The most dangerous elements on the periodic table - Shannon Odell

翻译人员: Lexi Ding 校对人员: Sue Lu

From 1952 to 1953, Sydney detectives investigated

从 1952 年到 1953 年， 悉尼的侦探们调查了

a staggering number of murder and attempted murder cases

数量惊人的谋杀案件 和谋杀未遂案件，

that were unrelated yet shared a common element:

这些案件彼此无关， 但有一个共同点：

thallium poisoning.

铊中毒。

The secret to thallium toxicity lies in its structural similarity to potassium—

铊毒性的秘密在于 它与钾的结构相似，

an element that helps regulate the body's fluids,

钾是一种有助于调节体液、

initiate muscle contraction, and transmit nerve signals.

启动肌肉收缩 和传递神经信号的元素。

If even a small amount of thallium sneaks its way into the body—

即使是少量的铊渗入体内——

for example, through a tainted tea or a slice of cake—

例如通过受污染的茶或一片蛋糕——

it easily supplants potassium,

它也很容易取代钾，

causing the body to slowly and painfully shut down.

导致身体缓慢而痛苦地崩溃。

At the time, thallium's risks were well known,

当时，铊的风险是众所周知的，

so how were the perpetrators able to get their hands on such a lethal element?

那么凶手是如何获得 如此致命的元素的呢？

And thallium isn't the only dangerous element on the periodic table.

另外，铊并非元素周期表中 唯一的危险元素，

Within this tabular array loom several potential threats,

这个表中还隐藏着几种潜在威胁，

each with their own unique method of imposing destruction.

每种都有其独特的破坏机制。

Some elements, like thallium, are dangerous due to their toxicity.

某些元素，例如铊， 因为有毒而很危险。

Once they enter the body,

一旦它们进入人体，

they wreak havoc on the biological systems that keep us alive.

就会对维持我们生命的 生物系统造成严重破坏。

Lead, for example, switches places with the body's essential metals like calcium,

例如，铅会与人体必需的金属， 如钙，交换位置，

in turn disrupting neuronal communication in the brain.

进而破坏大脑神经元的交流。

Traveling through the bloodstream, it also generates toxic levels of molecules

通过血液循环， 它还会产生有毒分子，

known as reactive oxygen species, which over time can stress and kill cells.

即活性氧，随着时间推移， 它们会对细胞造成压力并杀死细胞。

Mercury's toxicity was made famous in the 19th century

19 世纪，汞的毒性闻名于世，

due to its widespread use in felt hat production.

因其在毡帽生产中的广泛使用。

Prolonged exposure made hat makers ill

长期接触汞使制帽匠患病，

with what was later known as "Mad Hatter" disease,

得了后来被称为“疯帽匠”的疾病，

with symptoms that included personality changes,

其症状包括性格改变、

emotional disturbances, and tremors.

情绪障碍和震颤。

Mercury is quick to react with certain parts of proteins

汞能迅速与人体内的某些蛋白质

found throughout the body.

发生反应；

And upon binding, mercury twists the proteins into different shapes,

结合后，汞会将蛋白质 扭曲成不同的形状，

rendering them useless.

使它们失效。

Some elements are dangerous because of how they respond, react, or even explode

有些元素之所以危险， 是因为它们在外部环境中

in the outside environment.

会发生反应甚至爆炸。

Top reactive elements reside in the first column of the periodic table

顶级活性元素位于 元素周期表的第一列，

and are known as alkali metals.

被称为碱金属。

They're rarely found in their pure elemental form,

它们很少以纯元素形式存在，

as alkalis readily donate the single electron in their outer shell

因为碱金属很容易 将其外壳中的单电子捐给

to whatever's around to form more stable ionic compounds.

周围任何物质 以形成更稳定离子化合物。

This can lead to violent results—

这可能会导致剧烈反应——

pure cesium, for example, bursts into flames when exposed to air,

例如，纯铯接触空气就会燃烧，

and explodes when dropped in water.

掉入水中就会爆炸。

Francium is likely the most reactive alkali

钫很可能是活性最高的碱，

based on its position in the periodic table,

基于它在元素周期表中的位置，

but we don't know for sure.

但我们并不确定。

With a half-life of 22 minutes at most,

由于其半衰期最多 22 分钟，

it's thought that less than an ounce exists on Earth at any one time.

人们认为地球上 任一时期的钫不足一盎司。

But perhaps the most threatening elements are those that silently emit.

但最具威胁性的可能是 那些默默释放能量的元素，

Known as radioactive elements,

被称为放射性元素，

the substances readily release energy, or decay,

很容易释放能量或发生衰变，

due to their highly unstable nuclear composition.

因为其核成分极不稳定。

This reactive nature is what's harnessed to create

正是利用这种反应特性，

some of the world's most dangerous nuclear weapons.

人们制造出了一些 世界上最危险的核武器。

Radioactive elements typically emit energy in the form of alpha particles,

放射性元素通常以 α 粒子、

beta particles, neutrons, or electromagnetic radiation.

β 粒子、中子 或电磁辐射的形式释放能量。

While all dangerous,

虽然都很危险，

alpha particles, which consist of two neutrons and protons

但 α 粒子由两个中子和质子

bound tightly together,

紧密结合在一起，

can be particularly hazardous.

所以其危害性尤其大。

Heavy and positively charged,

α 粒子又重又带正电，

if alpha particles find their way into the body,

一旦进入人体，

they can easily bombard and kill any cell in their path.

就会轻易轰击并杀死 遇到的任何细胞。

In fact, it's theorized that a single gram of one alpha emitter, polonium,

从理论上讲， 一克 α 粒子的放射元素钋，

could kill upwards of 50 million people.

就能杀死五千多万人。

Polonium was first discovered by Marie Curie,

钋最初是由居里夫人发现的，

and tragically her daughter, researcher Irene Joliot-Curie,

不幸的是，她的女儿， 研究员艾琳·乔利奥特-居里，

may have been one of its first victims after she was exposed in a lab accident.

可能是在实验室事故中 接触到钋的首批受害者之一。

Polonium is rare in nature with few commercial uses,

钋在自然界中很少见， 商业用途也很少，

so only a small amount is synthesized each year.

因此每年只有少量合成。

Thallium, on the other hand, wasn't so difficult to find

另一方面，铊并不难找，

in the early 1950s in Austalia.

尤其是在 1950 年代初的澳洲。

At the time, Sydney was plagued with chronic rat infestations.

当时，悉尼长期受到鼠患的困扰，

And thallium was the main ingredient in the popular and cheap

而铊是名叫“Thall-Rat”的

rat poison called Thall-Rat.

流行廉价鼠药的主要成分。

Thankfully, detectives were able to connect the dots,

值得庆幸的是，侦探们 将线索联系起来，成功破案。

and in 1953 Australian Parliament effectively banned all sale of thallium.

1953 年，澳大利亚议会有效地 禁止了所有铊的销售。