The Mystery of Matter: Search for the Elements is a series of three one-hour films. Here we offer pdf documents containing the full scripts of all three episodes. In reading these scripts, please keep in mind that lines in italics are descriptions of the images and actions seen on the screen at a given moment. Immediately following those descriptions are the words being heard at that moment. Words delivered by the narrator are preceded by the abbreviation NARR. Other words are spoken by the host (when he’s on camera), the actors playing the scientists, and the scholars who were interviewed for the series. Each of these sound bites is indented, with the name of the speaker in capital letters above it. If the speaker’s name is followed by the abbreviation VO (voice-over), it means we hear these words at that moment, but the speaker is not on camera.

To read or download each script, simply click on the episode title below each picture. For annotated scripts with notes on the chemical concepts explored in each episode and their connections to national science teaching standards, please click on For Teachers above, and go to the Teacher’s Guide.