CONTEST 1

 I am relatively small and cute.

CONTEST 2
 I am an inorganic compound, a liquid of low boiling point and very soluble in water.
 Though one of my atoms uses sp3-hybridised orbitals my molecule is linear.
 I have as many as three pairs of non-bonding electrons.
 I am acidic whether in the pure state or in solution and I have three other siblings which are also acidic.
 Among us I have the weakest ability to donate a proton simply because I have the shortest and
strongest bond.
 I have an atom derived from the lightest member of the halogens.
 Who am I?
Hydrogen Fluoride or Anhydrous Hydrofluoric Acid

CONTEST 3
 I am a cation comprising four atoms.
 My central atom possesses sp3-hybridised orbitals.
 I am trigonal pyramidal in shape.
 I have only one pair of non-bonding electrons.
 I am the strongest acid that can exist in water.
 I have atoms from two different elements including oxygen.
 Who am I?
Hydronium ion or Hydroxonium ion.

CONTEST 4
 I am one of the characteristic points any matter can have.
 Two of us are the same but named according to the orientation.
 I am unique.
 I am sensitive to heights above sea level because they intimidate me.
 Whether in practice I come out as a point or a range it does not matter because my name does
not change.
 Atmospheric pressure is important to me because I am only obtained when a vapour pressure
measures up to it.
 Who am I?
Boiling point.

CONTEST 5
 I am an inorganic compound.
 To be more precise I am an oxide with triatomic molecules.
 My two elements are both non-metals bonded in the ratio of 2:1.
 I am gaseous at room temperature but can easily be liquefied under pressure.
 I am usually stored in thick, strong walled glass containers.
 My two elements belong to the same group in the Periodic Table and I have a characteristic, pungent
smell.
 Who am I?
Sulphur IV oxide (SO2 gas)

CONTEST 6
 I am an inorganic, covalent compound
 I am a colourless liquid with penta-atomic molecules.
 My central atom is derived from an element which in its pure state possesses metallic bonds.
 My other atoms are derived from an element in Group VII or 17
 I am tetrahedral in shape.
 My central atom is the fourth element in Group IV while my other atoms are the second element
in Group VII or 17
 Who am I?
Tin IV chloride or SnCl4

CONTEST 7
 I am an organic compound with the molecular formula C2H2O4.
 I do not possess any carbon atom with sp3-hybridised orbitals.
 My two carbons are joined by a single covalent bond.
 I produce copious effervescence with aqueous NaHCO3.
 I am used as a primary standard in volumetric analyses.
 My molecule has a line of symmetry through the carbon-carbon single bond.
 Who am I?
Ethanedioic acid or Oxalic acid

CONTEST 8
 I am an organic compound comprising the elements carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen.
 I may be classified as an acid derivative.
 When I am hydrolysed in a base, I result in the formation of a one-carbon compound and a two-carbon
anion.
 My one-carbon product from hydrolysis contains a carbon-nitrogen covalent bond and no oxygen.
 My two-carbon hydrolysate only needs a proton to become a neutral compound.
 While my nitrogen-containing compound is the first member of its homologous series the oxygen-
containing one is the second in its homologous series.
 Who am I?
N-methylethanamide

CONTEST 9
 I and my sibling have a lot in common except perhaps our colour.
 We both contain covalent bonds.
 While my sibling uses sp2-hybridised bonding orbitals I have only sp3.
 We both form giant networks.
 The tetrahedron shape of my unit renders me an indestructible figure.
 For this reason, I am used as a tool edge for cutting hard rocks and glass among other uses.
 Who am I?
Diamond

CONTEST 10
 I am not found on the breakfast table, but my name sounds like a dairy product.
 I am not by definition, a member of the Arrhenius family.
 But Bronsted and Lowry are proud to have me as a family member.
 I am edible but I provide no nutrients like other milks.
 I am used to neutralise excess stomach acid.
 I and Epsom Salt have a common cation.
 Who am I?
Milk of Magnesia or Aqueous suspension of magnesium oxide (MgO)

CONTEST 11
 I am made in the laboratory by reacting an inorganic acid and a base.
 I am therefore an inorganic salt, highly soluble in water.
 I am a white solid.
 The base from which my cation is derived is manufactured on a large scale by the Haber Process.
 A cousin of mine which is a trioxonitrate V dissolves with enormous absorption of heat.
 My anion is derived from the acid you would obtain by adding concentrated H2SO4 to common salt.
 Who am I?
Ammonium Chloride or NH4Cl

CONTEST 12
 I am a law governing the behaviour of a form of matter.
 I recognise that the average kinetic energy of the component particles is proportional to the temperature
of that form of matter.
 I recognise also that if temperature is increased the particles will move faster.
 I predict that the particles at a higher temperature will strike the walls of their container harder.
 If the pressure on the container cannot increase it is obvious to me that the container will have
to expand.
 I am the Law that governs the behaviour of that form of matter under those circumstances.
 Who am I?
Charles’ Law

CONTEST 13
 I am a branch of Physical Chemistry.
 I am interested in both the reactants and the products of chemical reactions.
 If I am carefully executed it is possible to bring some order into a reaction.
 My aim at any time is to describe how fast or slow a chemical transformation is.
 My name is derived from a Greek word that means ‘to move’.
 Surely you need a good stop watch or clock to practice what I do best.
 Who am I?
Chemical Kinetics

CONTEST 14
 I hate anaerobic conditions
 I also hate anhydrous conditions.
 I watch whom I am in contact with; I do not venture out if a very electropositive metal is close by.
 With copper I can safely and happily come out
 My operations can be likened to a voltaic cell with its two half-cells.
 I render the chief architect of the Industrial Revolution economically not viable.
 Who am I?
Rusting of Iron. (Do not accept corrosion of iron)

CONTEST 15
 I am a transformation associated with some, and not all, matter.
 Temperature is of relevance.
 No covalent or ionic bonds are broken during the transformation.
 I am a characteristic of some solids.
 These solids tend to have weak intermolecular forces.
 I am at work when a piece of dry ice brought out of the thermos flask disappears without a trace.
 Who am I?
 Sublimation

CONTEST 16
 I am a phenomenon experienced at the atomic level.
 The protons in the nucleus and the electrons outside the nucleus are relevant to me.
 I keep vigil over the valence electrons.
 As a phenomenon I increase across a Period of the Periodic Table.
 I decrease down a Group in the Periodic Table
 Imagine you were a valence electron; I am the net positive charge you would feel as a result of
the nucleus.
 Who am I?
Effective Nuclear Charge

CONTEST 17
 I am a useful analytical tool in Science.
 Surprisingly I cannot handle salts.
 But ironically, I deal with ions only.
 I create positively charged ions.
 I have a chamber for vapourisation of substances.
 The gaseous species are ionised before they are made to encounter electric and magnetic fields
after which they are measured as mass to charge ratios.
 Who am I?
Mass Spectrometer (Not Mass Spectrophotometer)

CONTEST 18
 I am almost always in use when some type of quantitative analyses is being undertaken.
 Ideally, I should be manufactured with Pyrex glass but sometimes I am not.
 I have two openings.
 Sometimes I have a uniform shape but often I carry a pot belly.
 One of my openings is shaped such that I can deliver tiny drops of liquid.
 I am never clamped like my cousin when I am being used in transferring exact volumes.
 Who am I?
Pipette

CONTEST 19
 I am an inorganic substance.
 Indeed, I am an inorganic salt comprising two simple ions.
 My cation is derived from an element of Group I of the Periodic Table.
 My anion comes from almost the opposite side of the Table, in Group VII or 17.
 Chemically and physically I am not far from the common salt you know
 While we share a common cation, my anion normally lives one floor below that of my common friend.
 Who am I?
Sodium bromide (NaBr)

CONTEST 20
 When I occur, there is no net gain or loss.
 Representing me on paper hardly involves a trial-and-error approach.
 I have several agents and I operate through them.
 In any operation I usually use two agents that complement each other.
 Electrons, not protons, constitute our lingua-franca.
 My two halves are easily recognizable, and I do not guarantee maintenance of oxidation states.
 Who am I?
Redox Reactions or Reduction-Oxidation Reactions or Oxidation – Reduction Reactions
 CONTEST 21
 My name literally means heat on wheels.
 I am a branch encountered in two disciplines in Physical Sciences.
 In my rounds I freely distribute energy which can do your work for you.
 My free energy comes along with some randomness.
 I am useful in predicting if a chemical transformation is feasible or not even before you go to
the laboratory.
 I can even identify which reaction is likely to attain equilibrium.
 Who am I?
Thermodynamics

CONTEST 22
 I am an organic compound.
 I have carbon, oxygen and hydrogen atoms in my molecules.
 I trust that I am a good candidate for a lesson on intermolecular hydrogen bonding.
 I have an appropriate functional group on each of my three carbons.
 I am hardly synthesised in the laboratory or in a factory as I abound in nature.
 You must undertake saponification of a vegetable oil to free me.
 Who am I?
propan-1,2,3-triol or glycerol or glycerine

CONTEST 23
 I am a well-known organic reaction.
 I am used in preparing a mono-substituted halo-compound.
 Poly-substituted compounds may be formed if I am not terminated in good time.
 I am catalysed by UV light.
 My organic reactant is methane and that is what makes me an organic reaction.
 Chlorine, my other reagent must be in the gaseous state.
 Who am I?
Chlorination of methane.

CONTEST 24
 I am a rule used for housekeeping in the world of electrons.
 I am useful when a type of structures is being considered for covalent molecules.
 My origins are traced to the stabilities of inert gases.
 The rule insists that each covalent bond should consist of two shared electrons.
 Do you remember the electrons in the valence shell of five of the inert gases?
 Eight is my magical number.
 Who am I?
The Octet Rule

CONTEST 25
 I am a class of reagents in chemistry especially in organic chemistry.
 Our members may be charged or neutral
 We have special attraction to sites where electron charge is minimal if not absent.
 If we had our way, we would attack till we hit the nucleus of the central atom of the substrate.
 We love to execute substitution reactions especially under polar conditions.
 The line between us and bases is usually very thin.
 Who are we?
Nucleophilic Reagents

CONTEST 26
 My discovery dates to the 19th Century.
 A British scientist went all out to show how small I am.
 I was supposed to be indestructible then, but he was wrong.
 Most of my physical being is empty space.
 I differ in size and mass from element to element.
 I have a nucleus, positively charged where all my mass is centred.
 Who am I?
(The) Atom

CONTEST 27
 I am closely associated with a German chemist who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1909.
 He devised a clever method for my synthesis.
 I am a covalent compound when I am in my pure state, made up of penta-atomic molecules.
 All my constituent atoms are non-metals.
 I guess when a fellow German discovered a non-bacterial method of fixing atmospheric nitrogen
the idea of manufacturing me from a cheap raw material became feasible.
 Centuries ago I was named ‘aqua fortis’ because unlike water I am ‘strong’ and not kind to the skin.
 Who am I?
Trioxonitrate V Acid or Nitric Acid or HNO3

CONTEST 28
 There is geological evidence that I appeared on the scene about 2 billion years ago.
 I was supposed to have been produced as a result of photolysis of water vapour.
 But some scientists hold the view that I am mostly of biological origin.
 Currently I am the most abundant among my peers on earth.
 I form up to 48% of the earth’s crust, atmosphere and surface water put together.
 I am a molecular element with atomic number 8.
 Who am I?
Oxygen

CONTEST 29
 I am useful in all Science laboratories and not just in the Chemistry laboratory.
 But I am not that conspicuous especially if I am the micro size.
 I may be kept in a drawer or cupboard in the laboratory.
 An expensive form of me is made with nickel.
 I could be made of glass or plastic material and have a flat or oval-shaped or tapered end.
 I could have a wooden handle to make the scooping of solid material from bottles easier.
 Who am I?
Spatula

CONTEST 30
 I am an inorganic solid.
 I am made up of a simple cation and a complex anion.
 While my cation is a Group I metal belonging to Period 4, my complex anion contains a d-transition
element and a non-metal.
 In my pure, crystalline state, I am not black or pink coloured but dark purple coloured.
 I am a powerful oxidising agent in either acid or basic medium.
 I am used for sterilising vegetables at home, also in medicine and in redox titrations in the laboratory.
 Who am I?
Potassium tetraoxomanganate VII (KMnO4)

CONTEST 31
 I am an organic compound.
 My molecules have as many as 13 atoms from three different elements.
 I have a functional group noted for strong intermolecular hydrogen bonding.
 My empirical formula, C4H9O is the same as my molecular formula.
 My carbon backbone is not a straight one.
 I cannot be oxidised with acidified K2Cr2O7 like my primary and secondary cousins.
 Who am I?
2-Methyl-2-propanol or 2-Methyl-propan-2-ol

CONTEST 32
 I am a branch of general science, but I am often mentioned or studied in Chemistry.
 I am often undertaken to satisfy scientists’ curiosity.
 Many skills are needed to appreciate me.
 Correct states of matter, their texture and colour are my mile stones.
 Melting and boiling point measurements and use of a range of reagents of different pH are my life
blood.
 In my more sophisticated form, reagents and a rack full of test tubes give way to machines and meters.
 Who am I?
Qualitative Analyses

CONTEST 33
 I am an organic compound.
 I am bipolar because in my pure form I have both a negative charge and a positive charge in my
molecule
 Chemically I am amphoteric.
 My molecules are negatively charged in alkaline solutions and positively charged in acid solutions.
 I belong to a class of compounds that can be obtained by hydrolyses of proteins.
 Of the class I am the only one that cannot bend the plane of polarised light.
 Who am I?
2-Aminoethanoic acid or Glycine

CONTEST 34
 I am a piece of glassware.
 I used to be made exclusively of pyrex glass but these days my plastic version is also available.
 I come in different sizes.
 I am almost always graduated.
 Unfortunately, I am not useful when work of high precision is being undertaken.
 With my upright posture and a spout, you cannot mistake me for some other glassware.
 Who am I?
Measuring Cylinder

CONTEST 35
 I am an inorganic solid.
 I am made up of a metallic cation and a simple non-metal anion.
 My cation in solution will precipitate out as a black solid when H2S gas is bubbled through the solution.
 My anion in solution will form a precipitate with silver ions even in the presence of dilute HNO3.
 The silver derivative of my anion is white and is soluble in dilute ammonia.
 I am very soluble in hot water, but I crystallise out readily when my hot solution cools.
 Who am I?
Lead (II) Chloride or PbCl2

CONTEST 36
 I am a metallic element.
 I belong to one of the major series in the Periodic Table, characterised by incomplete 5f sub-shell.
 I was named after a planet in the Solar System.
 I show variable valences of 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.
 I have several isotopes whose masses spread over a range of 15 mass units but all having atomic
number of 92.
 I, nuclear weapons and nuclear energy generation, we are all
synonymous.
 Who am I?
Uranium

CONTEST 37
 I am quite modest in my demands because one is enough for me.
 Since I am harmful to humans all efforts are made to avoid me especially
in all consumables.
 I am not restricted to just the world of organic or inorganic compounds; I
occur in both worlds.
 There are medicines and special diets meant to remove me from the
human body.
 An unpaired electron is my free asset.
 Pairing my single electron radically eliminates me.
 Who am I?
Free Radical

CONTEST 38
 I exist in several forms.
 My colloidal form is man-made.
 When my molten form is poured in a thin stream into cold water, I
take the form not far from that of high-density polythene.
 My most natural form is described as rhombic.
 Melt my stable form and let it cool, I solidify into needle-shaped,
colourless crystals.
 As an element of atomic mass 32, I show enantiotropy, a kind of
allotropy.
 Who am I?
Sulphur

CONTEST 39
 I am a saturated organic compound.
 I do not possess any functional group of significance.
 The atoms in my molecules are from just two elements, carbon and
hydrogen.
 My carbon backbone is neither straight nor branched.
 For what I am, you might think I am a flat molecule, but I am not.
 With six in a ring, my carbon atoms have the luxury of maintaining their
exact tetrahedral angles.
 Who am I?
Cyclohexane

CONTEST 40
 I and my family emerged as a result of mankind’s recognition of the
wave and particle characteristics of subatomic particles.
 We are milestones of a mathematical solution to the problem of
the mechanics of a subatomic that considers the property that if
 you can locate the particle precisely, you cannot determine its
linear momentum precisely and vice versa.
 One of us determines the energy the of the sub-particle and is represented
by a certain letter.
 One of us and I describe the region around the nucleus where the
subatomic particle has appreciable probability of being found.
 Yet another describes the orientation of the spin of the subatomic
particle.
 I determine the magnitude of the orbital angular momentum of the
subatomic particle and like the others I am represented by a certain
letter.
 What is my letter?
(The letter) l (Small L) (Quantum numbers of l are 0 to n-1)