The explosive history of hydrogen – with Andrew Szydlo

Ri favourite and top demonstrator Andrew Szydlo takes us on a whistle-stop tour of this reactive gas, originally called 'flammable air', recreating some long-lost experiments along the way.

Hydrogen is the lightest element on the periodic table, discovered in 1766, with each atom containing only a proton and an electron and nothing more. And yet it is also one of the most reactive, capable of creating giant fireballs and deafening explosions.

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This lecture was recorded at the Ri on 26 November 2022.

Andrew Szydlo is a chemist and secondary school teacher at Highgate School, well-loved by pupils and Ri attendees alike. He has given public lectures around the country, been featured on TV shows and has become a popular part of the Ri's YouTube channel in recent years, where his videos have over 16 million views in total.

When Andrew started giving chemistry lessons to friends some 50 years ago, he would bring a pocket-full of chemicals to illustrate the principles of chemistry.

Today, these chemistry lessons have evolved into demonstration lectures which he gives to audiences in a wide variety of locations. During the past 40 years he has given over 500 talks, in addition to teaching chemistry full-time at Highgate School in London. Today he is still based at Highgate School, delivering chemistry lectures to local schools.

The Royal Society of Chemistry included Andrew as one of their 175 Faces of Chemistry.

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