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Quiz about The Very Edible Organic Chemistry Quiz
Quiz about The Very Edible Organic Chemistry Quiz

The Very Edible Organic Chemistry Quiz


This quiz is all about the edible "chemicals" you might find in your kitchen. Have fun! :)

A multiple-choice quiz by NatalieW. Estimated time: 3 mins.
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Author
NatalieW
Time
3 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
117,161
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Very Easy
Avg Score
9 / 10
Plays
36411
Awards
Editor's Choice
Last 3 plays: Guest 73 (10/10), Guest 12 (10/10), Mandd2024 (10/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. This chemical compound occurs naturally in tea and coffee and is a popular additive to soft drinks. Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. I want to bake a cake and go to my cupboard to get some sucrose. What ingredient am I looking for? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. I have almost finished the batter for my cake, but there's one more thing I have to add: I get a teaspoon and add some sodium bicarbonate to my batter. What have I just added? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. My cake is now happily baking in the oven, but I am already hungry. I decide to go to the shop around the corner for some hot chips. When I bring them home, I sprinkle some dilute acetic acid on them before I eat them. What did I just put on my chips? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. I am chopping some vegetables for dinner. This particular vegetable is making my eyes all teary due to the propanethial S-oxide it contains. Which vegetable am I chopping? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Looking through my cupboards, I see that I am almost out of sodium chloride. What will I need to buy next time I go shopping? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. This popular comfort food has an active ingredient called phenylethylamine. What is it? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. I'm peeling a fruit and the beautiful aroma of limonene wafts up to my nose. What fruit am I peeling? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Having had enough of crying over my chopping board, I move on to chopping another vegetable. I can't resist tasting a little bit of what I've chopped and the taste of capsaicin explodes in my mouth. Which vegetable am I chopping? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. I'm slicing one last vegetable for dinner - this one is stunningly-coloured due to the beta-carotene it contains. Which vegetable is it? Hint





Most Recent Scores
Mar 27 2024 : Guest 73: 10/10
Mar 26 2024 : Guest 12: 10/10
Mar 25 2024 : Mandd2024: 10/10
Mar 25 2024 : Gispepfu: 10/10
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Mar 25 2024 : toddruby96: 10/10
Mar 24 2024 : Flukey: 9/10
Mar 24 2024 : Guest 97: 10/10
Mar 24 2024 : sherry0709: 10/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. This chemical compound occurs naturally in tea and coffee and is a popular additive to soft drinks.

Answer: caffeine

Caffeine belongs to a class of organic compounds called alkaloids (as does nicotine). Caffeine is a powerful stimulant of the central nervous system. It is usually present in coffee in the amount of 100-150 mg per cup (of course in decaf, there is virtually none!). Like many alkaloids, caffeine acts as a poison in large quantities.

The lethal dose of caffeine for adults is estimated at about 10 g, so unless you drink about 70-100 cups of coffee a day, you should be safe!
2. I want to bake a cake and go to my cupboard to get some sucrose. What ingredient am I looking for?

Answer: sugar

"Sugar" as we know it is the generic term given to sucrose. However, "sugar" is a term that is given to a whole range of compounds of a certain general structure that display sweetness as a physical property. More complicated sugars are all based on the linking together of small sugar units such as glucose. Sucrose is a disaccharide, which means that its structure is composed of two sugar units - in this case one unit of glucose and one unit of fructose.
Sucrose can be obtained from sugar cane (approx 20% by weight) or sugar beets (15% by weight).
3. I have almost finished the batter for my cake, but there's one more thing I have to add: I get a teaspoon and add some sodium bicarbonate to my batter. What have I just added?

Answer: baking soda

Sodium bicarbonate (chemical formula NaHCO3) is what makes cakes rise. This is because when it's mixed with water, it forms carbon dioxide (CO2). These bubbles of carbon dioxide are what make the cake rise and give it a light texture. Self-raising flour has a small amount of sodium bicarbonate already added to it.
4. My cake is now happily baking in the oven, but I am already hungry. I decide to go to the shop around the corner for some hot chips. When I bring them home, I sprinkle some dilute acetic acid on them before I eat them. What did I just put on my chips?

Answer: vinegar

Acetic acid (chemical formula CH3COOH) is the major component of vinegar. Acetic acid belongs to the chemical family of carboxylic acids. These acids all contain an -OH group bonded directly to a carbonyl (C=O) group. Formic acid (found in ants) and butyric acid (found in your stomach) are other examples of carboxylic acids. Butyric acid is also what gives rancid butter its smell - in fact, the word "butyric" is derived from the Latin word "butyrum", meaning butter.
5. I am chopping some vegetables for dinner. This particular vegetable is making my eyes all teary due to the propanethial S-oxide it contains. Which vegetable am I chopping?

Answer: onions

Onions contain a chemical called propanethial S-oxide, which is responsible for the tears you cry when chopping them. Chemical words containing "thia" or "thio" in them mean that they are sulphur-containing compounds. Many sulphur-containing compounds have particularly disagreeable smells (volatile sulphur-containing compounds are added in small quantities to natural gas so that you can smell it).

It has recently been discovered that an enzyme in the onion is responsible for making propanthial S-oxide, and researchers have suggested that genetic modification may be the way to tear-free onions. In the meantime, tips to reduce those tears when handling onions include slicing them under water and only slicing the top off the onion before chopping (the root apparently has the highest concentration of sulphur-containing compounds).
6. Looking through my cupboards, I see that I am almost out of sodium chloride. What will I need to buy next time I go shopping?

Answer: salt

Sodium chloride is common table salt. Sodium chloride (NaCl) is an ionic compound whose structure consists of a regular 3-dimensional lattice of sodium ions and chloride ions. Although the body needs sodium to function properly, too much salt in the diet can lead to fluid retention which in turn may lead to hypertension and stroke. Salt substitute can be purchased in some supermarkets: this is simply potassium chloride, which has the taste of sodium chloride, but no sodium ions.
7. This popular comfort food has an active ingredient called phenylethylamine. What is it?

Answer: chocolate

Phenylethylamine belongs to a class of organic compounds called amines. Amines feature a nitrogen atom bonded to one or more carbon-based groups. Phenylethylamine is also produced naturally by the brain, and its effect is to produce a general sense of wellbeing or happiness. No wonder eating chocolate makes us happy! ;)
8. I'm peeling a fruit and the beautiful aroma of limonene wafts up to my nose. What fruit am I peeling?

Answer: orange

Limonene is a pleasantly citrus-smelling compound found in most citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons and limes. Limonene is an example of a terpene (see my quiz "Common names of Organic Molecules II"). Limonene is used as a solvent in degreasing metals prior to industrial painting, for cleaning in the electronic and printing industries, and in paint as a solvent.

It is also used as a flavour and fragrance additive in food, household cleaning products, and perfumes. It can be easily obtained from most citrus fruits by steam distillation.
9. Having had enough of crying over my chopping board, I move on to chopping another vegetable. I can't resist tasting a little bit of what I've chopped and the taste of capsaicin explodes in my mouth. Which vegetable am I chopping?

Answer: chillies

Capsaicin (and the related capsaicinoids) is the chemical present in chillies (and all peppers) that gives them their well-known heat. Capsaicin is another example of an amine (see question 7). When eaten, the capsaicinoids in chillies bind to a receptor in the lining of the mouth.

This is the same receptor that registers pain from heat, thus the effect is a burning feeling. If you find yourself in dire straits after eating a too-hot chilli, you'll get relief from drinking a glass of milk.
10. I'm slicing one last vegetable for dinner - this one is stunningly-coloured due to the beta-carotene it contains. Which vegetable is it?

Answer: carrot

Beta-carotene is a naturally-occurring pigment responsible for the bright orange colour of carrots (I guess it's not hard to see where its name comes from!). Beta-carotene has an extremely important role in relation to vitamin A, the vitamin that is essential for our eyes. Vitamin A is an alcohol (a molecule containing an -OH group) whose structure is exactly one half of that of beta-carotene. Cleavage of beta-carotene by an appropriate enzyme gives two molecules of vitamin A. Thanks for playing this quiz; I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, check out my other quizzes in the Organic Chemistry section.
Source: Author NatalieW

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor crisw before going online.
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