Chemistry trivia has a sneaky way of pulling people in. It starts off easy with things like water, gold, and the periodic table, then suddenly you are trying to remember atomic numbers, reaction types, and which scientist discovered the electron.
In this trivia, some questions will feel instantly obvious. Others might make you pause and say, “Wait… I definitely learned this once.” That is the sweet spot for good trivia, and chemistry delivers it better than most subjects.
Easy Chemistry Trivia Questions
What gas do humans need to breathe to survive?
What is the chemical symbol for gold?
What is the chemical symbol for silver?
What is the chemical symbol for sodium?
What is the chemical symbol for potassium?
What is the chemical symbol for iron?
What is the chemical symbol for carbon?
What is the chemical symbol for oxygen?
What is the chemical symbol for hydrogen?
What is the pH of a neutral substance?
What is the name of the chart that organizes all chemical elements?
What is the smallest unit of an element that still keeps its properties?
What is the center of an atom called?
Which subatomic particle has a positive charge?
Which subatomic particle has a negative charge?
Which subatomic particle has no charge?
What do we call a substance made of two or more elements chemically combined?
What do we call a substance made of only one kind of atom?
What state of matter has a fixed shape and fixed volume?
Periodic Table Trivia Questions
Who created the first widely recognized periodic table?
What is the first element on the periodic table?
What is the second element on the periodic table?
Which element has the symbol He?
Which element has the symbol N?
Which element has the symbol Cl?
Which element has the symbol Ca?
Which element has the symbol Cu?
Which element has the symbol Pb?
Which element has the symbol Sn?
Which element is commonly used in pencils, though not in the form people often assume?
Which element is the main gas in balloons that do not sink?
Which metal is liquid at room temperature?
Which element is most associated with diamonds?
Which element gives table salt one of its two parts?
Which family of elements includes helium, neon, and argon?
Which group of elements is known for being highly reactive and includes sodium and potassium?
What is the atomic number of carbon?
What is the atomic number of oxygen?
What is the atomic number of hydrogen?
Atoms and Particles Trivia Questions
What determines what element an atom is?
What do we call atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons?
What do we call a charged atom?
What kind of ion has a positive charge?
What kind of ion has a negative charge?
Where are electrons found in an atom?
Which particles in the nucleus help add mass but no charge?
Which subatomic particle is the lightest of the three main ones?
What is the mass number of an atom made from?
What do electrons do in chemical bonding?
Chemical Reactions Trivia Questions
What do we call the starting substances in a chemical reaction?
What do we call the substances formed in a chemical reaction?
What type of reaction happens when something burns in oxygen?
What gas is produced when an acid reacts with many carbonates?
What is the common name for HCl in water?
What type of reaction happens when an acid and base react to form water and a salt?
What is the term for a reaction that gives off heat?
What is the term for a reaction that absorbs heat?
What do we call the speeding up of a chemical reaction?
What substance speeds up a reaction without being used up?
What law says matter cannot be created or destroyed in an ordinary chemical reaction?
What do we call the breakdown of a compound into simpler substances?
What type of reaction combines smaller substances into a larger one?
What gas is often released when metals react with acids?
What visible sign may show that a chemical reaction has happened?
Acids, Bases, and Solutions Trivia Questions
What do acids release in water?
What do bases release in water according to the Arrhenius idea?
What pH range is considered acidic?
What pH range is considered basic or alkaline?
What scale is used to measure acidity and alkalinity?
What do we call a mixture in which one substance is dissolved evenly in another?
In a saltwater solution, what is the dissolved substance called?
In a saltwater solution, what is the substance doing the dissolving called?
What is the most common solvent in chemistry?
What do we call a solution with a low amount of dissolved substance?
What do we call a solution with a high amount of dissolved substance?
What paper is commonly used to test pH in simple experiments?
What color does blue litmus paper turn in an acid?
What color does red litmus paper stay or turn in a base?
What is a substance that resists changes in pH called?
Famous Chemistry Scientists Trivia
Which scientist is known for the periodic table?
Which scientist proposed the modern atomic theory in the early 1800s?
Which scientist discovered the electron?
Which scientist proposed the nuclear model of the atom after the gold foil experiment?
Which scientist is closely linked to radioactivity research alongside Pierre Curie?
Which scientist developed the planetary model of the atom with energy levels?
Which scientist is associated with the uncertainty principle?
Which scientist helped develop the concept of wave behavior in particles?
Which scientist is known for gas law work and pressure-volume relationships?
Which scientist is known for the law that volume increases with temperature in gases?
Harder Chemistry Trivia Questions
What is the chemical formula for carbon dioxide?
What is the chemical formula for methane?
What is the chemical formula for ammonia?
What is the chemical formula for table salt?
What is the name of the process where a liquid changes into a gas?
What is the name of the process where a gas changes directly into a solid?
What is the name of the process where a solid changes directly into a gas?
What type of bond involves the sharing of electrons?
What type of bond usually forms when electrons are transferred from one atom to another?
What type of bond is found in metals where electrons move freely through a lattice?
How To Use This Trivia
A simple way to run this quiz is to split it into five rounds of 20 questions each. Start with easy symbols and basic chemistry facts, move into the periodic table and atoms, then finish with reactions, acids and bases, and harder bonding or scientist questions.
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