Novice Periodic Table of the Elements Quiz

Answer: O

None of the incorrect answers were real chemical symbols when this quiz was written. They may exist in the future if used as the final names of new elements. Oxygen is the gas required for us to live; we breathe it. If it is in a liquid state, though, you should probably avoid it. Also, it is part of the water molecule, H2O.

Answer: 1

Hydrogen's atomic number is 1. Helium's atomic number is 2, lithium's atomic number is 3, and beryllium's atomic number is 4. Hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant element in the entire universe, and makes up almost all of a nebula's mass. Hydrogen is also used as a fuel in stars. The energy released in hydrogen fusion keeps the star from collapsing by gravity.

Answer: 5

Carbon's atomic number is 6, nitrogen's is 7, and oxygen's is 8. Boron is the fifth element, and it is reactive, but not at a critical condition. This element is interesting, because it is very rare to find it in a state in which it is pure boron. You usually find it in boronic crystals like borax or kernite. Borax is used in fiberglass, which is a substance that will likely give anyone who touches it a rash. Fiberglass is an insulator for houses, so you will find it in attics or crawlspaces. Boron is about as toxic as table salt, and it is actually more toxic to arthropods!

Answer: Chlorine

Chlorine only needs one more electron to complete its valence level, making it extremely reactive and unstable. It will react with all elements in group 1, because all of them like to get rid of the electron in their valence level. If chlorine takes that one electron, both elements are happy and bond together. What I thought was interesting was that chlorine is a toxic gas and sodium is a dangerous metal that explodes if it touches water, but if chlorine and sodium react, you've got table salt! Nitrogen is reactive, but not too much. Boron is about as reactive as nitrogen, and helium is not reactive at all, since it has a full two electrons in its valence level.

Answer: Na

Sodium's chemical symbol is Na, which came from the Latin word 'natrium'. So is not an chemical symbol that currently exists. S is sulfur's chemical symbol and Sm is samarium's chemical symbol.

Answer: 18

Argon is a very stable and nonreactive element, like the rest of the elements found in group 18. Did you know argon is the most abundant noble gas in Earth's air? All elements in group 1 are extremely reactive. Group 4 elements are reactive, but not at a high level. Group 9 elements are similar.

Answer: The number of protons and neutrons.

The atomic number tells you how many protons and electrons there are in a neutral atom of the element, and once you have the protons, then you subtract that from the atomic mass and that will tell you the AVERAGE number of neutrons there are in the element. Protons and neutrons each have one atomic mass unit, so the number of protons and neutrons will add up to the atomic mass. Electrons have 0.0005 of an atomic mass unit, so you don't usually need to worry about those.

Answer: P

Phosphorus is very reactive, so reactive that it is not naturally found on Earth as pure phosphorus. It is usually in a white or red color, and is used in detergents, which I thought was weird when I first found out about that. If you want to collect phosphorus for some reason, buy some matches! You will find it on their heads.

Another thing: it is actually part of your body itself! It is in the form of phospholipids, which is what forms cell membranes!

Answer: Neon

Fluorine is extremely reactive, because, like chlorine, it only needs one more electron to fill its valence level. Magnesium has two valence electrons, so it is very reactive, but not as much as fluorine. Carbon is reactive, moderately, and it can react with pretty much everything. Neon has a full valence level, and therefore is nonreactive and very stable. You may have thought that neon is not an element, but it is. You may have thought it is just the colorful glowing light tubes found in restaurant signs or OPEN signs.

It is in those tubes, but neon is an element that gives these lights green colors. Helium gives these lights reddish colors. Argon gives these lights blue colors, krypton gives brighter bluer colors, and xenon gives purple colors. Radon is also a gas in this group, but it is radioactive, so you probably would not want to use it in neon lights.

Answer: Carbon

Diamonds are actually the strongest of many different carbon crystal forms. The carbon atoms in diamonds are built in a firm structure so it doesn't break or get damaged.