Oddly Symbolic Chemistry Trivia Quiz

Answer: Natrium

Sodium is called natrium in Latin. While sodium has been used by humans for millennia, especially in compounds such as salt, it was only identified as an individual element by British chemist Humphrey Davy in 1807.

Sodium is chemical element 11, with an atomic weight of 22.989. It is commonly found as sodium chloride, better known as salt. Sodium plays an important role in regulating blood volume and pressure.

Answer: Kalium

Potassium gets its symbol, K, from kalium. It is a silver white metal. Like sodium, potassium has been used for millennia, but was only separated out as an element by Humphrey Davy in 1807.

Potassium is element number 19, with an atomic weight of 39.10. It is a key component of potash, which is used in fertilizer and gunpowder. The element is important in maintaining homeostasis in humans.

Answer: Ferrum

Iron is ferrum in Latin. It is the most common metal by mass on Earth. It is element number 26, with an atomic weight of 55.8.

The Iron Age of human history dates to 3500 BCE. Iron has been an important building material throughout history, and is the key component of steel. Iron is important in the human diet for the production of red blood cells.

Answer: Argentum

Silver is known as argentum in Latin. It has value both in jewelry and currency, but also has practical uses.

Due to its electrical conductivity, silver is often used for wiring and electrical components. Silver is also used in medicine and photography.

Silver is element 47 with an atomic weight of 107.87. It dates back to at least 5000 BC.

Answer: Stannum

Tin gets its symbol Sn from the name stannum, possibly Anglo-Saxon although some sources say Latin. Tin has been known since the earliest days of civilization.

Tin is element number 50 with an atomic weight of 118.7. It is a silver metal that is used in both bronze and pewter.

About half of tin is used for solder, a material to weld components together; much of the rest is used in metal plating.

Answer: Stibium

Antimony gets its Latin name, stibium, from the grayish rock stibnite. Arab chemists have been working with antimony since the 9th century, in cosmetics and medicine.

Antimony is element number 51, with an atomic weight of 121.76. It was identified as a separate element by Italian chemist Vannacio Buringuiccio.

Antimony is combined with both lead and tin alloys. You can find antimony in your television screen

Answer: Wolfram

Tungsten gets its name, wolfram , from the Swedish for "wolf's froth." It was identified as a separate element in 1783.

Tungsten has the highest melting point of any element, almost 6200 degrees in Fahrenheit. Due to its high tensile strength, tungsten is often used in metal work, mining equipment and military applications.

Tungsten is element 74, with an atomic weight of 183.84.

Answer: Aurum

Gold gets its symbol, Au, from the Latin word aurum. Gold is quite ancient, dating to at least 6000 BCE. It has been used for both jewelry and currency since early history.

Gold is malleable and ductile, and is an excellent electrical conductor. It is heavily used in the electronics industry, especially computing.

In popular culture, gold was a central element in the James Bond film "Goldfinger" (1964). The villain, named Auric, attempts to destroy the US gold depository at Fort Knox.

Gold is element 79 with an atomic number of 196.96.

Answer: Hydrargyrum

Mercury was called hydrargyrum, meaning silver water, by the ancient Greens. It is liquid at relatively low temperatures. It has been used by humans since 1500 BCE.

Mercury has atomic number 80 and an atomic weight of 200.592. In 2020, China produced roughly 90 percent of the world's supply of mercury.

Mercury has a variety of uses, including processing silver and in measurement devices such as thermometers and barometers, but is toxic to humans.

Answer: Plumbum

Lead gets its symbol, Pb, from the Latin word plumbum, which is also the origin of the word plumbing. For many centuries pipes were made from lead. Many municipalities have had to rebuild their water systems because lead is a toxin which affects neurological development.

Aside from plumbing, lead has many uses: such as printing type, bullets, paint, gasoline and glassmaking. Lead comes from the mineral galena, which often contains silver deposits.

Lead has an atomic number of 82 and a weight of 206.14. It is the heaviest stable element currently known.