What element was painted on watch faces for its luminous properties but also radioactive? Do you know how many elements are in the periodic table? What is the definition of an element? What is the atomic symbol for titanium? What level of arsenic can be found in an average human body? Can you name all the noble gasses? What is the most plentiful element on earth? What is the origin of the word “ferrous,” meaning containing iron?
Maybe you could correctly answer some of those, but maybe others were challenging. Or maybe they were too easy for you. This quiz might be for you if you identify with the mad scientist trope, you’re a science geek, or you simply make it your business to know all you can about the universe on an elemental level.
If so, our set of periodic table trivia questions and answers should be a breeze for you. But there’s only one way to find out! Once you’ve aced this quiz, check out our other quizzes on science, physics, chemistry, and biology.
Which element has the chemical symbol Cu?
Copper
Tin
Silver
Lead
Which element is named after the winner of the 1921 Nobel Prize for Physics?
Seaborgium
Copernicium
Lawrencium
Einsteinium
Which element has the chemical symbol O?
Oganesson
Oxygen
Osmium
Omnium
A silver anniversary represents how many years?
35
25
55
45
The elements radium and polonium were discovered by which scientist?
Isaac Newton
Marie Curie
Stephen Hawking
Charles Darwin
What is the chemical symbol for oxygen?
OX
O
YG
EN
Which element is the basic material used in computer chips?
Lutetium
Platinum
Thallium
Silicon
Which element has the chemical symbol Zn?
Zinc
Yttrium
Zirconium
Xenon
At the start of the Universe, which element was the first to form?
Hydrogen
Beryllium
Lithium
Helium
What form of energy is stored in a battery?
Heat
Chemical
Electrical
Sound
Which element takes its name from the Latin for a river in Germany?
Hafnium
Tantalum
Rhenium
Lutetium
In the Marvel Comic Universe, the superhero identity of Tony Stark has what element in his name?
Iron
Cobalt
Argon
Hafnium
Which gas smells like garlic?
Methane
Butane
Acetylene
Ether
Which of these elements is most like carbon?
Silicon
Rutherfordium
Aluminium
Sodium
Which element was the active ingredient in the first nuclear bombs?
Dubnium
Uranium
Protactinium
Hassium
Which element takes its name from the Greek word for the moon?
Iodine
Selenium
Bromine
Cadmium
In which film do humans mine for the fictional element unobtainium?
The Martian
WALL-E
Interstellar
Avatar
Which of these is an element?
Neon
Leon
Peon
Deon
Does carbon have a high melting point?
Same As Water
Not In The Slightest
Yes, Extremely
Yes, Somewhat
Which of these is a noble gas?
Tungsten
Neon
Chlorine
Potassium
Which element is named after the Latin word for France?
Cerium
Arsenic
Xenon
Gallium
Which element has the chemical symbol H?
Hafnium
Hassium
Helium
Hydrogen
Which metal impurity makes rubies red and emeralds green?
Copper
Chromium
Tin
Manganese
Which element gets its name from the physicist who discovered X-rays?
Lawrencium
Roentgenium
Copernicium
Samarium
What is the lightest element?
Nitrogen
Helium
Hydrogen
Oxygen
Breathing brings what gaseous element to every cell of the body?
Helium
Argon
Nitrogen
Oxygen
1848 and 1849 saw a rush of miners to California in search of what element?
Uranium
Platinum
Gold
Iron
What is the chemical symbol for tungsten?
Y
W
X
Z
Diamonds are made of what element?
Iridium
Carbon
Moscovium
Nickel
Which element is also known as brimstone?
Titanium
Astatine
Sulphur
Polonium
Atoms in an element are what?
Unstable
Change
The same type
Different
What is the main metallic element in chalk and other forms of limestone?
Tin
Calcium
Magnesium
Lead
Which of these elements is *not* a metal?
Krypton
Calcium
Zinc
Magnesium
A carbon dioxide molecule contains two atoms of what element?
Oxygen
Fermium
Tungsten
Zirconium
Which element is named after the eighth planet in the Solar System?
Bohrium
Neon
Neptunium
Lanthanum
Which element is named after the Japanese word for Japan?
Dysprosium
Terbium
Nihonium
Gadolinium
Which is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature?
Copper
Iron
Nickel
Mercury
Which element takes its name from the Greek word for the sun?
Helium
Erbium
Vanadium
Rubidium
Which gaseous element fills red tubular signs, used in advertising displays?
Nitrogen
Neon
Helium
Chlorine
Which element is used in batteries and also as a treatment for depression?
Lithium
Rubidium
Sodium
Potassium
Which element is named after the founder of prestigious prizes for science and literature?
Lawrencium
Nobelium
Berkelium
Mendelevium
Table salt is a compound of sodium and which other element?
Iodine
Bromine
Chlorine
Fluorine
What is the chemical symbol for silver?
Ab
Aw
Ap
Ag
Which gaseous element increases the pitch of a voice when inhaled?
Helium
Rhenium
Flerovium
Livermorium
Which of these elements is a famous poison?
Arsenic
Manganese
Copper
Magnesium
How is aluminium known in North America?
Alumnium
Aluminiu
Aluminum
Alminium
Which element takes its name from the Latin for a metal from Cyprus?
Copper
Nickel
Magnesium
Strontium
Which element has the chemical symbol P?
Plutonium
Phosphorus
Potassium
Palladium
What is the chemical symbol for potassium?
K
J
Q
F
Rubies and sapphires are oxides of which element?
Aluminium
Technetium
Bismuth
Antimony
Which element is named after the most populous state in the USA?
Caesium
Tennessine
Californium
Boron
Which element is named after the most populous country in the EU?
Francium
Scandium
Gadolinium
Germanium
Which element has the chemical symbol C?
Calcium
Copper
Californium
Carbon
What is the most common gas in the Earth’s atmosphere?
Hydrogen
Nitrogen
Oxygen
Helium
Which of these words, when the first letter is removed, becomes a chemical element?
Jangle
Jasper
Jargon
Jailed
Compounds of which chemical element are dealt with in Organic Chemistry?
Potassium
Calcium
Carbon
Magnesium
What do the elements in a period have the same number of?
Protons
Neutrons
Mass
Occupied shells
Which of these metallic elements is liquid at room temperature?
Mercury
Lead
Copper
Gold
Which 1983 song by Spandau Ballet takes its name from a metallic element?
Copper
Iron
Gold
Lead
A golden anniversary represents how many years?
40
30
50
20
Which metallic element is the main component of steel?
Gold
Iron
Tin
Platinum
Which element has the chemical symbol N?
Niobium
Nickel
Nitrogen
Neon
The elements scandium and thulium are both named after which region of Europe?
The Balkans
Iberia
Scandinavia
Baltic
How many elements are liquid at room temperature?
4
2
3
5
The US five-cent coin takes its nickname from what element?
Nickel
Lead
Zinc
Tin
What is the chemical symbol for tin?
Sn
Sf
Sx
Sj
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