University of Nottingham - Fool's gold

Whoever wins the Fifa World Cup, they may be disappointed by the prize. Martyn Poliakoff, research professor in chemistry at the University of Nottingham, has debunked the myth that the tournament's famous trophy is made of solid gold. In his latest entry to his Periodic Table of Videos project (www.periodicvideos.com), Professor Poliakoff says a solid trophy would weigh around 80 kilograms and would also bend when it was lifted because gold is a soft metal. "This would not be a fitting end to the competition although it might be the end of the footballer," he said.