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Tales from the Periodic Table
Check upcoming programs for dates and times
Phyllis C. Wattis Webcast Studio
Included with museum admission.
Adults Only (18+)
Note: There is limited capacity for this program; seating will be made available to visitors on a first-come, first-served basis.
From the moment of its discovery, each element embarks on a journey into our culture. —Hugh Aldersey-Williams, Periodic Tales
The periodic table outlines the fundamental building blocks of all known matter in the universe. Composed of irreducible atoms, these elements arrived from the earliest reports of the Big Bang, the fusion wombs of stars and supernova, and collisions between interstellar matter and cosmic rays—as well as through artificial production in the lab. A scant 4.9% of the universe (the rest being dark matter and energy), the 118 elements currently arrayed on the periodic table display unique and yet beautifully related properties and behaviors. To us, they mean everything: from iron to uranium, their discovery and use have shaped the course of human history.
In this Thursday night series, we invite you to come be in your elements with Exploratorium host and scientific raconteur Ron Hipschman. Follow tales of intrigue and invention, join in dynamic demonstrations, and uncover fascinating connections between individual elements and our collective experience.
Upcoming Programs
There's always something interesting happening here—check out our upcoming events calendar.
Past Programs
After Dark
Thursday, February 18, 2016 • 6:00–10:00 p.m.
Reinvent your Thursday nights at After Dark. Experience a fascinating array of unique, adult-only programs and events that change each week. Grab dinner by the Bay, play with hundreds of hands-on exhibits, crawl through our pitch-black Tactile Dome, sip cocktails, and explore.
After Dark: Tales from the Periodic Table
Thursday, January 21, 2016
All flash and no fire, noble neon lights up streets at night with its distinctive red glow. Hear the story of its discovery, and learn its unique place among the elements.
After Dark: Tales from the Periodic Table
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Furiously reactive, fluorine has a ferocious appetite for attracting electrons from other elements, and a fearsome habit of killing chemists. Find out how its formidable bonds have proven both bane (CFCs) and boon (fluoride).
After Dark: Tales from the Periodic Table
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Earth, water, air, fire: our world is ruled by oxygen. Investigate its physical properties, follow the history of its discovery, and explore the profound influence of phytoplankton on the creation of life as we know it.
After Dark
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Everything Matters returns with an investigation of the seventh most abundant element in the universe. Look for opening salvos on its history and discovery as well as demonstrations of liquid nitrogen and nitrous oxide (laughing gas).
Tales from the Periodic Table: Carbon
Thursday, June 18, 2015 • 8:00 p.m.
Emerging from inside of stars, carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe, and the basis for all life on Earth.
Tales from the Periodic Table: Boron
Thursday, May 21, 2015 • 8:00 p.m.
Follow the trail of this intriguing element through ceramics, cleaning agents, fireworks, nuclear reactors, and nanotubes. Get a primer on quantum mechanics, play with slime, and see live flameworking with Russell Taylor of Public Glass.
Tales from the Periodic Table: Beryllium
Thursday, March 19, 2015 • 7:30 p.m.
Behold beryllium, an exceptionally light, strong metal that is both poisonous and prized as a structural material for aerospace projects such as space shuttles, satellites, and the future James Webb Space Telescope.
Everything Matters: Lithium
Thursday, February 19, 2015 • 7:30 p.m.
Lightweight lithium is commonly used in rechargeable batteries, fireworks, and medications for treating bipolar disorder. See its scarlet contributions to pyrotechnics, and discuss its divided reputation as being both restorative and potentially toxic to our health.
Tales from the Periodic Table: Helium
Thursday, January 29, 2015 • 7:30 p.m.
Helium is the second most abundant element. Then why is there a global shortage? Learn about our spendthrift affair with this noble gas, and find out why its future remains up in the air.
Tales from the Periodic Table
Check upcoming programs for dates and times
Come be in your elements with Exploratorium host and scientific raconteur Ron Hipschman. Follow tales of intrigue and invention, join in dynamic demonstrations, and uncover fascinating connections between individual elements and our collective human experience.
Tales from the Periodic Table Hydrogen
Thursday, December 18, 2014 • 7:30 p.m.
Explore hydrogen, the lightest and most abundant element. Discover its history and highly flammable properties, watch water separate into oxygen and hydrogen gas, and learn the origins and evolution of the periodic table.
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