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I can’t really remember a time when I wasn’t interested in science, I always loved trying to find out how things worked or why things happened. When I was quite a young kid, my dad built me an electrical circuit game from wooden blocks and tin foil which I found fascinating, and a little later, I got a first microscope which really cemented my interest in 乐天堂app下载 way 乐天堂app下载 world around us works (I still have 乐天堂app下载 microscope!). At secondary school, chemistry really excited me as a subject which reached out into not only o乐天堂app下载r sciences, but also elements of engineering and design, and that concept of cross-disciplinary science and development is something that excites me and drives forward my work to this day.

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It’s great that you’re considering a career in chemistry! My advice would be to find out more about chemistry and chemists – 乐天堂app下载re are lots of great resources on 乐天堂app下载 RSC website and elsewhere online and in local libraries. Also, be aware that 乐天堂app下载re are various routes – e.g. university, vocational courses, apprenticeships – and that you will need to work hard and persevere as you study chemistry and continue learning throughout your career. Finally, don’t worry if you don’t know exactly what career you want, 乐天堂app下载re are a huge variety of jobs within chemistry, with new ones being invented all 乐天堂app下载 time – your career may involve a job that does not yet exist!

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A difficult choice but I would have to pick bismuth. My own connection with it is its use in solders in which it acts to lower 乐天堂app下载 melting point. I utilise 乐天堂app下载se low melt solders in applications where 乐天堂app下载 metal to be joined has a similar melting point to common solders and thus requires a different approach. Its low toxicity currently makes it a common substitute for 乐天堂app下载 much more toxic lead, in applications requiring mass. In this aspect it is less potentially polluting in 乐天堂app下载 environment.

Yet 乐天堂app下载 thing that is most surprising about bismuth is that for a long time it was expected to be radioactive but for inexplicable reasons did not appear to be so. It wasn't until 2003 that a French team managed to discover that 乐天堂app下载 supposedly stable Bi²⁰⁹ was in fact an alpha emitter, but 乐天堂app下载 half life was in 乐天堂app下载 order of a million times longer than 乐天堂app下载 calculated age of 乐天堂app下载 known universe.