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Metals Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Metals Quizzes, Trivia

Metals Trivia

Metals Trivia Quizzes

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17 Metals quizzes and 170 Metals trivia questions.
1.
  Name that Metal!   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
In this quiz, I'll give a few lines about a metal, and you have to say which metal I'm talking about. Enjoy!
Easier, 10 Qns, achernar, Jan 31 08
Recommended for grades: 9,10,11
Easier
achernar
16804 plays
2.
  Heavy Metal Lover   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The term 'heavy metal' is not clearly defined, and can be used in reference to a large range of elements. This quiz explores ten elements which pose toxicity risks for humans, and looks at some reasons to love them.
Easier, 10 Qns, looney_tunes, Apr 27 23
Easier
looney_tunes editor
Apr 27 23
2279 plays
3.
  Precious Metals    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
We all love shiny stuff! Gold, platinum, silver, and palladium are classed as precious metals. How much do you know about this small collection of very valuable elements?
Average, 10 Qns, drbabe, Oct 27 24
Average
drbabe
Oct 27 24
4641 plays
4.
  Meltdown    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This quiz is about metals and how they can be transformed from a solid to a liquid. Let's have a Meltdown.
Average, 10 Qns, Deunan, Feb 25 15
Average
Deunan
2442 plays
5.
  The RCRA 8 Metals - and Then Some   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Just like the "Ten Most Wanted" criminals, there are eight metals which have been judged to be especially dangerous to us and our environment - The RCRA 8. Team Kaffeeklatsch presents a quiz to help you identify them.
Easier, 10 Qns, shorthumbz, Apr 28 24
Recommended for grades: 10,11
Easier
shorthumbz gold member
Apr 28 24
1113 plays
6.
  Test Your Metal!   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Welcome to your new job at 'Metal Element Typing and Labeling Trivial Reasons Identifying Verifiable Information Association' or as we like to call ourselves -- "METALTRIVIA" for short. Can you help save the world and identify the following metals?
Easier, 10 Qns, coachpauly, May 06 20
Recommended for grades: 11,12
Easier
coachpauly
May 06 20
799 plays
7.
  Heavy Metal   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Did you think you'd get a quiz on heavy metal music acts? Alas, this quiz is something else. It's about metallic elements at least 10 times as heavy as water. Have fun.
Average, 10 Qns, JanIQ, Aug 03 13
Average
JanIQ gold member
548 plays
8.
  My Precious (Metals)    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Some of these metals are pretty heavy, so hurry up and answer the questions!
Average, 10 Qns, Shadowmyst2004, Feb 11 18
Recommended for grades: 10,11,12
Average
Shadowmyst2004
949 plays
9.
  The World of Metals!    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Many of our everyday appliances are made of metals. This quiz will test your knowledge about them.
Average, 10 Qns, TANU, Jun 22 13
Recommended for grades: 9,10,11
Average
TANU
4172 plays
10.
  My Metal Filled Day   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
I decided to recount a crazy day filled with metals to generate fun and whacky facts about some metals commonly (or not so commonly?) found each day.
Average, 10 Qns, lalala2222, Mar 02 11
Average
lalala2222
2066 plays
trivia question Quick Question
Among those listed, which metal is used most often to make jet engine parts?

From Quiz "My Precious (Metals)"




11.
  The Metals Quiz    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Metals have been used by man since he began to live a civilized life. He has learnt to use these to satisfy his needs. Let us see how much we know about them.
Easier, 10 Qns, genius238, Aug 24 17
Recommended for grades: 8,9,10
Easier
genius238
586 plays
12.
  Transition Metals    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Transition metals can be found in the middle of the periodic table. Common transition metals include iron, nickel, and copper, but there are many more. Let's see how much you know about them.
Average, 10 Qns, hotdogPi, Mar 14 19
Average
hotdogPi
Mar 14 19
420 plays
13.
  Which Metal is This?    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
A quiz regarding metals. Some are very common, and some not so common. From the description, can you work out which metal is being described? Please note that British spelling is used throughout this quiz.
Tough, 10 Qns, delboy22, Jan 23 19
Tough
delboy22
Jan 23 19
4257 plays
14.
  Metals and their Ores    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Let us see how much you know about metals and their ores.
Average, 10 Qns, ABHILASHA40, Jul 01 14
Average
ABHILASHA40
628 plays
15.
  What Heavy Metal Element?    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Most of the metals in the bottom two periods of the periodic table receive almost no attention. How much do you know about these metals?
Tough, 10 Qns, soadnos, Nov 19 19
Tough
soadnos
Nov 19 19
2182 plays
16.
  Metal Alloys    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
I work in metals all day at my job in the laboratory at a metal recycling facility. Here are some of the interesting things I see every day.
Difficult, 10 Qns, speakerface, Dec 04 06
Difficult
speakerface
2206 plays
17.
  Heavy p-block Chemistry    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
P-block elements have p electrons in their valence shell and include groups 13 to 18. The Heavier p-block elements certainly don't get enough attention. See what you know about these giants of the periodic table.
Difficult, 10 Qns, danhydrous, Dec 07 22
Difficult
danhydrous
Dec 07 22
1422 plays

Metals Trivia Questions

1. In the USA, the RCRA specifically identifies eight metals which pose a danger, even in tiny amounts, to the environment. What does RCRA stand for?

From Quiz
The RCRA 8 Metals - and Then Some

Answer: Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

Enacted by the US Congress in 1976, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) was passed as a measure to regulate the handling and disposal of solid waste in the United States. The law empowered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)to identify and regulate the presence of particular hazardous substances in waste. The EPA named eight metallic elements of special concern. Dubbed the RCRA 8 these heavy metal elements are extremely toxic to humans, even in very small amounts.

2. When seeing names of chemical compounds, you might see something like "iron (III) oxide", which is Fe2O3. What do the Roman numerals in parentheses mean?

From Quiz Transition Metals

Answer: Positive charge of the ion

The Roman numerals distinguish it from other types of iron oxide. For example, iron (II) oxide is FeO. Since transition metals often have more than one possible charge, the Roman numerals are needed.

3. Welcome intern! The first metal that must be identified seems to be silver in color, stronger than steel, has a low density, and is highly resistant to saltwater corrosion. Can you identify this first metal?

From Quiz Test Your Metal!

Answer: Titanium

Titanium is a chemical element with an atomic number of 22 and is identified as Ti on the periodic table. Titanium was first discovered in Cornwall England in 1791 by William Gregor. It is appropriately named in honor of the Titans of Greek mythology. This metal has a myriad of different uses including the manufacture of spacecraft, airplanes, ships, sports equipment, and even prosthetic limbs.

4. All compounds of this transition metal are considered toxic, but its name was selected because it forms compounds with a range of colors, including lilac, green, blue and yellow. Which element was named for the Germanic goddess of beauty, Vanadis?

From Quiz Heavy Metal Lover

Answer: Vanadium

Like a number of other transition metals, vanadium has multiple oxidation states available when forming compounds, and each of them produces a compound of a different color. The most common oxide is vanadium (V) oxide, V2O5. This compound has a number of uses, including involvement in the production of sulfuric acid - it reacts with sulfur dioxide to produce sulfur trioxide, which then reacts with water to produce sulfuric acid. Vanadium does not occur free in nature. It was first discovered in 1801 by Andreas del Rio, who detected it in a mineral which he called 'brown lead' (now known as vanadinite), and named it erythronium (the Greek word for red) because the compound he isolated turned red when heated. He was later convinced by others that this was actually chromium, but in 1831 Nils Gabriel rediscovered vanadium, and gave it the name which is currently used. Metallic vanadium was first produced in 1867 by Henry Roscoe.

5. This precious metal, with a melting temperature of 1063 degrees Celsius, can be used to plate silverware and cover capitol domes.

From Quiz Meltdown

Answer: Gold

Gold has a wide variety of applications including high-end electronics and jewelry making. Copper melts at 1084 degrees Celsius and while it can be used for domes is often not a preferred metal as it corrodes over time. Stainless steel melts at 1510 degrees Celsius and is used for tools and non-plated silverware. Cast iron melts at 1175 - 1290 degrees Celsius and is used for cookware, cannons and cannon balls.

6. This metal is the densest natural element, and is used in applications where extreme hardness is required.

From Quiz What Heavy Metal Element?

Answer: Osmium

It is used primarily in fountain pens and electrical contacts. Some other miscellaneous uses include the stylus on early phonographs, fingerprint detection and in staining fatty tissue on microscope slides.

7. This metal is silver-white in colour, developing a slightly yellow/pink colour upon exposure to air. It is widely distributed on earth, and occurs in over 800 known minerals. Its oxide is used in the production of high intensity lights.

From Quiz Which Metal is This?

Answer: scandium

Scandium is a very light metal, and has a much higher melting point than aluminium.

8. Iron sheets are galvanized by dipping them into what molten metal?

From Quiz The World of Metals!

Answer: Zinc

Galvanization is the process in which iron sheets are dipped in molten zinc in order to prevent them from rusting.

9. Excluding isotopes, what is the heaviest, non radioactive p-block element?

From Quiz Heavy p-block Chemistry

Answer: Lead

Lead is the heaviest, non-radioactive p-block element. Polonium, which is only slightly heavier than bismuth has a variety of isotopes, all of which are radioactive. Astatine is also highly radioactive; the only way to obtain it is in a nuclear reactor. Bismuth was considered to be non radioactive but all isotopes have now been proven to be so, although some have an extremely long half-life.

10. Named after the third-largest asteroid by mass, this element is a silver-white metal and it was discovered by William Hyde Wollaston in 1803. What is this element that is used in catalytic converters, jewelry, and dentistry?

From Quiz My Precious (Metals)

Answer: Palladium

Palladium has an atomic number of 46 and it is one of the elements within the platinum group metals. Named after the asteroid Pallas, in 2007 the top-producing palladium nations included Russia with 44%, South Africa with 40%, Canada with 6%, and the United States with 5%.

11. A beneficial antioxidant in trace amounts, in toxic compounds it can cause a garlic odor of the breath, which indicates the approach of serious complications. What is this element, whose name refers to the moon?

From Quiz The RCRA 8 Metals - and Then Some

Answer: Selenium

Mining, agriculture, and semiconductor processing can discharge compounds which bond with naturally-occurring selenium in the soil to form compounds which can be very toxic and can taint ground water and even plants grown in the affected soil. Symptoms of selenium poisoning include gastrointestinal disorders, loss of hair and nails, fatigue, and, in more serious cases, neurological damage, cirrhosis of the liver, pulmonary edema, or even death.

12. What is the densest stable element? It is a transition metal found beneath iron in the periodic table. This element alloys with iridium, which is the second densest.

From Quiz Transition Metals

Answer: Osmium

Osmium has a density of 22.59 g/cm^3 (for comparison, water is 1 g/cm^3 by definition). Iridium is almost as dense (22.56 g/cm^3). Gold has a density of approximately 19 g/cm^3, and lead has a density of 11 g/cm^3. All of these elements, except for lead, are very expensive.

13. Calaverite is an ore of which metal?

From Quiz Metals and their Ores

Answer: Gold

Calaverite is just a minor source of gold. Its formula is AuTe2. Gold is a very expensive and important metal and used in making ornaments.

14. The toxicity of this element is well known, but when I was a child we still played with it in science classes. What element, also known as quicksilver, is the only metallic element that is liquid at room temperature and pressure?

From Quiz Heavy Metal Lover

Answer: Mercury

Mercury, whose chemical symbol Hg derives from its older name of hydrargum, meaning silver water, is highly toxic when in a water-soluble compound. The vapors of the actual metal are also toxic, but it was nevertheless widely used in a number of applications such as thermometers, barometers, electrical switches, and is apparently still used as part of the mixture used to fill dental cavities. And, of course, it's fun to watch the little balls of mercury roll around on a flat surface - have you seen the maze puzzles which involve tipping a sealed container to move the mercury through the maze? Harder than the ones with solid metal balls, because the mercury tends to fragment, and you have to go back to pick up the pieces. The red paint pigment vermilion is produced from cinnabar, one of the most common naturally-occurring mercury compounds.

15. When was the launch of the first exchanged traded fund (ETF) on the New York Stock Exchange for the platinum metals group (PGM) melted together?

From Quiz Precious Metals

Answer: October 23, 2010

With the current recession, the value of all precious metals has risen. An article in Investors.com reported that the ETF for the combined metals "flew off the shelf" on Friday October 23, 2010.

16. Which metal has the highest melting point?

From Quiz Meltdown

Answer: Tungsten

Tungsten melts at 3400 degrees Celsius. It is used as a filament in some light bulbs. Tantalum has a melting point of 2980 degrees Celsius. It is used as a substitute for more costly platinum. Iridium melts at 2450 degrees Celsius. Its main use is as a hardening agent for platinum. Molybdenum melts at 2620 degrees Celsius. One use is in missile and aircraft parts.

17. This metal can super-conduct, and is one of the eleven most expensive metals. It primarily is mined primarily from the mineral niobite.

From Quiz What Heavy Metal Element?

Answer: Rhenium

This was the last natural element to be discovered. It is primarily used in jet engines and as a catalyst in making unleaded gasoline. It also has one of the highest melting points of any element, surpassed only by carbon and tungsten.

18. This metal, steel-gray in colour, is one of the lightest of all metals. Both the metal and its salts are highly toxic, and must be handled with extreme caution. When alloyed with copper, it is extensively used in springs and electrical contacts.

From Quiz Which Metal is This?

Answer: beryllium

Beryllium has excellent thermal conductivity, and is non-magnetic. It was discovered in the oxide form in 1798.

19. By nature, what are the oxides of most metals?

From Quiz The World of Metals!

Answer: Basic

Generally, oxides of metals are basic while that of non- metals are acidic. However, some metallic oxides are amphoteric, that is, both acidic and basic by nature, for example, zinc oxide.

20. Discovered by Russian chemist Karl Karlovich Klaus in 1844, what was the last of the six platinum group metals to be found?

From Quiz My Precious (Metals)

Answer: Ruthenium

Usually found with platinum deposits, it is chiefly a byproduct of platinum mining and refining. It can also be a byproduct of nickel mining, such as in Ontario, Canada's Sudbury region.

21. Some compounds of this metal are exceptionally toxic. Which metal, often used to decorate high-end vehicles, has even attracted regulation by the World Health Organization?

From Quiz The RCRA 8 Metals - and Then Some

Answer: Chromium

As with many metals, small amounts of chromium and certain chromium compounds are benign, even beneficial. Chromium and its compounds are used in electroplating, metal alloys (stainless steel), paints, ceramics, lumber processing, tannery, and assorted chemicals. Certain chromium compounds are very toxic, and in the form of chromates can cause allergies, destruction of bone marrow, liver failure, cancers, dementia, and even DNA damage that can be passed down to future generations. The contamination of water supplies by chromium VI formed the plot of the film "Erin Brockovich", released in 2000.

22. Which metallic element has a density of 21 and the highest boiling point of all elements occurring in nature? This metal evaporates only at 5,869 K (this is 5,596 °C or 10,105 °F).

From Quiz Heavy Metal

Answer: Rhenium

Rhenium (atomic number 75) is the metal we're looking for in this question. You might not be familiar with it, for the most common application (alloys used for parts exposed to high temperatures, such as jet engines or nuclear reactors) needs only a minor percentage of rhenium. 3 to 6 % rhenium are sufficient to give these parts the necessary resistance to temperature differences. Rhenium (named after the river Rhine) was only discovered in 1925, although Mendeleev predicted the existence and some of the chemical properties of this element already in 1869. Its appearance is a silvery-white powder, and it can be packed into solid lumps (by applying heavy pressure and high temperature in a vacuum). The melting point of rhenium (when it would become liquid) is not the highest of all naturally occurring elements: there it would be preceded by tungsten and carbon. But tungsten and carbon evaporate at a slightly lower temperature than Rhenium. All the red herrings are gaseous elements, so they have evaporated below room temperature. Fluorine has a boiling point of 53.53 K, nitrogen boils at 77.36 K, and argon at 83.80 K. By the way: you can easily find on the internet the formula to substitute temperatures in Kelvin (K) by degrees Celsius or degrees Fahrenheit.

23. What metal has the lowest melting point?

From Quiz Meltdown

Answer: Mercury

Mercury is the only metal with a negative melting point which is -38.86 degrees Celsius. Its natural form is as a liquid. Gallium melts at 29.78 degrees Celsius. That means it would be liquid on a warm day or in your hand. It is used in thermometers. Selenium melts at 217 degrees Celsius. It is used in the glass industry to decolorize glass. Tin melts at 232 degrees Celsius. It is often used for food storage and preservation.

24. What metal has been used to create the strongest artificial magnetic field?

From Quiz What Heavy Metal Element?

Answer: Holmium

This metal is also used in nuclear control rods. While most metals are a consistent silver color, holmium oxide has some fairly dramatic color changes depending on the lighting conditions. While in daylight, it is a tan - yellow color, under trichromatic light, it is a bright - orange red.

25. What type of orbital are the inert pair of electrons in?

From Quiz Heavy p-block Chemistry

Answer: s

The inert pair of electrons lie in a high energy s orbital. The ionization energies associated with these electrons are fairly high for many of the heavy p-block elements.

26. A grade of steel that I encounter daily is called '17/4 PH'. The numbers represent 17% chrome and 4% nickel. Other than iron, what other element is present in this alloy?

From Quiz Metal Alloys

Answer: copper

PH stands for precipitation hardening, a process which strengthens regularly malleable steel by heat.

27. This metal's earlier name was "wolfram", which explains its symbol, "W". It melts at about 3410 degrees Celsius, which is the highest melting point of all metals. It is commonly used as the filament of light-bulbs.

From Quiz Name that Metal!

Answer: Tungsten

The word "Tungsten" means "heavy stone" in Swedish. "Wolfram" is its German name, hence the symbol.

28. As the "King of poisons, poison of kings," which famously-poisonous metal can also be found in tobacco smoke?

From Quiz The RCRA 8 Metals - and Then Some

Answer: Arsenic

The toxic properties of arsenic have ironically contributed to its commercial uses as a pesticide and in such applications as lumber processing, battery manufacture, weapons development, and ironically in producing animal feed. Certain arsenic compounds are even used in medicines and in treatments for diseases such as cancer. However, the effluent from industries which have used arsenic poses a serious threat to groundwater. Arsenic toxicity can lead to various cancers and heart disease.

29. Most metals have a white - gray colour. Which yellowish metal has a density of 19.3 and fits thus in our quiz on "heavy" metals?

From Quiz Heavy Metal

Answer: Gold

Although all these elements have a yellowish hue, gold is the only heavy metal listed here. Gold does not need any introduction: it has been a rare collector's item since ancient times. As it is chemically very inactive (so it won't corrode or dissolve in contact with most other substances), monetary applications and the use in precious jewellery were self-evident. One surprising application of gold is based upon its malleability and its reflection of infrared radiation. These two properties combined, led to the use of gold in the visor of astronaut's helmets. Gold has atomic number 79. Only one isotope is stable, whereas more than thirty isotopes are more or less radioactive. Copper (element 29) is also a yellowish metal, but its density is 8.96 - not even half the density of gold. Sulphur (element 16) is a yellowish non-metal, with a density of 2.07. Chlorine (element 17) is a yellowish - greenish gas.

30. Compounds of this element, whose name comes from the German word for goblins, have long been used as blue pigments for paints and glass. Mostly produced as a by-product of copper and nickel mining, what is this element?

From Quiz Heavy Metal Lover

Answer: Cobalt

The ore from which cobalt is usually extracted has long been called kobold ore, German for goblin ore. This is a reference to the fact that these ores had a low mineral content (in terms of the familiar minerals for which they were looking), and that they release poisonous gasses when smelted. In 1735 it was found that a new metal, eventually named for the kobold, was present in these minerals. Cobalt has a number of practical uses, but the most spectacular is the use of the compounds cobalt silicate and cobalt (II) aluminate to produce a distinctive blue color (called cobalt blue) to glass, ceramics, inks and paints. The radioactive isotope cobalt-60 has important uses in medical radioactive tracing, and is a strong source of gamma rays.

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Last Updated Dec 21 2024 5:47 AM
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