Chemistry Trivia Questions
Elements, symbols, reactions and the periodic table. 19 questions with answers, and a game you can play now.
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Chemistry is the friendliest science for a quiz because so much of it is naming. Symbols carry their own puzzle: gold is Au from aurum, iron is Fe from ferrum, and lead is Pb from plumbum, which is also where plumbing comes from. Learn the Latin and a whole column of questions opens up.
Beyond symbols, the reliable ground is the table's structure, the everyday reactions people half remember from school, and the handful of chemists whose names became units.
All 19 chemistry trivia questions with answers
What is the chemical symbol for gold?
Answer: AuEasyFrom the Latin aurum.Why?
What is the hardest known natural substance?
Answer: DiamondMediumIt is pure carbon, arranged in a rigid three-dimensional lattice.Why?
What is the lightest element on the periodic table?
Answer: HydrogenHardA single proton and one electron make up the ordinary atom.Why?
What is the process by which a solid turns directly into a gas?
Answer: SublimationHardDry ice does this at room temperature, skipping any liquid stage.Why?
What is the pH of pure water at room temperature?
Answer: 7HardSeven is neutral, neither acidic nor alkaline.Why?
The chemical formula H2O describes which substance?
Answer: WaterEasyTwo hydrogen atoms bonded to a single oxygen atom.
The periodic table arranges elements by which property?
Answer: Atomic numberMediumAtomic number is simply the count of protons in the nucleus.
Which subatomic particle determines the identity of a chemical element?
Answer: The protonHardChange the neutron count instead and you get an isotope, not a new element.Why?
Which element has the chemical symbol O?
Answer: OxygenEasyIt is the most abundant element in Earth's crust by mass.
Table salt is a compound of sodium and which other element?
Answer: ChlorineEasyBoth are dangerous on their own, yet together they form something we sprinkle on food.
Which three are the classic states of matter?
Answer: Solid, liquid and gasEasyPlasma is often counted as a fourth, found in stars and lightning.
Which chemical symbol represents sodium?
Answer: NaMediumIt comes from natrium, the Latin name for soda.
Which gas is given off when an acid reacts with a metal such as zinc?
Answer: HydrogenMediumThe classic test is a lit splint, which makes the gas pop.
Bronze is an alloy of copper and which other metal?
Answer: TinMediumCopper mixed with zinc makes brass instead.
Which metal has the highest melting point?
Answer: TungstenHardAt around 3,400 degrees Celsius, it made the ideal filament for incandescent light bulbs.
Sodium bicarbonate is better known in the kitchen as what?
Answer: Baking sodaHardBaking powder contains it plus a dry acid, so the two are not interchangeable in recipes.
Avogadro's number is approximately what?
Answer: 6.02 × 10^23HardIt is the number of particles in one mole of any substance.
A bond in which two atoms share a pair of electrons is called what?
Answer: Covalent bondHardIonic bonds transfer electrons outright, as in table salt.
Which acid gives vinegar its sharp taste?
Answer: Acetic acidHardHousehold vinegar is typically 4 to 8 percent acetic acid in water.
Answer key
- Au
- Diamond
- Hydrogen
- Sublimation
- 7
- Water
- Atomic number
- The proton
- Oxygen
- Chlorine
- Solid, liquid and gas
- Na
- Hydrogen
- Tin
- Tungsten
- Baking soda
- 6.02 × 10^23
- Covalent bond
- Acetic acid
How to play
- Pick a mode: multiple choice, true or false, a 60-second sprint, or the daily quiz.
- Answer with a tap, or press 1 to 4 on a keyboard. The right answer appears straight away with a line explaining it.
- Finish the round to see your score, copy the result grid, and step up a difficulty.
- Hosting a night? The full chemistry trivia questions list and a separate answer key are printed below, and the print layout drops the game and keeps the paper.
The wider round
These come from the science set, which has 100 questions across 6 themes, plus tiebreakers and host notes. Science trivia