Getting your questions ready
Getting your questions ready
Beat the crowd
10 questions No timer
99 free Periodic Table trivia questions with answers — science & nature quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
50 free Periodic Table trivia questions with answers. Are you a chemistry expert or just curious about the elements that make up our world? Our Periodic Table trivia quiz will test your knowledge of elements, their properties, and their placement on the periodic table. Whether you're studying for a chemistry class or just want to have fun learning, this quiz is the perfect way to challenge yourself!
30 of 99 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Who is widely credited with publishing the first recognizable periodic table?
Dmitri Mendeleev
Dmitri Mendeleev, a Russian chemist, published the first generally accepted periodic table in 1869. He arranged elements by atomic mass and predicted the properties of undiscovered elements.
Q 02How many numbered columns does the modern periodic table have?
18
18 groups run from the alkali metals to the noble gases; the 1-to-18 numbering has been IUPAC's recommendation since 1988, and the 14 f-block columns are left unnumbered.
Q 03What do elements in the same horizontal row of the periodic table share?
Number of electron shells
Elements in one period share the same number of electron shells; a new row begins each time a fresh, higher shell receives its first electron, so every period 3 element has exactly three shells.
Q 04Which of these elements has the highest electronegativity?
Fluorine
Fluorine is the most electronegative element, scoring 3.98 (often rounded to 4.0) on the Pauling scale; oxygen is next at 3.44, while caesium sits near the bottom at 0.79.
Q 05Which category of elements are generally shiny, malleable, and good conductors of heat and electricity?
Metals
Metals are typically characterized by their lustrous appearance, malleability (ability to be hammered into thin sheets), ductility (ability to be drawn into wires), and excellent conductivity of heat and electricity.
Q 06What is the atomic number of carbon?
6
Carbon (C) has an atomic number of 6, meaning each atom of carbon has 6 protons in its nucleus.
Q 07What is the chemical symbol for gold?
Au
The chemical symbol for gold is Au, derived from its Latin name 'aurum'. Gold is a precious metal known for its distinctive yellow color and resistance to corrosion.
Q 08What element is a liquid at room temperature and used in thermometers?
Mercury
Mercury (Hg) is the only metallic element that is liquid at standard temperature and pressure, making it useful in devices like thermometers. Its symbol Hg comes from 'hydrargyrum', meaning 'water-silver'.
Q 09Which element is the lightest noble gas?
Helium
Helium (He) is the lightest of the noble gases, with an atomic number of 2. It is also the second most abundant element in the universe.
Q 10Where in the periodic table do the alkali metals sit?
Group 1
Group 1 also holds hydrogen, which shares the column but is not an alkali metal; the real members get more violent with water the further down you go.
Q 11Transition metals occupy which region of the periodic table?
d-block
Transition metals are located in the d-block of the periodic table. These elements are known for forming colorful compounds and having multiple oxidation states.
Q 12Moving left to right across a row of the periodic table, what generally happens to atomic radius?
Decreases
Atomic radius generally decreases as you move from left to right across a period. This is because the increasing nuclear charge pulls the electron shells closer to the nucleus.
Q 13Who proposed the law of octaves, an early attempt to classify elements?
John Newlands
Q 21Which element is a metalloid often used in semiconductors?
Silicon
Silicon is a metalloid, meaning it has properties intermediate between metals and nonmetals. Its semiconducting properties make it crucial for computer chips and other electronic devices.
Q 22What is the chemical symbol for sodium?
Na
Na stands for natrium, the Latin name drawn from natron, the Egyptian mineral salt; Berzelius introduced the symbol in his 1814 system of one- and two-letter chemical abbreviations.
Q 23Which element is added to table salt in tiny amounts to prevent goitre?
Iodine
Iodine is added to table salt because the thyroid needs it to make its hormones; iodine deficiency affects around two billion people and is the leading preventable cause of intellectual disability.
John Newlands proposed the law of octaves in 1865, noting that every eighth element showed similar properties; the Chemical Society of London declined to publish it and contemporaries ridiculed the musical analogy.
Q 14What is the primary role of valence electrons?
Participate in chemical bonding
They participate in chemical bonding, which is why elements in the same column behave alike: they carry the same number of outer electrons. Mass and stability are the nucleus's business.
Q 15Which element has the symbol Fe?
Iron
The chemical symbol Fe represents Iron, which comes from its Latin name 'ferrum'. Iron is a common metal essential for both industry and biology.
Q 16What is the most abundant element in the Earth's crust by mass?
Oxygen
Oxygen is the most abundant element in the Earth's crust, making up almost half of it, primarily in the form of various oxides.
Q 17Which noble gas glows orange-red when electricity passes through it in advertising signs?
Neon
Neon gives the classic orange-red glow; Georges Claude demonstrated the first neon lamps at the Paris Motor Show in December 1910, while signs filled with argon or mercury vapour glow blue instead.
Q 18Which element forms the backbone of every organic molecule, thanks to its knack for bonding stably with itself in long chains?
Carbon
Carbon can bond to four neighbours at once, including other carbons, which is why it makes chains, rings and some ten million known compounds; no other element comes close.
Q 19What is the name of the vertical columns in the periodic table?
Groups
The vertical columns in the periodic table are called groups. Elements within the same group often exhibit similar chemical properties due to having the same number of valence electrons.
Q 20What is the name of the horizontal rows in the periodic table?
Periods
The horizontal rows are called periods; a new period begins each time an electron first enters a fresh shell, so the seven periods match the seven occupied shells of the heaviest elements.
Q 24The element predicted in 1871 as 'eka-aluminium' turned out to be which?
Gallium
Gallium, discovered by Lecoq de Boisbaudran in 1875, matched Mendeleev's 1871 'eka-aluminium' forecast in density, melting point, and oxide character, four years after the prediction was published.
Q 25Which metal has the highest melting point, at 3,422 °C?
Tungsten
Tungsten melts at 3,422 °C, the highest of any metal, which is why it served as incandescent light-bulb filaments; among pure metals it also has the lowest vapour pressure.
Q 26Which element is crucial for bone health and found in dairy products?
Calcium
Sardines, kale, and soy products are also rich in it.
Q 27What is the common name for the elements in Group 17?
Halogens
Group 17 elements are the halogens — fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine — named from the Greek for 'salt-former' because they combine with metals to make salts such as sodium chloride.
Q 28Which element's symbol Sn comes from the Latin word stannum?
Tin
Tin, atomic number 50, takes its symbol Sn from the Latin stannum; the metal coats steel food cans and, alloyed with copper, gave the Bronze Age its name.
Q 29Hydrogen makes up roughly what share of the universe's normal matter by mass?
75%
75% of ordinary matter is hydrogen and most of the rest is helium; its commonest isotope, a lone proton, carries the rarely used formal name protium.
Q 30What element is used in old photographic film?
Silver
Silver halides, particularly silver bromide, were the light-sensitive compounds used in traditional photographic film and paper to capture images.