The most dangerous elements on the periodic table - Shannon Odell

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Amanda Zhu

From 1952 to 1953, Sydney detectives investigated

從 1952 年到 1953 年，

雪黎警探調查了數量驚人的 謀殺和謀殺未遂案件，

a staggering number of murder and attempted murder cases

that were unrelated yet shared a common element:

案件彼此不相關， 卻有一個共同元素：

thallium poisoning.

鉈中毒。

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

鉈的毒性背後的秘密在於 它和鉀有相似的結構——

an element that helps regulate the body's fluids,

鉀元素能調節體液、

initiate muscle contraction, and transmit nerve signals.

啟動肌肉收縮，和傳遞神經訊號。

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

即使是很少量的鉈偷溜進體內，

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

比如，透過受汙染的茶或一片蛋糕，

it easily supplants potassium,

它很容易就會取代鉀，

causing the body to slowly and painfully shut down.

導致身體緩慢且痛苦地停止運作。

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

在當時，鉈的風險是眾所皆知的，

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

所以犯罪的人怎麼 取得這麼致命的元素？

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

鉈並不是元素周期表上 唯一的危險元素。

Within this tabular array loom several potential threats,

有幾個潛在的威脅藏在這個表格中，

each with their own unique method of imposing destruction.

每個都有自己獨特的破壞方式。

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

有些元素，如鉈， 是因為有毒性所以很危險。

Once they enter the body,

一旦它們進入體內，

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

就會大肆破壞維持生命的生物系統。

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

鉛會與人體內像是鈣 這樣的重要金屬交換位置，

in turn disrupting neuronal communication in the brain.

進而擾亂大腦中的神經元溝通。

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

經過血液時，它還會產生 有毒的分子，

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

這些分子就是活性氧化物，

它們會逐漸造成細胞的壓力和死亡。

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

汞的毒性在十九世紀紅起來，

due to its widespread use in felt hat production.

因為它被廣泛用在毛氈帽的製造上。

Prolonged exposure made hat makers ill

長時間接觸讓製造帽子的人生病，

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

染上後來所稱的「瘋帽匠」病，

with symptoms that included personality changes,

症狀包括人格改變、

emotional disturbances, and tremors.

情緒障礙，和顫抖。

Mercury is quick to react with certain parts of proteins

汞會很快和身體各處蛋白質的 某些部分發生反應，

found throughout the body.

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

結合時 ，汞會將蛋白質 扭曲成不同的形狀，

rendering them useless.

讓它們失去作用。

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

某些元素的危險性

來自它們在外部環境中 反應、作用，甚至爆炸的方式。

in the outside environment.

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

活性最高的元素位在 周期表的第一欄。

and are known as alkali metals.

即一般所知的鹼金族金屬。

They're rarely found in their pure elemental form,

很少會見到它們純元素的形式，

as alkalis readily donate the single electron in their outer shell

因為鹼金族能輕易釋放 它們外層的單一電子，

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

與周圍的任何物質結合， 形成更穩定的離子化合物。

This can lead to violent results—

這可能會導致猛烈的結果——

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

以純銫為例，

接觸到空氣時會突然燃燒起來，

and explodes when dropped in water.

丟到水中時則會爆炸。

Francium is likely the most reactive alkali

鍅可能是活性最高的鹼金族金屬，

based on its position in the periodic table,

判斷依據是它在 元素周期表上的位置，

but we don't know for sure.

但我們無法絕對肯定。

With a half-life of 22 minutes at most,

它的半衰期最多只有二十二分鐘，

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

因此認為任何時點在地球上 都只會有不到一盎司的鈁存在。

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

但也許最威脅的元素 是靜靜放射輻射的元素。

Known as radioactive elements,

這些被稱為放射性元素的物質

the substances readily release energy, or decay,

很容易釋放能量或衰變，

due to their highly unstable nuclear composition.

原因是它們的核組成很不穩定。

This reactive nature is what's harnessed to create

這種特性被利用來創造出 一些世界上最危險的核武。

some of the world's most dangerous nuclear weapons.

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

放射性元素所釋放的能量 通常是 α 粒子、

beta particles, neutrons, or electromagnetic radiation.

β粒子、中子，或電磁輻射的形式。

While all dangerous,

雖然全都很危險，

alpha particles, which consist of two neutrons and protons

但由兩個中子和兩個質子 緊密結合而成的 α 粒子

bound tightly together,

can be particularly hazardous.

可能特別危險。

Heavy and positively charged,

因為重量大又帶正電，

if alpha particles find their way into the body,

如果 α 粒子找到方法進入體內，

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

它們可以輕鬆殺死 路上遇到的任何細胞。

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

事實上，有理論認為，單單 一公克會釋放 α 射線的鈽，

could kill upwards of 50 million people.

就能殺死超過五千萬人。

Polonium was first discovered by Marie Curie,

最先發現鈽的人是瑪麗‧居禮，

and tragically her daughter, researcher Irene Joliot-Curie,

很不幸，她的女兒， 研究者伊雷娜‧約里奧—居禮，

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

可能是在一場實驗室的 意外中接觸到鈽，

而成為鈽的首批受害者之一。

Polonium is rare in nature with few commercial uses,

鈽在自然界很罕見，商業用途很少，

so only a small amount is synthesized each year.

因此每年只有少量的鈽被合成出來。

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

但鉈在 1950 年代初期的澳洲

in the early 1950s in Austalia.

並不難找到。

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

當時，雪黎長期受到鼠患所困擾。

And thallium was the main ingredient in the popular and cheap

而鉈是普遍又便宜的老鼠藥

rat poison called Thall-Rat.

「鉈鼠」（Thall-Rat） 當中的主要成份。

Thankfully, detectives were able to connect the dots,

謝天謝地，警探能把線索拼湊起來，

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

在 1953 年，澳洲國會 遏止了所有鉈的販售。