Chemistry Trivia | Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast

Up and atom, we’re mixing some up science in the lab today and pouring out some Chemistry Trivia.

I have got three rounds of ten questions each. The Dorky, Geeky, and Nerdy round. Each a little harder than the last round.

When you’re done with Chemistry Trivia, check out the other Science Trivia episodes located on the site.

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Episode Transcript/Quiz

Episode Intro

Up and atom, we’re mixing some up science in the lab today and pouring out some Chemistry Trivia.

I have got three rounds of ten questions each. The Dorky, Geeky, and Nerdy round. Each a little harder than the last round.

Got it? Good. I’m your TA, Brian Rollins and this is episode 366 of the Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast. Watch out for chemistry puns, I may use them…periodically.

The Dorky Round

What is the lightest element in the universe?
a. Hydrogen
What does the atomic number of an element count?
a. The number of protons in the nucleus of the atom.
Which subatomic particle carries a negative charge?
a. The electron
What is the most abundant element in Earth’s atmosphere?
a. The atmosphere is about 78% Nitrogen at sea level.
What is the lowest possible temperature theoretically?
a. Absolute zero (-273 degrees Celsius or 0 degrees Kelvin)
What two elements will you find in a water molecule?
a. Hydrogen and Oxygen
What chemist, now known for his famous ‘Prize’, invented dynamite?
a. Alfred Nobel
What is iron oxide usually called?
a. That’s plain old rust.
Which element was discovered in the Sun before being discovered on Earth?
a. Helium
What metal is liquid at room temperature and was often used in thermometers?
a. Mercury

The Geeky Round

Which element forms both diamond and graphite?
a. Carbon
With its Neo-Latin name, natrium, what element has the symbol, Na?
a. Sodium.
Which group of elements will you find down the right-most column of the Periodic Table?
a. The Nobel Gasses
What type of bond results from the sharing of electron pairs?
a. Covalent bonding
What is the chemical symbol for Iron?
a. Fe. It’s from its Latin name, Ferrum.
In 1911, after winning the prize for Chemistry, who became the first person to win two Nobel Prizes?
a. Marie Curie. She won the prize for Physics in 1903
6.022 x 10^23 is better known as what?
a. Avogadro’s Number
What is the pH of pure water?
a. It has a pH of 7
Speaking of pH, if something is acidic, is the pH higher or lower than 7?
a. Lower
What element was painted on watch faces back in the early 20th century to make them glow in the dark?
a. Radium. The women that painted the watches got sick and many died from radiation poisoning.

The Nerdy Round

What is the most abundant metal in Earth’s crust?
a. Aluminum
Which metal has the highest melting point among all metals?
a. Tungsten. It melts at 3422 C
After Nitrogen and Oxygen, what’s the most common gas you’ll find in the Earth’s atmosphere?
a. Argon. Though it makes up slightly less than 1% of our atmosphere.
Reactions that absorb heat for its surroundings, like dissolving salt in water is what type of reaction?
a. An endothermic reaction
The Heisenberg uncertainty principle says we cannot know what two properties simultaneously?
a. Momentum and position
What substance has the chemical formula: NaHCO₃
a. Sodium bicarbonate or baking soda
Though she passed away at age 24, Alice Ball is credited with the first successful treatment of what disease?
a. Hansen’s disease or leprosy
What is the only letter that doesn’t appear in the Periodic Table of Elements?
a. The letter J
Which element is named after the Greek word for “hidden”?
a. Krypton
What is the rarest naturally occurring element on Earth?
a. Astatine. The most stable isotope, astatine-210, has a half-life of 8.1 hours

Episode Conclusion

Bonus question: What’s the most important rule in chemistry?

Don’t lick the spoon.

How did you fare this week? Let me know on Spotify or social media. Also, don’t forget there’s a Discord Server, if you want to chat with fellow trivia nerds.

Next week, it’s yet another topic as we wind down Season Seven of the podcast. Here’s what you can expect:

Though not recognized nationally until 1976, what month-long remembrance was first proposed at Kent State University in February 1969?

Science then history trivia? I’m not making it easy on you kids, am I? Earn that geek flag. I’ll see you back here on Wednesday.

This was the Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast. If you’d like to help support the show and get extra stuff, consider becoming a patron at Patreon.com/dorkygeekynerdy.

This podcast is written, produced, and hosted by Brian Rollins. If you love audiobooks or are looking to have a book turned into an audiobook, contact me at TheVoicesInMyHead.com.

The theme music is Punchfunk by the band, Punchfunk. Listen to all their music on Spotify.

Thanks for listening.