MIT Chemistry
The 1st chemistry class was held at MIT in what year: 1852, 1861, 1865, or 1872?
1865
What is the name of the path throughout downtown Boston that is marked with a thin strip of red brick?
The freedom trail
Who discovered the elements radium and polonium?
Marie Curie
When you leave iron or steel exposed to oxygen and water for prolonged periods it will rust. What is the chemical composition of rust?
Iron oxides [Fe2O3] and hydroxides [Fe(OH)3]
Why is it safer to stay in a car rather than be outside during a lightning storm?
The frame of the car forms a Faraday cage
In what year was Building 18 completed? (1937, 1967, 1997, or 2007)
1967 (with renovations completed in 2003)
While building magnetrons at MIT in the 1940s, Percy Spencer noticed a melting chocolate bar in his pocket. Deeper investigation and exploration led to the invention of what household device? Spencer received no royalties for this invention, first marketed as the Radarange.
Microwave
What is the most abundant element on Earth?
Oxygen is the most abundant element on Earth, making up about 46% of the Earth's crust's mass.
Why does honey never go bad?
The low water content, the acidic nature, and the high sugar content prevents the growth of microorganisms
In case of a heart attack, aspirin can be a life-saving drug as it inhibits platelets and helps prevent increased clotting. What is one way to help the aspirin hit your bloodstream faster?
Crushing up the pill
Quick! There's an emergency involving a chemical spill! Who do you call?
What solvent has a statue in the Boston Commons commemorating its use as an anesthetic?
Diethyl ether
Which element is the basic material in computer chips?
silicon
What two molecules does yeast release when baking that causes bread to rise?
carbon dioxide and ethanol
What day of the week is the cheapest to buy plane tickets?
Sunday
How many mass spectrometers are there in the DCIF?
6!
"The DCIF is home to 6 mass spectrometers capable of measuring from low to high m/z range, using a wide range of ionization sources (EI, CI, ESI, APCI, APPI, DART and Maldi)..."
What sweet substance is guilty of a January 15, 1919 "flood" in which 21 people and several horses were killed in the North End?
Molasses
What element, as an impurity, makes rubies red and emeralds green?
Chromium
What chemical is produced when you mix Windex and Bleach?
chloramine gas (a toxic gas, please don't do this)
When jumpstarting a car, what is the correct sequence of events when connecting the cables?
Connect the red clamp to the positive terminal of the working battery, then connect the red clamp to the positive terminal of the dead battery. Next, connect the black clamp to the negative terminal of the working battery, and attach the remaining clamp to an unpainted metal surface or the negative post of the dead battery.
According to the MIT Chemistry website, there are 7 different areas of research in the department. What are they?
Chemical Biology, Inorganic, Organic, Physical, Computational & Theoretical, Energy & Sustainability, and Materials & Nanoscience
From 1980 to 1993, what five-time Oscar winner served as conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra?
John Williams
Which element is also known as brimstone?
Sulphur
What compound makes people cry when they chop onions?
Syn-propanethial-S-oxide
(though scientist used to believe it was due to the enzyme allinase)
A Roth IRA is a tool in the US to help with saving and planing for retirement. What does the IRA stand for?
Individual Retirement Arrangement