“Our mission is to try to discover the soul of each element, and present it in the form that shows its soul,” British scientist Max Whitby said.
Benjy Egel
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Uranium sits behind a glass display case in the third floor lobby of the Warren J. Baker Center for Science and Mathematics. Like the rest of the materials in the life-size periodic table of elements, it’s virtually harmless in its current state.
Some forms of uranium can be used to make nuclear explosives, but British scientist Max Whitby sent Cal Poly products like bright orange Fiestaware and green glass to show the 92nd element’s wide range of uses.
Whitby co-founded The Red Green and Blue Company (RGB), which has assembled physical periodic tables across the globe by stripping elements down to their core or showcasing them as part of a household item.
“Our mission is to try to discover the soul of each element, and present it in the form that shows its soul,” Whitby said. “Elements have very subtle, beautiful colors and crystal forms, and if you know how to prepare them very carefully you can show those.”
Elements like uranium have the possibility for destruction, but also have practical uses in the real world. Radium was often used in radioactive paint, so the Baker Center table includes a watch with radium-laced hands.
The radiation emitted from displays like the uranium plates and cups is milder than that given off by rocks at a certain beach or a smoke detector, Whitby said.
“One of the things I like most about the elements and the periodic table is that it acts as a kind of window on our civilization,” he said. “The way the elements are used in our world and how they play such an important role in our technology and our lives is a really fascinating story.”
There is almost no threat of people breaking into displays with precious metals like gold, silver or rhodium, Whitby said. The small chunks might net approximately $100, but the reinforced glass surrounding them would take some serious work to crack into.
Plutonium is one of the few stable elements not in the Baker Center’s periodic table. The British government prevents even reputable scientific researchers like Whitby from getting their hands on a key ingredient for nuclear explosives.
The plutonium exhibit instead shows a small vial of melted-down Trinitite, a metal from the Trinity test site where the atomic bomb was tested.
Other elements, such as francium, have a half-life of less than one second. The table instead shows a piece of constantly decaying natural uranium, which always holds at least one francium atom as it decays all the way down to lead.
“Would you really want to see a sample of pure francium or pure actinium? Because if you did, it would be the last thing that you would ever see,” Whitby said. “And indeed, it wouldn’t be very good for a mile or two around you, because it would explode as if it were a small atomic bomb.”
Chemistry professor Derek Gragson was in charge of decorating the Baker Center with various attractions, including expanded laboratories and three additional studio classrooms.
Gragson said professors had been talking about installing a physical periodic table since he started at Cal Poly 14 years ago. It was just a matter of picking the right company.
“We just wanted to have a display for students to see the elements and their practical uses,” he said. “(We’ve thought about a display) ever since we’ve been talking about the building.”
Gragson brought all the students from one of his classes last quarter out to the periodic table and had them submit a PolyLearn response on their favorite elements.
Many students chose copper, as did Gragson. The copper display is full of bright colors like green and purple, not just the rusty red-brown found on pennies.
The table also serves as a main attraction for outsiders checking out the College of Science and Mathematics’ new building, Gragson said. University and elementary students alike often spend a few minutes hovering in front of the display, and College of Science and Mathematics Dean Phil Bailey is a frequent visitor.
“Many kids from local schools have come to the new building to see our periodic table,” Gragson said. “It’s a regular stop for (Bailey) when he’s showing off the building.”
No two physical tables are exactly the same, Whitby said. For example, Cal Poly’s periodic table is surrounded by a unique bamboo border designed to match the rest of the Baker Center.
Professors also donated their own elements to add to RGB employee Andrew Goodall’s collection, which relies heavily on imports from China and successful eBay bids.
RGB is one of seven scientific enterprises Whitby has established, including his main business venture, Touch Press.
Whitby and Touch Press co-founder Theo Gray, who also works with RGB, design fact-based apps for iPhones and iPads. Their first app, The Elements, provides a digital breakdown of everything on the periodic table, and their Disney Animated version won Apple’s 2013 App of the Year.