Elements All Around Us Trivia Quiz

Answer: Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen

Whether we consider a tissue, a cardboard box or the afore mentioned typing paper, cellulose is the main component of (most) paper products. Cellulose is a compound of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. In the modern world this polymer is mixed with a variety of organic and inorganic substances to create different products answering different demands but the basic paper pulp making process still uses much of the same process as it did China during the second century B.C.

Answer: It is an allotrope

The graphite used in pencils is very often called "pencil lead" but it is not the chemical element lead (symbol Pb); more than likely an allotrope of carbon. Though not entirely true to the chemical properties of the element carbon, graphite is a "form" of carbon. Graphite is different from the chemical element carbon (symbol C) due to its arrangement of the chemical bonding of the carbon elements.

Answer: Glass

Of course, install a glass window into a wall or a door and anyone should be able to see right through it! Silicon dioxide (often called silica) is the most prevalent ingredient in glass. Depending on its intended use and/or end product the glass will be developed according to various production processes and by adding other elements and compounds to the silica.

Answer: Titanium

Gold, silver and even platinum have long been accepted as the "go to" metals for jewelry - particularly for items considered fine jewelry and/or special occasion pieces. As people continue to expand their activities and their exposure to various environments the so-called "precious (three) metals" could be damaged with day-to-day wear. Titanium has become a very popular choice to replace those three. Titanium is relatively inexpensive, yet attractive, it is extremely scratch resistant, relatively unaffected by the environment and, for many its best feature - it is surprisingly lightweight.

Answer: Hosiery

Nylon is polymer of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen. DuPont introduced their revolutionary product at the 1939 New York World's Fair. Their intention - and, it worked! - was to replace the much more expensive, and less available, silk used in stockings (hosiery) with the new product, nylon.

As a genius marketing strategy, DuPont did NOT register nylon as a trademark name but chose to encourage it replacing "stockings" in ladies' vernacular beginning in the 1940s. No doubt, many of us have heard or said, "a pair of nylons" when referring to stockings.

Answer: Californium

Californium was discovered in the late 1950s by scientists who named it for the U.S. state of California and the University of California. It is considered harmful due to its radioactivity. The element occurs as the result of a nuclear reaction and is described on the internet as a "neutron emitter, providing neutrons for the start-up of nuclear reactors".

Answer: Mercury

Historically, mercury has been used in many industries - including medicine, cosmetics, industrial manufacturing, and as a fuel booster. It has been used in the manufacture of fishing lures (its weight makes the lure "move"), as a gun barrel cleaner and even ingested as a laxative, to mention a few of its (maybe) lesser known uses.

Much has been learned about its toxicity, though, and apprehensions about mercury poisoning continue to be a very real concern.

Answer: Noble gases

The noble gases are: helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon. Their uses and concerns are as varied as the gases are alike, though. Helium is a (relatively) safe gas - used for buoyancy in balloons. Neon, too, is relatively safe and is (probably) best known for its use in "glowing" signs. Argon, krypton and xenon have more uncommon uses but are used in many areas of manufacturing, science and technology. Radon results as a "decay product" of uranium and, thus, is radioactive which gives it an exposure risk.

Answer: Violet/purple

Iodine is named from the Greek word iodes - which represents a color that is between purple and brown but to apply to the element, which IS a more purple color, the name has remained. As an element, a nutrient and a part of our lives, a deficiency in iodine can result in goiter, stunted growth and other health problems. To combat this health concern iodine has been added to (table) salt in America since the 1920s and many of those health worries have diminished.

Answer: Aluminum

It may be shorter to list how aluminum has NOT been used rather than attempt to list its uses. As mentioned, it ranks third among prevalent elements in the earth's crust (oxygen and silicon are first and second), but it is the most prevalent of the metals found there. Aluminum is used in so many items ranging from food and beverage containers to construction materials to vehicle parts and including musical instruments and jewelry. Though it is considered "prevalent" there is still a finite availability of it and re-cycling is critical due to its vast uses.