ScienceAges 12+15 questions

Periodic Table Quiz

From chemical symbols and atomic numbers to noble gases and the man who drew up the first periodic table, this quiz covers the chemistry basics everyone meets at school. Some questions are quick wins, others will make even the science fans pause, and every answer comes with the fact behind it.

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The questions

  1. 1.What is the chemical symbol for gold?

    • AGo
    • BAu
    • CAg
    • DGd
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    Au. Gold's symbol Au comes from its Latin name, aurum. Ag is silver and Gd is gadolinium.

  2. 2.What is the atomic number of hydrogen?

    • A1
    • B2
    • C8
    • D0
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    1. Hydrogen has one proton in its nucleus, so its atomic number is 1, making it the first element in the periodic table.

  3. 3.Which element has the chemical symbol Fe?

    • AFluorine
    • BFrancium
    • CIron
    • DFermium
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    Iron. Fe comes from ferrum, the Latin word for iron.

  4. 4.Diamond and graphite are both forms of carbon.

    True or false?

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    True. Diamond and graphite are allotropes of carbon: the same element with its atoms arranged in different structures.

  5. 5.How many atoms are there in one molecule of water (H2O)?

    • A2
    • B4
    • C1
    • D3
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    3. A water molecule is two hydrogen atoms bonded to one oxygen atom, three atoms in total.

  6. 6.Which element has the chemical symbol Na?

    • ASodium
    • BNitrogen
    • CNeon
    • DNickel
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    Sodium. Na comes from natrium, the Latin name for sodium.

  7. 7.Which gas makes up most of the Earth's atmosphere by volume?

    • AOxygen
    • BNitrogen
    • CCarbon dioxide
    • DArgon
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    Nitrogen. Nitrogen makes up about 78% of dry air by volume; oxygen is about 21%.

  8. 8.Which metal is a liquid at room temperature?

    • ALead
    • BAluminium
    • CMercury
    • DTin
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    Mercury. Mercury melts at about -39 °C, so it is liquid at ordinary room temperature.

  9. 9.Oxygen has the atomic number 16.

    True or false?

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    False. Oxygen's atomic number is 8. The element with atomic number 16 is sulfur.

  10. 10.What is the pH of pure water at 25 °C?

    • A0
    • B14
    • C1
    • D7
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    7. Pure water at 25 °C is neutral, with a pH of 7. Below 7 is acidic and above 7 is alkaline.

  11. 11.Which scientist published a famous early version of the periodic table in 1869?

    • ADmitri Mendeleev
    • BMarie Curie
    • CIsaac Newton
    • DMichael Faraday
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    Dmitri Mendeleev. Dmitri Mendeleev arranged the elements by atomic weight in 1869 and left gaps for elements not yet discovered.

  12. 12.Which of these elements is a halogen?

    • AArgon
    • BChlorine
    • CSodium
    • DCalcium
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    Chlorine. Chlorine is a halogen, in group 17 with fluorine, bromine and iodine. Argon is a noble gas.

  13. 13.The noble gases are found in group 18 of the periodic table.

    True or false?

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    True. Group 18 holds the noble gases, such as helium, neon and argon, which rarely react with other elements.

  14. 14.Which particle in an atom's nucleus has no electric charge?

    • AProton
    • BElectron
    • CNeutron
    • DIon
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    Neutron. Neutrons are neutral. Protons carry a positive charge, and electrons, outside the nucleus, carry a negative one.

  15. 15.Which is the lightest noble gas?

    • ANeon
    • BArgon
    • CKrypton
    • DHelium
    Show the answer

    Helium. Helium, atomic number 2, is the lightest noble gas and the second lightest element after hydrogen.

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