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Quiz: The origins of the elements

There are 118 elements in the periodic table, but how well do you know their backstories?

by Andy Brunning, special to C&EN
July 2, 2019

 

Before you take our quiz on the origins of the elements, make sure you check out our Periodic Graphic for some helpful hints.

Which two elements were made in large amounts 10 s to 20 min after the big bang?
Which is the only element that both was produced in the big bang and can be generated by cosmic rays hitting heavier nuclei?
What is the heaviest element that can be produced by nuclear fusion in stars?
Slow and rapid neutron-capture processes (s- and r-processes) occur in stars. In both processes, after a neutron is captured, what type of radioactive decay creates a new element by converting a neutron into a proton?
Isotopes of which of the following elements are not formed by the rapid neutron-capture process (r-process)?
What is the heaviest element for which an isotope forms by the slow neutron-capture process (s-process)?
Which of the following is the most recently discovered synthetic element?

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