Test Your Knowledge

Test Your Knowledge

History

1. Which of the following is not an organizational classification of the periodic table?

A. Periods
B. Blocks
C. Orbitals
D. Groups
E. Family

2. The atomic number of an element is equal to:

A. The number of protons in the nucleus
B. The number of neutrons in the nucleus
C. The number of valence electrons
D. The molecular weight of the element
E. The number of atomic orbitals

3. Groups in the periodic table are also called:

A. Rows
B. Boxes
C. Families
D. Blocks
E. Periods

4. The highest-energy electrons in group 2 are located in _____ orbitals.

A. s
B. p
C. d
D. f
E. g

5. The chemical symbol for mercury is:

A. Me
B. Mc
C. My
D. He
E. Hg

Periodic Table Guide

1. The recurring pattern in the properties of the elements when they are arranged in order of increasing atomic number is called _________.

A. the periodic law
B. Dimitri's law
C. Mendeleev's law
D. the elemental law
E. none of the above

2. In the first periodic table, elements were arranged by increasing ______.

A. size
B. atomic number
C. molecular weight
D. relative mass
E. none of the above

3. In the modern periodic table elements are arranged from left to right by _______.

A. increasing atomic number
B. decreasing atomic number
C. increasing molecular weight
D. decreasing molecular weight
E. none of the above

4. The gaps or blank spaces in the first periodic table allowed Mendeleev to _____.

A. take a nap
B. trick question—there were no gaps
C. predict the abundance of undiscovered elements
D. predict the properties of undiscovered elements
E. none of the above

5. There are ____ known elements today.

A. 42
B. 63
C. 100
D. 108
E. 118

Alkali Metals

1. Which of the following is not an alkali metal?

A. Potassium
B. Magnesium
C. Lithium
D. Cesium
E. Francium

2. The reaction between alkali metals and water ___________.

A. is slow
B. is endothermic
C. is exothermic
D. does not occur
E. none of the Above

3. Which of the following statements is not true.

A. Alkali earth metals in their elemental form must be stored in oil.
B. Alkali earth metals in their elemental form do not exist.
C. Alkali earth metals readily react with halides to form MX salts.
D. Alkali earth metals react violently with water.
E. None of the above

4. When alkali metals are exposed to water _______ is produced.

A. hydrogen gas
B. oxygen gas
C. an acid
D. a halide salt
E. none of the above

5. Potassium emits a _________ flame when burned.

A. red
B. blue
C. violet
D. orange
E. yellow

Alkaline Earth Metals

1. The alkaline earth metals are:

A. Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, and Ra
B. Li, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, and Ra
C. Na, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, and Ra
D. Be, Mg, K, Sr, Ba, and Ra
E. Be, Mg, Ca, Rb, Ba, and Ra

2. In nature the alkaline earth metals are found in the _______ oxidation state.

A. 0
B. +1
C. +2
D. +3
E. +4

3. The biological molecule, chlorophyll, contains a _____ ion at the center.

A. Be2+B. Mg2+C. Ca2+D. Sr2+E. Ra2+

4. Alkaline earth metals form halide complexes of the form:

A. MX
B. MX2C. M2X
D. MX3E. None of the above

5. Marie and Pierre _______ won the Noble Prize in Physics for their work in radioactivity.

A. Macdonald
B. Radium
C. Pauling
D. Curie
E. Noble

Transition Metals

1. Transition metals exist in the _____ oxidation state.

A. 0
B. +1
C. +2
D. +3
E. All of the above

2. The chemical symbol of gold is ____.

A. Go
B. Gd
C. Au
D. Ag
E. None of the above

3. Exceptions to the aufbau filling diagram occur when ______.

A. a shuffling of electrons results in a half-filled or filled orbital
B. a shuffling of electrons results in an empty orbital
C. a shuffling of electrons results in a new orbital
D. a spontaneous chemical reaction occurs
E. none of the above

4. The light-weight shiny element used in golf clubs and replacement hips is _____.

A. Copper
B. Silver
C. Gold
D. Titanium
E. Nickel

5. In its elemental form gold is ___________.

A. soft and shiny
B. soft and dull
C. hard and shiny
D. hard and dull
E. none of the above.

Metals, Metalloids, and Non-metals

1. Silicon is _______.

A. a metal
B. a non-metal
C. a metalloid
D. a halogen
E. none of the above

2. Carbon is a ________.

A. a metal
B. a non-metal
C. a metalloid
D. a halogen
E. none of the above

3. Lead is a _________.

A. a metal
B. a non-metal
C. a metalloid
D. a halogen
E. none of the above

4. In its liquid phase, oxygen is ________.

A. colorless
B. yellow
C. red
D. green
E. blue

5. The non-metals are located ______.

A. to the left of the metalloids
B. to the right of the metalloids
C. in the s-block
D. in the d-block
E. none of the above

Halogens

1. The most reactive halogen is _______.

A. Fluorine
B. Chlorine
C. Bromine
D. Iodine
E. Astatine

2. Halogens have valence electron configurations of ____.

A. ns2np5B. ns1np6C. ns0np7D. ns7E. None of the above

3. Which of the following elements is not a halide?

A. Fluorine
B. Chlorine
C. Bromine
D. Astatine
E. Neon

4. Which of the following is true about halogens?

A. Halogens have high electronegativities.
B. Halogens are toxic.
C. Halogens are located in group 17.
D. All of the Above
E. None of the Above

5. The halogens are located ________ .

A. in the p-block
B. in group 7A
C. in group 17
D. to the right of the metalloids
E. all of the above

Noble Gases

1. The noble gases are located __________.

A. in group 1
B. in group 7
C. in group 17
D. in group 18
E. in group 7A

2. Which element has the valence electron configuration of 1s2?

A. Hydrogen
B. Neon
C. Helium
D. Argon
E. Xenon

3. The chemical symbol for xenon is ____.

A. Xe
B. Xn
C. Xo
D. Zn
E. Ze

4. Which element is orange when put in a vacuum tube and charged with electricity?

A. Helium
B. Argon
C. Neon
D. Krypton
E. Hydrogen

5. The element once known as "the stranger" is ______.

A. Helium
B. Neon
C. Xenon
D. Radon
E. Krypton

Periodic Table Trends

1. Which of the following is not a periodic trend?

A. Atomic Radii
B. Reactivity
C. Electron Affinity
D. Ionization Energy
E. Electronegativity

2. Electronegativity _____ as you proceed left to right across a period and _____ as you proceed down a group.

A. stays the same, increases
B. increases, decreases
C. increases, increases
D. decreases, increases
E. decreases, decreases

3. Ionization Energy _____ as you proceed left to right across a period and _____ as you proceed down a group.

A. stays the same, increases
B. increases, decreases
C. increases, increases
D. decreases, increases
E. decreases, decreases

4. Electron affinity _____ as you proceed left to right across a period and _____ as you proceed down a group.

A. stays the same, increases
B. increases, decreases
C. increases, increases
D. decreases, increases
E. decreases, decreases

5. Atomic radii _____ as you proceed left to right across a period and _____ as you proceed down a group.

A. stays the same, increases
B. increases, decreases
C. increases, increases
D. decreases, increases
E. decreases, decreases

Answers

History

1. Which of the following is not an organizational classification of the periodic table?

C. Orbitals

The periodic table is organized into horizontal rows (called periods), vertical columns (called groups or families), and blocks (s, p, d, and f).

2. The atomic number of an element is equal to:

A. The number of protons in the nucleus

The atomic number of an element is equal to the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom. This value is usually located above the chemical symbol in each elemental box along the periodic table grid.

3. Groups in the periodic table are also called:

C. Families

Groups (or families) are the vertical columns of the periodic table.

4. The highest-energy electrons in group 2 are located in _____ orbitals.

A. s

Group 2 is the second column from the left on the periodic table. This group is located within the s-block. All members of the s-block have their highest-energy electrons located in s-orbitals.

5. The chemical symbol for mercury is:

E. Hg

Most elements' chemical symbol is just the first two letters of the element, but not mercury. Mercury is derived from the Latin word "hydrargyrum" which scientists have shortened to Hg.

Periodic Table Guide

1. The recurring pattern in the properties of the elements when they are arranged in order of increasing atomic number is called _________.

A. the periodic law

The periodic law is the generalization that there is a recurring pattern in the properties of the elements when they are arranged in order of increasing atomic number, or the total number of protons in the nucleus. The periods of the periodic table illustrate these relationships.

2. In the first periodic table, elements were arranged by increasing ______.

D. relative mass

Dmitri Mendeleev first arranged the elements by increasing relative mass to construct the first periodic table.

3. In the modern periodic table elements are arranged from left to right by _______.

A. increasing atomic number

In the modern periodic table the elements are arranged by increasing atomic number (the number of protons in the nucleus) from left to right.

4. The gaps or blank spaces in the first periodic table allowed Mendeleev to _____.

D. predict the properties of undiscovered elements

The blank squares in the first periodic table allowed Dmitri Mendeleev to predict the properties of the elements that were not yet discovered…with great accuracy.

5. There are ____ known elements today.

E. 118

There are currently 118 elements known today, but that number will continue to increase as the years go on.

Alkali Metals

1. Which of the following is not an alkali metal?

B. Magnesium

The members of the alkali metal family are lithium (Li), sodium (Na), potassium (K), rubidium (Rb), cesium (Cs), francium (Fr), and technically hydrogen (H).

2. The reaction between alkali metals and water ___________.

C. is exothermic

When alkali metals come in contact with water, metal hydroxides (M-OH) and hydrogen gas are made. The reaction is highly exothermic, which means it produces a lot of heat.

3. Which of the following statements is not true.

B. Alkali earth metals in their elemental form do not exist.

The correct answer is B. The elemental forms of the alkali earth metals (such as pure Na or pure K) do exist—they are just extremely reactive. That's why the pure forms are stored in oil to prevent reaction with oxygen or water.

4. When alkali metals are exposed to water _______ is produced.

A. hydrogen gas

When alkali metals come in contact with water, metal hydroxides (M-OH) and hydrogen gas are made.

5. Potassium emits a _________ flame when burned.

C. violet

A flame test is a chemical test for detecting the presence of certain metals in compounds by the colors they emit when put in a flame. Potassium, for example, turns a flame violet.

Alkaline Earth Metals

1. The alkaline earth metals are:

A. Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, and Ra

The alkaline earth metal family is group two of the periodic table consisting of the elements: Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, and Ra.

2. In nature the alkaline earth metals are found in the _______ oxidation state.

C. +2

The alkaline earth metals need to lose two electrons to achieve the very stable noble gas configuration. After losing two electrons their oxidation state is +2.

3. The biological molecule, chlorophyll, contains a _____ ion at the center.

B. Mg2+

Chlorophyll contains a Mg2+ ion in the center of its structure.

4. Alkaline earth metals form halide complexes of the form:

B. MX2

Alkaline earth metals need to lose two valence electrons to achieve a noble gas configuration. Halides need to gain one electron to achieve this configuration. For this reason each alkaline earth metal reacts with two halides.

5. Marie and Pierre _______ won the Noble Prize in Physics for their work in radioactivity.

D. Curie

Marie and Pierre Curie won the 1908 Noble Prize in Physics for their work in radioactivity.

Transition Metals

1. Transition metals exist in the _____ oxidation state.

A. 0
B. +1
C. +2
D. +3
E. All of the above

Transition metals exist in the neutral state as well as many other oxidation states. This high range of oxidation gives rise to myriad complexes with many different colors and properties.

2. The chemical symbol of gold is ____.

C. Au

The chemical symbol for gold is Au because it is derived from the latin word aurum.

3. Exceptions to the aufbau filling diagram occur when ______.

A. a shuffling of electrons results in a half-filled or filled orbital

A half-filled or filled orbital results in increased stability, therefore if a quick shuffling of electrons can result in this configuration, the aufbau principle is not strictly followed.

4. The light-weight shiny element used in golf clubs and replacement hips is _____.

D. Titanium

Titanium is lightweight, shiny, and relatively inexpensive. For these reasons it is used as the main component of golf clubs and replacement hips.

5. In its elemental form gold is ___________.

A. soft and shiny

In its elemental form gold, Au, is soft, shiny, and yellow in color.

Metals, Metalloids, and Non-metals

1. Silicon is _______.

C. a metalloid

Silicon (Si) is located in the p-block and resides on the staircase that houses the metalloid elements.

2. Carbon is a ________.

B. a non-metal

Carbon (C) is located in the p-block to the right of the metalloids. This makes it a non-metal.

3. Lead is a _________.

A. a metal

Lead (Pb) is located in the p-block to the left of the metalloids. Therefore it is a metal, but not a transition metal.

4. In its liquid phase, oxygen is ________.

E. blue

In its liquid phase oxygen (O) is a blue liquid and explosive.

5. The non-metals are located ______.

B. to the right of the metalloids

The non-metals are located to the right of the metalloids in the p-block.

Halogens

1. The most reactive halogen is _______.

A. Fluorine

Fluorine is the most reactive halogen and reacts with nearly all the elements on the periodic table.

2. Halogens have valence electron configurations of ____.

A. ns2np5

The halogens have 7 valence electrons with a configuration of ns2np5 where n is the period in which they are located.

3. Which of the following elements is not a halide?

E. Neon

All of the halide elements end in –ine and are located in group 7 (or 17). Neon is not a halide. It is a noble gas.

4. Which of the following is true about halogens?

A. Halogens have high electronegativities.
B. Halogens are toxic.
C. Halogens are located in group 17.
D. All of the Above

Halogens are highly electronegative, located in group 17, and highly toxic.

5. The halogens are located ________ .

A. in the p-block
B. in group 7A
C. in group 17
D. to the right of the metalloids
E. all of the above

The halogens group is the fifth group of the p-block in group 7A which is also known as group 17.

Noble Gases

1. The noble gases are located __________.

D. in group 18

The noble gases are located in the right-hand most column of the periodic table. This is called group 18 or group 8A although some textbooks also call this group 0.

2. Which element has the valence electron configuration of 1s2?

C. Helium

Helium (Z = 2) only has two electrons both of which reside in the 1s orbital.

3. The chemical symbol for xenon is ____.

A. Xe

This is an easy one. The chemical symbol for xenon is Xe.

4. Which element is orange when put in a vacuum tube and charged with electricity?

C. Neon

Neon signs are everywhere. They contain the element neon, which glows orange when put in a vacuum tube and charged with electricity.

5. The element once known as "the stranger" is ______.

C. Xenon

Xenon (Xe) was the last noble gas to be identified. Before it was isolated and characterized it was called "the stranger" by scientists.

Periodic Table Trends

1. Which of the following is not a periodic trend?

B. Reactivity

Atomic radii, electron affinity, ionization energy, and electronegativity are all trends that are periodic on the periodic table. They can help predict reactivity but alas, it is not a trend.

2. Electronegativity _____ as you proceed left to right across a period and _____ as you proceed down a group.

B. increases, decreases

Electronegativity increases as you proceed left to right across a period and decreases as you proceed down a group. Fluorine is therefore the most electronegative element.

3. Ionization Energy _____ as you proceed left to right across a period and _____ as you proceed down a group.

B. increases, decreases

Ionization energy increases as you proceed left to right across a period and decreases as you proceed down a group.

4. Electron affinity _____ as you proceed left to right across a period and _____ as you proceed down a group.

B. increases, decreases

Electron affinity increases as you proceed left to right across a period and decreases as you proceed down a group.

5. Atomic radii _____ as you proceed left to right across a period and _____ as you proceed down a group.

D. decreases, increases

Atomic Radii decrease as you proceed left to right across a period and increases as you proceed down a group.