Crazy About Carbon Trivia Quiz

Answer: Total amount of greenhouse gases caused by a person or group's activity

Greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide) are said to contribute to global warming. As they enter the atmosphere, they prevent thermal energy from the Sun from leaving. This effect is said to be dangerous as it melts the ice caps, thus raising the sea levels.

This increases the warming of oceans, slowing the cycling of water that cleans oceans and promotes marine life. The oceans also absorb carbon dioxide as carbonic acid, and this acidifying may damage ecosystems. Scientists have projected several negative outcomes for the planet, one being a huge rise in sea levels if the glaciers melt, if this problem is ignored.

Answer: Rainforest collapse due to glaciation, drop in sea levels, formation of coal beds

The formation of coal beds (of which carbon is the biggest component!) was due to the abundance of life in that period. Before the glaciation, lush jungles were formed due to the mild conditions, and aquatic life such as coral and mollusks were plentiful.

The Cambrian Period (about 542 to 488 mya) is described by "Lifeforms in the seas..". The Pangaea split refers to the Jurassic Period (about 250 to 200 mya), which is also known for its dinosaurs, and the Cretaceous Period (about 145 to 65 mya) is described by the mass extinction caused by particles blocking sunlight.

Answer: Both are made up of only carbon atoms

The fact they are both made of carbon is almost where the similarities end. Diamonds are a hard substance (the hardest on the Mohs scale), while graphite is soft. Graphite is an electrical conductor, diamond is an insulator. These, and other differences, are due to the way carbon bonds with them.

In graphite, layers are two dimensional, with a weak bond 'up' and 'down' between other layers, allowing movement. In diamond, a more three-dimensional structure is created which is rigid.

Answer: One linked pair, one unlinked

Three blind mice correspond to the three slots. It can be stolen from Moth Slashers (the mechanic robots on spiked balls in Shinra's HQ) or buy them at Costa Del Sol. Other than that, the armour is unspectacular, but there's carbon even referenced in video games, so there it is.

Answer: They take in carbon dioxide and create oxygen

This process is called photosynthesis, which trees use to get energy. Carbon Dioxide + Water (+ Light) -> Sugar and Oxygen. Whilst we, and other animals convert some of the oxygen we breathe into carbon dioxide, trees do the opposite, which is most likely how this saying came about. Trees are also capable of filtering pollutants from soils, absorbing some airborne particles, and are very effective at reducing the effect of erosion by weathering - by keeping soils in place. Without trees, we would die.

Answer: Charcoal burner

It has been suggested that this meal was created for miners. Carbonara is often made with eggs, cheese, ham/bacon and cream, although there are many variants. Apparently, Italians didn't originally use cream, but many other countries did in conventional carbonara recipes. Either way, this is a tasty dish which has endured to modern cuisine.

Answer: Bone samples

In summary, a radioactive part of carbon is incorporated into living creatures by eating plants - this decays over time, and the ratio of the radioactive part to the stable part determines how old the dead matter is.

The longer explanation:
Carbon dating can only be used on living things. Carbon-14 has 8 neutrons and 6 protons, is radioactive, and occurs at about one every one trillion atoms with Carbon-12. It is produced in the atmosphere when cosmic radiation turns Nitrogen-14 into Carbon-14. Carbon-12 is the most abundant isotope of carbon, with 6 protons and 6 neutrons. Plants absorb this radioactive carbon from the atmosphere, and other animals eat plants, thus it becomes incorporated into living creatures. When creatures die, they do not take in any more Carbon-14. Over time the radioactive isotope decays back into Nitrogen-14, and it takes about 5730 years for half of it to decay back to nitrogen, another 5730 for half of the remainder to decay back to nitrogen, and so on. Therefore, finding the ratio of Carbon-12 to Carbon-14 atoms in a dead creature at 4 trillion Carbon-12 to 1 Carbon-14 would imply the creature had been dead for 11460 years.

Answer: Methane

Methane (CH4) is the largest component of natural gas, the fossil fuel still used in many kitchens today. Coal, crude oil, and methane, have carbon as their main component. It is the smallest alkane, which is a hydrocarbon with only single chemical bonds.

To explain how hydrocarbons bond summatively: each carbon atom must gain four electrons from another source to achieve stability, in this case being other carbon atoms and hydrogen, which share electrons to complete each others' shells.

Longer explanation: Each element has electron shells, the first of which is most stable with two electrons, and the second most stable with eight electrons. Carbon's atomic number is six, therefore the first shell has two electrons, and the second shell has four electrons. Carbon is covalent, therefore it shares its electrons with electrons from another element, allowing both to reach stability. Hydrogen is the smallest atom with an atomic number of one, therefore it has one electron, and is also a covalent bonder. To reach stability in methane, four hydrogen atoms bond with a single carbon. However, carbon has the ability to covalently bond with itself, which is known as catenation. In propane (C3H8), another alkane, the carbons will linearly bond with each other, and the hydrogen atoms will fill the remaining shells. Since fossil fuels were made through deep compression under the earth's crust, they are non-renewable and are a finite resource... which will run out eventually.

Answer: Cake

Alternative rock is a style of rock emerging in the '80s and based on punk rock styles. Cake were formed in 1991. The song mentions vehicle pollution and alludes to rich-poor gaps in society, though any true meaning is speculation. Queen Victoria, according to the UK show "Royal Upstairs Downstairs" (which recreates dishes Victoria ate), ate 'tipsy cake', aptly named for its sherry addition, pink champagne jelly, and posset, which is a drink made with milk curdled with an acidic liquid, like lemon or ale.

However, she's most well known for her tasty Victoria Sponge cake, consisting of two light sponge bases sandwiched together with butter cream and jam (or variants) in-between, dusted with icing sugar.

Answer: Limestone

Limestone is partially soluble, particularly to acids, and has formed several geographical features such as caves and gorges. One such place is Cheddar Gorge, in Somerset, England, famous for its cheddar cheese.

It is typically formed in shallow marine waters as dead marine creatures provide the ingredients for organisms able to create calcium carbonate to do so.
In addition, it's a durable building material, albeit expensive, and was used to build the Great Pyramid of Giza. Other interesting uses: It's a component of cement, it can be used to neutralise acids in soil, and is used as a source of calcium in food supplements and additives.