thoriated tig tungsten without proper ventilation.

  • @TheHansoost
    @TheHansoost ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Thanks. That was very interesting and informative; one might even say "elementary. " I often wondered about thorium. These videos are really well done.

  • @atomowsky
    @atomowsky 8 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I've been waiting for this video so long!!!!!!!!

  • @X0verXDriveX
    @X0verXDriveX 8 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Thorium is used for TIG welding.

  • @badATchaos
    @badATchaos 8 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    There was a movement during the Cold War in the United States to begin development of Thorium reactors but Nixon didn't want to fund them because there wasn't the possibility to create weapons from the byproduct.

    • @nblax41
      @nblax41 8 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      +bad@chaos It's funny because it's extremely difficult to get bomb material out of a reactor once everything is said and done. It's a whole other process to get weapon-grade fission material.

    • @Z80Fan
      @Z80Fan 8 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      +bad@chaos It's not that: Nixon was from California, and a laboratory in California (I don't remember the name) was working on the Fast Breeder Reactor, while Oak Ridge was working on the "thorium" reactor.
      So Nixon decided to cut funds to Oak Ridge and push the FBR in California.
      When Alvin Weinberg (the inventor of the light water reactor and the molten salt reactor) protested this, he got fired and all research at Oak Ridge was halted.

    • @MrWombatty
      @MrWombatty 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Apparently now there's a lot of interest in developing & patenting Thorium-reactors by the Chinese with a view to extorting from the rest of the globe high prices for the technology!

    • @k_tess
      @k_tess 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@MrWombatty The U.S. would probably do to China what China has been doing to everyone for years.
      Not give a damn who owns the intellectual rights and build the technology anyways.

  • @nathanielroy1996
    @nathanielroy1996 8 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I love watching your videos man. I mean, I am not intelligent enough to be able to understand a lot of what you are talking about. I am just so curious about it. hopefully I will be able to sit in on a lecture. I have a lot of respect for you and keep making these awesome video a for us

  • @francisbarnett
    @francisbarnett 8 ปีที่แล้ว

    As always very clearly explained, thanks.

  • @loganbailey5814
    @loganbailey5814 8 ปีที่แล้ว +79

    can't wait for LFTRs

    • @jmitterii2
      @jmitterii2 8 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      +Logan Bailey China started a 10 year develop and implement a LFTR plant in 2014, so 2024 or sooner one maybe developed.

    • @imperatorodaenathus9329
      @imperatorodaenathus9329 7 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      +jmitterii2 If China started, that means the US started. It's not like China makes its own nuclear technology. After all, they've been stealing US nuclear technology for 25 years.

    • @wakewind4129
      @wakewind4129 7 ปีที่แล้ว

      Jadearistocrat Do you know how much China has spent on lftr?

    • @CapytanCrimp
      @CapytanCrimp 7 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Romeball they already did we had a complete working prototype in the 1970s

    • @r3d0c
      @r3d0c 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      Won't happen; not practical compared to conventional ones, you'd be better off researching fusion and see how close we are to attaining net gain reactors

  • @AustralianLeprechaun
    @AustralianLeprechaun 8 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    Go thorium Go thorium!!! Thorium to the rescue!!!

  • @scottmantooth8785
    @scottmantooth8785 8 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    these videos are always awesome...

  • @atrule
    @atrule 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    The LFTR reactor is the way to go. I really like listening to Kirk Sorensen of Flibe Energy talking about the molten salt reactor, using Thorium.

  • @ryPish
    @ryPish 8 ปีที่แล้ว +50

    The problem with Thorium is that you can't make bombs out of it.
    Therefore the military has zero interest in it, and it will never be a thing.
    ...unless some insanely rich and smart person decides to develop Thorium reactors privately.
    Let's hope those new Tesla car sell really well.

    • @matsv201
      @matsv201 8 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      +Ry P Actually you kind of can.. they tried that... it kind of worked... but it was horribly expensive and they got very low yeld.
      I would not bet tesla on doing that. They are to invested in solar/wind

    • @ASilentS
      @ASilentS 8 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      +matsv201 They got low yield because they were small scale test reactors. derp.

    • @matsv201
      @matsv201 8 ปีที่แล้ว

      SilentS No was talking about bombs.

    • @MrCordycep
      @MrCordycep 8 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      +Ry P The Chinese are going crazy over thorium so there's that at least.

    • @pramitbanerjee
      @pramitbanerjee 8 ปีที่แล้ว

      +Ry P bruce wayne might ,to defeat superman

  • @demonetizeddemonetisedinmy1890
    @demonetizeddemonetisedinmy1890 8 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    FINALLY!
    Joke time: Thorium had Barium Lokium.

  • @JOOLZNED
    @JOOLZNED 8 ปีที่แล้ว

    Excellent video, thank you for updating it. In the 1970's to 1980's Winfrith were making progress on the dragon reactor using a mix of uranium and thorium, technology we have now lost

  • @PacoOtis
    @PacoOtis 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thanks for the video! Well done! A great thanks for NOT having background music!

  • @reptar74
    @reptar74 8 ปีที่แล้ว +14

    if thorium is so much more abundant in the world compared to uranium then why is it so hard to get a hold of like the professor said?

    • @totoritko
      @totoritko 8 ปีที่แล้ว +37

      +Zack Because it's extremely highly regulated. It's not hard to mine, but as soon as you apply for a mining permit and you're expected to be hitting thorium-containing minerals (e.g. Monazite), expect very serious and regular visits from all kinds of regulators. That's why there are very few mines operating in such environments.

    • @dairix1
      @dairix1 8 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      +Zack
      The professor said it - that it must be heated up to high temperatures (cost of production goes up) and it is rarely used. The second point is from economical standpoint, as Uranium/Plutonium technology is much more advanced and therefore much cheaper.

    • @liquidminds
      @liquidminds 8 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      +DirtYone I wouldn't say uranium/plutonium is cheaper. I'd say you have a much more profitable market.
      No one buys thorium, but many countries want to buy uranium/plutonium. Why go through the trouble of inspections and regulations, for a product no one wants to buy in larger quantities?

    • @EgadsNo
      @EgadsNo 8 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      +Zack Actually in the US a remarkable amount of thorium is excavated from the ground by mining industries. None of it can be sold though due to its radioactive nature- it has to sit in piles per regulation, so it is treated as waste. It is really quite ludicrous.

    • @TasTheWatcher
      @TasTheWatcher 8 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      To go with the other reasons, as the Prof. said, you can't really make bombs with it, so governments aren't as interested in using it.

  • @Argimak
    @Argimak 8 ปีที่แล้ว +85

    Produce all electricity with Thorium, make all transport electric, figure out nuclear fusion between now and when Thorium runs out.
    If only it was that easy to fix the world!

    • @soylentgreenb
      @soylentgreenb 8 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      +Fel That's the thing. Thorium wouldn't run out; at least not while the Earth is still habitable. Your average garden variety rock is much more energy dense than coal. It's hard even to imagine running out of uranium. The stuff they want to bury at Yucca mountain is fuel that's only very slightly used; but in the united states you are not allowed to separate the fission products and keep using the actinides in a fast reactor until they are truly spent and all turned into fission products.

    • @dieselscience
      @dieselscience 8 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      +Fel 'when thorium runs out' is many thousands of years form now.

    • @poitsplace
      @poitsplace 8 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      +Fel The ore alone would last for thousands of years. And at some point we'd end up taking it from the oceans...where it's constantly replaced by erosion.
      The more important point for people to understand today is this. Wind/solar actually take 5X-10X as much materials, labor, and maintenance as the same amount of power generated through nuclear. And due to the wildly erratic nature of renewables, the amount of storage necessary to buffer them is ridiculously large...weeks worth (for the US that's hundreds of terawatt hours) while the amount of storage necessary to give nuclear the surge capability it needs, is about 25% of daily output (about 1-2% that of renewables). If someone was trying to produce energy without significant CO2 emissions...nuclear is just the only game in town.
      Side note: Overall energy consumption is in the neighborhood of 3X the energy used in electricity production.

    • @johnsanvictores6639
      @johnsanvictores6639 8 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      +Fel Unfortunately, I think energy is just one of many of our problems.

    • @Frahamen
      @Frahamen 8 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      +Fel But we already have a nuclear fusion reactor we can easily use for the next ten trillion years. Why would we invest in new reactors then?

  • @TCBYEAHCUZ
    @TCBYEAHCUZ 8 ปีที่แล้ว

    So happy you guys actually listened!

  • @maluco132
    @maluco132 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    he is so down to earth and see the big picture while speaking of the details o a single element, it's almost like he is telling a story, not lectturing.

  • @dredrotten
    @dredrotten 8 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    Checkout Molten Salt Thorium Reactor.

    • @watchthe1369
      @watchthe1369 8 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      +Red .Rotten LFTR to Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor...also works along with Thorium Alliance channel.

  • @josephmarsh5031
    @josephmarsh5031 8 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    if you compare the cost of building and researching a thorium reactor to the cost of building and researching the tokamak in France, its a no brainier. Thorium wins.
    To be clear, I'm not saying we saying we shouldn't build ITER, I'm just saying that if we can build a tokamak, we should easily be able to build a working thorium reactor.

    • @Addis2123
      @Addis2123 7 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      We did, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molten-Salt_Reactor_Experiment.

    • @Advection357
      @Advection357 7 ปีที่แล้ว

      China is building a dozen large scale thorium reactor plants (LFTR) as we speak...
      Better start now

    • @Advection357
      @Advection357 7 ปีที่แล้ว

      Joseph Marsh Yeah maybe later we can buy cheap thorium reactors from China hehe

    • @Addis2123
      @Addis2123 7 ปีที่แล้ว

      Just what we need to do. Spend more money we don't have.

    • @Addis2123
      @Addis2123 7 ปีที่แล้ว

      Stick to oil till the end

  • @evelynesimon5758
    @evelynesimon5758 8 ปีที่แล้ว

    thank you so much for a brilliant channel

  • @Trespasser249
    @Trespasser249 8 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    i would love to see the professor do a video on the thorium reactor that was active at the oakridge national lab in the 1960's

  • @mmmhorsesteaks
    @mmmhorsesteaks 8 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Personally, I think the thorium cycle is the way forward. Combined with some sort of subcritical reactor design (think MYRRHA) that would also be capable of transmutation to get rid of long-living isotopes, reducing the need for long-term storage. Supplemented by renewables, and perhaps fusion in 40-50 years ;-)

  • @WojciechP915
    @WojciechP915 8 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Is the audio messed up? I hear this annoying noise whenever the animation comes up.

    • @dustinwiebold8647
      @dustinwiebold8647 8 ปีที่แล้ว +53

      +Bill T That is the radiation coming through your screen.

  • @johnfarmer3506
    @johnfarmer3506 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    3:37 Unless you have a military type nuclear reactor, one dedicated to producing PU239, you will have to do a lot of highly technical level separation after the a commercial fuel rod is spent to get enough pu239 to do anything.

    • @dale116dot7
      @dale116dot7 ปีที่แล้ว

      Also unless you swap fuel rods out every month or so, Pu240 becomes problematic, weapons tend to fizzle when there’s more than a small amount of it. Also U233 has been used in at least one test weapon, Teapot MET. It didn’t fizzle but it did underperform, it yielded around 70% of target.

  • @Proxtor
    @Proxtor 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I have a bunch of 1.5% and 2% thoriated Tungsten electrodes for TIG welding. Thorium helps with making the Tungsten stand up to the high temperature and high amps when welding steel in certain applications.

  • @1320crusier
    @1320crusier 8 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    LFTR! Build molten salt reactors and build them now!

  • @jimlovesgina
    @jimlovesgina 8 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Kirk Sorenson has been pushing Thorium reactors for years. He has many videos up. Check him out!

  • @Gumbocinno
    @Gumbocinno 8 ปีที่แล้ว

    I loved the visual descriptive parts of this video.

  • @ren7a8ero
    @ren7a8ero 8 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Great class, teacher!

  • @logicplague2077
    @logicplague2077 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    We could really use those thorium reactors about now.

  • @alejandronq645
    @alejandronq645 8 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    A video colab with Derek Muller (Veritassium) would be awesome

    • @ASilentS
      @ASilentS 8 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      +Alejandro Apellido Derek would just waste all his time philosophising instead of talking about actual science.

    • @alejandronq645
      @alejandronq645 8 ปีที่แล้ว

      +SilentS Maybe... have you watched his Uranium documentary? It's great

  • @1980subrosa
    @1980subrosa 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great video as usual! Greetings from Argentina!

  • @Danzo285
    @Danzo285 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Smart man. Would love a follow up

  • @wolfumz
    @wolfumz 8 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Why is Thorium so hard to obtain? My understanding is that it's a very common element in the earth's crust...

    • @smh9902
      @smh9902 8 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      +wolfumz Because government red tape. Thats the only reason. Its actually a trash product of rare Earth mining and is literally piling up in man made mountains composed almost entirely of waste thorium.

    • @Godlessfuture
      @Godlessfuture 8 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      +Joe Schmoe To add to Joe Schmoe, the red tape mainly comes from toxicity concerns, primarily because of it's byproducts Radium and an Radon. Thorium my be weakly radiactive, but it's byproducts aren't and large amounts of Thorium over time can accumulate it's by products comparable quickly.

    • @BeCurieUs
      @BeCurieUs 8 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      +Godlessfuture And to add, it has nearly no economic value. The value of extracting it and trying to sell it is basically non-existent, beyond research or small qualities in some TIG welders. It also isn't well suited for primary extraction, meaning it is USUALLY a by product of some other process, this is because thorium doesn't form very rich deposits itself. As such, being that there is no primary market, and also it is a byproduct and mixed in an acid slurry means it won't be flowing into the economy.

    • @squirlmy
      @squirlmy 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@BeCurieUs this is right, but you're underestimating the issue. One rare earth mine can produce 5,000 tons of thorium a year as waste. 5000 TONS. Your argument about "very rich deposits by itself" is somewhat backwards, because there ARE rich deposits, they just come along with rare earth minerals, and those are the basis for mining. Not alone, for sure but rich nonetheless.

    • @BeCurieUs
      @BeCurieUs 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@squirlmy I wasn't referring to theoretical extraction venues, I was talking about how it is not generally processed as a primary ore because no one wants to buy it. Also, it's sideproduct nature from rare earth's also speaks to this as it is MUCH easier to dispose of cost wise than reprocess it again for thorium to sell on a market that doesn't need it.

  • @Chizbolt
    @Chizbolt 8 ปีที่แล้ว +43

    It's a shame we're taking so long to develop Liquid Flouride Thorium Reactors. Too long even.

    • @bat_bro1lewis491
      @bat_bro1lewis491 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Chizbolt
      They already have, they devoloped one in the 60s in America so it does work, the only reason we don't use it is because of how expensive building a power plant is these days

    • @kf8575
      @kf8575 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@bat_bro1lewis491 the reason they are not used, is because they dont produce plutonium as a biproduct. Therefore they went down the BWR route, to produce plutonium for their nuclear armament efforts

    • @jamesw6371
      @jamesw6371 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Can't get permits and licensing to build and operate one on the grounds that our regulations and approval process is backwards and antiquated.

  • @Stijn081
    @Stijn081 8 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Incredibly interesting video!

  • @theliveing
    @theliveing 8 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you for the upload.

  • @timhyatt9185
    @timhyatt9185 8 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    many of the "lessons' learned in working with Uranium light-water reactors would be applicable to LFTR reactors. The primary reason we went to the Light-water reactors was largely politically based (thanks to Rickover's push to get them in submarines, and Nixon wanting development in California instead of the research at Oak Ridge working on LFTRS) Do a youtube search on LFTRs and Thorium, and check out the videos with Kirk Sorensen....he's a HUGE advocate of LFTR technology and why it's superior to Light-water reactors....

  • @hermionemoul3714
    @hermionemoul3714 8 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    So Oxygen and Magnesium walked into a bar and I was like OMG!

    • @greenanubis
      @greenanubis 8 ปีที่แล้ว

      +LovelyHermycat Hermione lol, ok, successful pun is successful.

    • @TCBYEAHCUZ
      @TCBYEAHCUZ 8 ปีที่แล้ว

      +LovelyHermycat Hermione snaaawwwwwwwww

    • @HyperSpify
      @HyperSpify 8 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      +LovelyHermycat Hermione You mean OMg.

    • @ShyanTheLegend
      @ShyanTheLegend 8 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      its MgO magnesium oxide

  • @irishtino1595
    @irishtino1595 8 ปีที่แล้ว

    Excellent piece !

  • @ricmul
    @ricmul 8 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I would love to see a video on monatomic elements.

  • @Venojin
    @Venojin 8 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Hardest element to get a hold of?
    Hardly.
    Ungoro Crater is covered in the stuff.

    • @matsv201
      @matsv201 8 ปีที่แล้ว

      +Venojin Its oxide, not pure thorium

    • @moropikkuu
      @moropikkuu 8 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      "Get hold of" as in "being allowed to buy a sample". There are very strict regulations on buying pure Thorium, making it unobtainable for normal people, and even people who work with it have to go through tons of paperwork to even be allowed to transport it from the mine to where it will be processed.

    • @BFjordsman
      @BFjordsman 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@moropikkuu just raise your mining skill to 260 , then it's super easy to get

    • @BFjordsman
      @BFjordsman 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@matsv201is that how the arcane crystals form?

    • @matsv201
      @matsv201 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@BFjordsman oo.. that is not a question for me.. i´m not a chemist

  • @foreverofthestars4718
    @foreverofthestars4718 8 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    You didn't mention the fact that thorium power plants are FAR safer than uranium plants.

    • @BeCurieUs
      @BeCurieUs 8 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      +ForeverOfTheStars Safety is more about culture and design. There are many passively safe uranium designs out there, some very new ones as well that use molten salts with no thorium to be seen.

    • @leerman22
      @leerman22 7 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      No, the molten salt reactor thorium happens to be proposed for is what's safe. Thorium in a light water reactor is just as safe as a LWR running on uranium.

    • @jessedaly7847
      @jessedaly7847 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      The Eh Team correct, msrs are inherently far safer than pressurized water reactors or even liquid metal designs. Basically solid fuel and pressurized water are unstable and vastly inferior to liquid fuels and atmospheric pressure reactor design. Doesn’t matter if they are burning thorium, uranium, or plutonium.

  • @catalaanfcb6531
    @catalaanfcb6531 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Those video's are so learnfull thanks!

  • @theindian888
    @theindian888 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    amazing person
    very diligent n educational personality

  • @vaibhavgupta20
    @vaibhavgupta20 8 ปีที่แล้ว +30

    LFTR comments incoming.

    • @TheNerd484
      @TheNerd484 8 ปีที่แล้ว

      +Vaibhav Gupta same thought here.

    • @TheNerd484
      @TheNerd484 8 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Alejandro Apellido liquid fluoride thorium reactor

    • @vihai
      @vihai 8 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      +Vaibhav Gupta Yeah! LFTR FTW!

    • @alejandronq645
      @alejandronq645 8 ปีที่แล้ว

      +vihai ??

    • @kmac499
      @kmac499 8 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      +Vaibhav Gupta If the Internet is to be believed :-) LFTR's should be a no brainer. They fail to safety by the leaks 'freezing' from molten salt to solid. Low pressure operation so no need for massively strong containment vessels, corrosion resistance yes. Plus any country that pioneers it can offer nuclear know how without the weapons proliferation stigma.
      (Compared to ITER and other fusion projects it seems a much better bet for guaranteeing baseload power.)

  • @TCBYEAHCUZ
    @TCBYEAHCUZ 8 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Thorium has a half life of 14 billion years, Which is older than the accepted universe's age.. It's ridiculous, a banana is more radioactive for its radioactive potassium content and yet you don't see people putting their bananas in glass shields. XD

    • @borisveselinov3426
      @borisveselinov3426 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      The radioactive potassium is in low concentration

  • @CapytanCrimp
    @CapytanCrimp 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    thank you for making the video and bringing the joy of thorium to almost one million subscribers, another point is that nuclear energy is natural, naturally occuring nuclear reactors occured in the earlier periods of earth

  • @southforkjim8980
    @southforkjim8980 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    There was a successful Th fueled prototype reactor in Delta, Pennsylvania called Peach Bottom Unit 1. It shutdown in 1974. It was a graphite moderated reactor with most of the fuel encapsulated in BISO particles. There were even test elements with first generation TRISO encapsulation. Advanced reactor technologies being proposed today include TRISO tech for accident tolerance.

  • @thealenlife1479
    @thealenlife1479 8 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    This guy looks like science

  • @jamiehughes5573
    @jamiehughes5573 8 ปีที่แล้ว +21

    mjolnirium

  • @jonhoyles714
    @jonhoyles714 8 ปีที่แล้ว

    as always thanks for the education great vid

  • @muzikhed
    @muzikhed 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    This is an amaziingly interesting informative series.