Trivia 1
What is the lightest element in the periodic table?
A. Hydrogen
B. Lithium
C. Oxygen
D. Helium
A.
Hydrogen has a standard atomic weight of 1.008. It is the most abundant chemical substance in the Universe, constituting roughly 75% of all baryonic mass.
Which element comprises 20 percent of the weight of all living organisms?
A. Carbon
B. Nitrogen
C. Iron
D. Calcium
A.
Carbon's abundance, its unique diversity of organic compounds, and its unusual ability to form polymers at the temperatures commonly encountered on Earth enables this element to serve as a common element of all known life.
Which metal is so soft at room temperature that you could cut it with a knife?
A. Gallium
B. Rhodium
C. Osmium
D. Iridium
A.
Gallium is a soft, silvery blue metal at standard temperature and pressure. In addition, it has a low melting point of 85.57 F (29.76 C) -- less than 10 degrees above room temperature -- so if you were to pick up a lump of gallium, it would literally melt from the warmth of your hand. Then if you set it back down, it would solidify again.
What is the only periodic table group that contains elements in three of the main states of matter at standard temperature and pressure?
A. Chalogens
B. Halogens
C. Pnictogens
D. Icosagens
B.
Three states of matter are represented by halogens at room temperature and one atmosphere pressure: fluorine and chlorine are gases, bromine is a liquid, and iodine and astatine are solids.
What law states that the amount of heat needed to change one substance to another depends on the substances and not on the reactions involved?
A. Avogadro's Law
B. Boyle's Law
C. Hess's Law
D. Newland's Law
C.
Hess's Law states that the amount of heat needed to change one substance to another depends on the substances and not on the reactions involved.
How many elements are there in the periodic table?
A. 116
B. 120
C. 118
D. 122
C.
Scientists have confirmed the existence of 118 different elements. Some, like gold, silver, copper and carbon, have been known for thousands of years. Others, such as moscovium, nihonium, and tennessine have only recently been created by scientists.
Which of the noble gases is radioactive?
A. Xenon
B. Neon
C. Radon
D. Argon
C.
Radon is formed by the natural radioactive decay of uranium. Unlike other elements in the decay chain, radon is, under normal conditions, gaseous and easily inhaled. As a result, it is often the single largest contributor to an exposed individual's background radiation dose.
What is the most expensive metal on the periodic table?
A. Rhodium
B. Ruthenium
C. Gold
D. Platinum
A.
One of the rarest naturally occurring metals on Earth, Rhodium is highly sought after for use in jewelry and catalytic converters. As of 2020, it was trading at $6,300.00 per ounce.
Which metal is transparent to X-rays?
A. Strontium
B. Promethium
C. Cadmium
D. Beryllium
D.
Because of its low density and atomic mass, beryllium is relatively transparent to X-rays, making it profoundly useful in radiation windows and particle detectors.
Matter that does not enter chemical reactions is described as what?
A. Inhibited
B. Inert
C. Grounded
D. Sterile
B.
Inert matter does not enter chemical reactions.
Who is generally considered the father of the modern periodic table?
A. Dmitri Mendelev
B. Antoine Lavoisier
C. Julius Lothar Meyer
D. Gustavus Hinrichs
A.
Mendeleev is best remembered for formulating the Periodic Law and creating a farsighted version of the periodic table of elements. He used the Periodic Law not only to correct the then-accepted properties of some known elements, such as the valence and atomic weight of uranium, but also to predict the properties of eight elements that were yet to be discovered.
Columns in the periodic table organize elements into _____.
A. Bands
B. Classes
C. Groups
D. Periods
C.
Elements within a group share several common properties and often have the same outer electron arrangement.
What was the first superconductor to be discovered?
A. Lead
B. Mercury
C. Aluminum
D. Gold
B.
In 1911 superconductivity was first observed in mercury by Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes of Leiden University. When he cooled it to the temperature of liquid helium, 4 degrees Kelvin (-452F, -269C), its resistance suddenly disappeared.
Which metal is a liquid at room temperature?
A. Mercury
B. Rubidium
C. Cassium
D. Gallium
A.
Mercury, commonly known as quicksilver, is used in thermometers, barometers, manometers, sphygmomanometers, float valves, mercury switches, fluorescent lamps and other devices.
Which type of matter has a definite volume but no definite shape?
A. Solids
B. Liquids
C. Gasses
D. Plasma
B.
Liquids have a definite volume but no definite shape. Because the intermolecular forces are weak in a liquid, it is able to change its shape to conform to its container.
How many elements occur naturally?
A. 74
B. 84
C. 104
D. 94
D.
The first 94 elements occur naturally; the remaining 24, americium to oganesson (95-118), occur only when synthesized in laboratories.
The majority of the elements on the periodic table are _____.
A. Metalloids
B. Metals
C. Non-Metals
D. Halogens
B.
Almost 80 percent of the periodic table is composed of metals (shiny elements that conduct heat and electricity well). 15 percent of the elements are nonmetals (poor conductors of heat and electricity). The remaining elements are metalloids, which share properties of both metals and nonmetals.
Which element was used as a laxative in the Middle Ages?
A. Bromine
B. Fermium
C. Cadmium
D. Antimony
D.
Reusable pills made from metallic antimony were a popular remedy in Medieval times as a method to purge "bad humors" from the body. In fact, the practice persisted into the 18th century and may have been responsible for Mozart's death. When the composer came down with a mysterious illness, he was treated with antimony tartrate and died within two weeks. Such compounds are now known to be toxic and may produce effects similar to arsenic poisoning.
According to physicist Richard Feynman, what is the highest possible number on the periodic table?
A. 173
B. 137
C. 159
D. 195
B.
Feynman once predicted that number 137 defines the table's outer limit, as it would require electrons to orbit at the speed of light. But modern physicists have questioned this assessment, suggesting the outer limit may be 173 or even higher.
What is the most expensive metal on the periodic table?
A. Gold
B. Rhodium
C. Platinum
D. Ruthenium
B.
One of the rarest naturally occurring metals on Earth, Rhodium is highly sought after for use in jewelry and catalytic converters. As of 2020, it was trading at $6,300.00 per ounce.
What was the first artificially produced element?
A. Technetium
B. Einstienium
C. Promethium
D. Polonium
A.
Technetium was isolated by Carlo Perrier and Emilio Segrè in 1937. It was created by bombarding molybdenum atoms with deuterons that had been accelerated by a cyclotron.
Which element is often used in science fiction as an alternative to carbon-based lifeforms?
A. Krypton
B. Silicon
C. Xenon
D. Boron
B.
Science fiction has long imagined alien worlds inhabited by silicon-based life, such as the rock-eating Horta from the original Star Trek series. But according to scientists, the chemistries needed to create a silicon-based lifeform are simply not there. The complex dance of life requires interlocking chains of reactions, and with silicon, these reactions can only take place within a narrow range of temperatures and pH levels.
Which metal can be made to beat like a living heart?
A. Indium
B. Gallium
C. Niobium
D. Tantalum
B.
Gallium droplets beat like tiny hearts when activated by electricity and could one day be used to power robot muscles.
The temperature at which a gas becomes a liquid is its _____________?
A. Boiling Point
B. Condensation Point
C. Freezing Point
D. Melting Point
B.
The temperature at which a gas becomes a liquid is its condensation point.
What is the common term for an electrochemical cell in which terminals are connected to electrodes immersed in a solution of electrolytes?
A. Battery
B. Computer Chip
C. Bomb
D. Nuclear Reactor
A.
A battery is an electrochemical cell in which terminals are connected to electrodes immersed in a solution of electrolytes.