Solid, Liquid or Gas Online Quiz | Chemistry

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Neon (Ne)

Answer: Gas

Neon is often used in the bright lights of signs. It's inert and so won't interact with other elements. Neon's melting point is a very cold -248.67 C (-415.6 F), and its boiling point is also a very cold -246.05 C (-410.89 F).

2. Lead (Pb)

Answer: Solid

Lead was used extensively in both gasoline and paint in the early part of the 20th century. Since that time unleaded gasoline has been invented, and great efforts have been made to remove existing lead paint. Lead has a melting point of 327.50 C (621.5 F) and a boiling point of 1740 C (3164 F) making it very much a solid at body temperature.

3. Mercury (Hg)

Answer: Liquid

Mercury has almost entirely fallen out of favor in thermometers, as new digital thermometers can record temperatures using thermistors instead. Mercury has a melting point of -38.87 C (-38 F) and a boiling point of 356.58 C (673.8 F), making it very firmly one of the few elements liquid at body temperature and room temperature.

4. Oxygen (O)

Answer: Gas

Oxygen makes up only a small part (21%) of the atmosphere we breathe. The main element is nitrogen at 78%. Oxygen has a melting point of -218.4 C (-361.12 F) and a boiling point of -195.8 C (-320.44 F) making us all very happy to generally see oxygen as a gas and not a liquid.

5. Tin (Sn)

Answer: Solid

Tin has a relatively low melting point at just 232 C (450 F) which makes it very useful in soldering alloys. Tin has a boiling point of 2270 C (4118 F), so if you're seeing tin as a gas, you've probably got other things on your mind.

6. Bromine (Br)

Answer: Liquid

Bromine's name comes from the Ancient Greek meaning "stench" because of the pungent odor it possesses. Bromine becomes liquid at -7.3 C (18.86 F) and gas at 58.78 C (137.8 F), making it one of the two elements liquid at room temperature.

7. Argon (Ar)

Answer: Gas

Argon is often used in welding for its inertness to help protect welds from oxygen and water vapor. Argon's melting point is -189.37 C (-308.86 F) and its boiling point is -185.86 C (-302.54 F) one of the closest ranges between melting and boiling of any element.

8. Francium (Fr)

Answer: Liquid

Francium is one of the most unstable naturally occurring elements. Its longest lived isotope is only 22 minutes! Francium's melting point is 27 C (80.6 F) and its boiling point is 677 C (1250.6 F), but it is so short lived you'd probably have a difficult time getting it from one state to another.

9. Cesium/Caesium (Cs)

Answer: Liquid

Cesium was the first element discovered via spectroscope in 1860, and is used in atomic time keeping. Cesium's melting point is 28.40 C (83.12 F) and its boiling point is 678.4 C (1253.12 F) meaning it turns liquid just above room temperature, but it is highly reactive, so playing with it would be a bad idea.

10. Radon (Rn)

Answer: Gas

Radon is actually radioactive, and can be a health hazard if inhaled. Many basements will have a radon mitigation system in them to help move the radon into open air. Radon's melting point is -71 C (-95.8 F) and its boiling point is -61.8 C (-79.24).

11. Silicon (Si)

Answer: Solid

Silicon is the eighth most common element in the universe by mass, but it is rarely found in a pure form. 90% of the earth's crust is made of silicates. The melting point for silicon is 1410 C (2570 F) and its boiling point is 2355 C (4271 F) which are both very hot.

12. Chlorine (Cl)

Answer: Gas

Unlike the noble gases, chlorine is highly reactive and can cause explosions when reacting with some metals. Chlorine has a melting point of -100.98 C (-149.76 F) and a boiling point of -33.97 C (29.15 F) meaning you'd need to see some of the lowest temperatures earth has ever seen to see chlorine as a solid.

13. Sodium (Na)

Answer: Solid

Sodium is an essential element for all animals. Table or sea salt is a common way for animals to get the mineral needed for water retention. Sodium's melting point is 97.81 C (208.1 F) and the boiling point is 882.9 C (1621.22 F) which is why you probably get your sodium intake as a solid.

14. Iron (Fe)

Answer: Solid

The average human has around four grams of Iron, mostly in their blood. Iron's melting point is 1535 C (2795 F) and its boiling point is 2750 C (4982 F). If you've ever been around molten iron you'll recognize just how hot that really is!

15. Gallium (Ga)

Answer: Liquid

Gallium's melting point is so well known and easily hit that it's used as a reference point in establishing the effectiveness of temperature measuring devices. Gallium's melting point is 29.78 C (85.6 F) and it's boiling point is 2403 C (4357.4 F). Meaning for most humans seeing Gallium turn to a liquid is fairly easy, but seeing it turn to gas is not.

Source: Author maripp2002

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor rossian before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Solid, Liquid or Gas Trivia Quiz

Elements can change their state of matter depending on their temperature. Solid, Liquid or Gas - it all depends on the temperature! In this quiz, you must select the state for the named elements at the standard temperature for the human body.