100+ Periodic Table Trivia Questions and Answers

Dmitri Mendeleev, a Russian chemist, created the framework for the modern periodic table in 1869, leaving gaps for elements yet to be discovered. Today, we refer to this as “Mendeleev’s periodic table.” Many people regard the modern periodic table as something they must memorize as part of their chemistry class or when there’s a chemistry quiz, but the truth is that this small table is an indispensable guide for scientists all over the world. 

There were several blank spaces in Mendeleev’s original periodic table when he assembled it with the known elements. Mendeleyev was able to correctly predict the discovery of the new elements by estimating their properties relative to other elements near the spaces on the table.

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Periodic Table Trivia

How much do you know about the Periodic Table? Do you know the symbol of every element? How many interesting facts about the periodic elements do you know?

• The number of protons in an atom is called atomic number and isotopes have the same atomic number but differ in the number of neutrons. 
• The total weight of an atom is called the atomic weight.
• Technetium is the very first man-made element, and it was synthesized in 1937. However, it is found naturally in very small amounts in tiny traces.
• Oxygen is the most abundant element in the world, making up around 46% of the total mass of the earth.
• Pure elements are those elements whose atoms all or nearly share the same atomic number or number of protons. 
• Earlier chemical symbols come from classical Latin and Greek vocabulary. For some elements, this is because the material has been known since antiquity, whereas for the rest of the group, the name is a more modern invention.
• The first set of atomic symbols was devised by John Dalton. 

Periodic Trivia Questions and Answers

How many questions can you answer in our periodic elements quiz? Do you know more trivias about the periodic table? Try taking these trivia periodic table quiz questions to find out!

Questions	Answers
Who is generally acknowledged as the “father” of the modern periodic table?	▶ Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev
What is the chemical symbol for table salt?	▶ NaCl
What do you call the law stating that elements with similar properties occur at regular intervals when listed in order of their atomic numbers?	▶ Periodic Law
What is the lightest element in the periodic table?	▶ Hydrogen
What is the atomic symbol of Lead?	▶ Pb
What is the lightest metallic element that floats in water?	▶ Lithium
Aside from Dmitri Mendeleev and John Dalton, who made a significant contribution to the organization of the Periodic Table?	▶ Lothar Meyer
How many alkali metals are there in the Periodic Table?	▶ Six
What are the lightest of the metallic elements in the Periodic Table?	▶ Magnesium
What is the heaviest element’s chemical symbol?	▶ Ur (Uranium)
Au is the symbol for for what chemical element?	▶ Gold
Fe is the chemical symbol for what element?	▶ Iron
What element is used in treating bipolar disorder?	▶ Lithium
What is the lightest element on the periodic table?	▶ Hydrogen
Who is credited with the creation of the first periodic table?	▶ Dmitri Mendeleev
What element is used in making superconductors?	▶ Niobium
What element is used to make the filament in x-ray tubes?	▶ Tungsten
What is the rarest naturally occurring element on Earth?	▶ Astatine
Which scientist is known for the discovery of 10 transuranium elements?	▶ Glenn Seaborg
What element has the symbol “Au”?	▶ Gold
What element has the symbol “Ir”?	▶ Iridium
What element has the symbol “Th”?	▶ Thorium
Who proposed the “octet rule”?	▶ Gilbert N. Lewis
What element is commonly used in making semiconductors?	▶ Silicon
Which element is used as a catalyst in the Haber-Bosch process?	▶ Iron
Which element is used in making artificial joints?	▶ Cobalt
Who discovered the electron and its importance in the atomic structure?	▶ J.J. Thomson
What element is used in making stainless steel?	▶ Chromium
What element is used to make black-and-white photographic prints?	▶ Selenium
What element is used to make the red pigment in road flares?	▶ Strontium
Who is credited with the discovery of the neutron?	▶ James Chadwick
Which element has the highest electrical conductivity?	▶ Silver
Which element is known as a “superacid” when combined with sulfuric acid?	▶ Fluorine
Which element is named after a planet?	▶ Neptunium
Who discovered the proton?	▶ Ernest Rutherford
In which year was the electron discovered?	▶ 1897
What element is commonly used in making light bulbs?	▶ Tungsten
What element is commonly used to harden steel?	▶ Vanadium
What element is commonly used to make electrical cables?	▶ Copper
What element is a key component in DNA and RNA?	▶ Phosphorus
What element is used to make radiation shielding?	▶ Lead
Which element is used to make green fireworks?	▶ Barium
Who developed the electron shell model of the atom?	▶ Niels Bohr
What element is used in making superconducting magnets?	▶ Niobium
What element is used in some dental fillings as an amalgam with silver?	▶ Tin
What is the most abundant element in the universe?	▶ Hydrogen
Which scientist developed the periodic law independently of Mendeleev?	▶ Julius Lothar Meyer
What element has the lowest boiling point?	▶ Helium
What element is used in making smoke detectors?	▶ Americium
What element is used to create a green color in fireworks?	▶ Barium
Who discovered the first synthetic element, technetium?	▶ Emilio Segrè & Carlo Perrier
What element is commonly used in making pencil leads?	▶ Graphite (Carbon)
What element is used as a getter in vacuum tubes?	▶ Barium
What element is used to make marbles and the highest quality optical lenses?	▶ Calcium fluoride (Calcium)
In what year was the first periodic table published?	▶ 1869
What element has the symbol “He”?	▶ Helium
What element has the symbol “Rn”?	▶ Radon
What is the only element named after a living person?	▶ Seaborgium
What element has the symbol “Rb”?	▶ Rubidium
What element is used in making photographic film?	▶ Silver
Which element is used to harden steel?	▶ Vanadium
What element has the symbol “K”?	▶ Potassium
What element has the symbol “Tc”?	▶ Technetium
Which element is used to make blue fireworks?	▶ Copper
What is the only metal that is not a solid at room temperature?	▶ Mercury
What element is used to make strong magnets?	▶ Neodymium
How many elements were in the original periodic table?	▶ 63
What element is used as a doping agent in semiconductors to make solar cells?	▶ Boron
What is the most abundant element in the Earth’s crust?	▶ Oxygen
Which element has the most isotopes?	▶ Tin
What element is commonly used in making batteries?	▶ Lithium
What element is used to make high strength-to-weight ratio alloys?	▶ Beryllium
Which element is used to make bulletproof vests?	▶ Kevlar (Carbon)
Which scientist first arranged elements by atomic number?	▶ Henry Moseley
What element is used in making the filaments for vacuum tubes?	▶ Thorium
What was Mendeleev’s key insight in creating the periodic table?	▶ Periodic Law
Which element has the highest melting point?	▶ Tungsten
Which element has the lowest electronegativity?	▶ Francium
What is the most reactive metal in the periodic table?	▶ Francium
Which element is used in making the red color in fireworks?	▶ Strontium
Which element is used to make dental fillings?	▶ Amalgam (Mercury)
Who discovered the noble gases and added them to the periodic table?	▶ Sir William Ramsay
In which year was the noble gas helium first discovered?	▶ 1868
What element is known as the “King of Chemicals”?	▶ Sulfur
What element is used as a desiccant in the form of silica gel?	▶ Silicon
Which element has the longest half-life?	▶ Tellurium-128
What element is used to make thermometers that can measure very high temperatures?	▶ Tantalum
What is the heaviest naturally occurring element?	▶ Uranium
Which element has the highest thermal conductivity?	▶ Diamond (Carbon)
Who discovered the radioactive element polonium?	▶ Marie Curie
In what year was the last naturally occurring element discovered?	▶ 1945
What element is commonly used in the production of fertilizer?	▶ Nitrogen
What element is liquid at room temperature and has the symbol “Hg”?	▶ Mercury
Which element is known for its ability to absorb neutrons in nuclear reactors?	▶ Boron
What element is a key component in the Earth’s atmosphere and has the symbol “N”?	▶ Nitrogen
What element is commonly used to make aircraft materials due to its low density and high strength?	▶ Titanium
What element is the main component of natural gas?	▶ Methane (Carbon)
What element is used in the treatment of hyperthyroidism?	▶ Iodine
What element is used to create a purple color in fireworks?	▶ Potassium
Which element has the lowest density?	▶ Hydrogen
Which element is commonly used in making fireworks to produce bright red colors?	▶ Strontium
Which element is used as a coolant in nuclear reactors?	▶ Helium