Can you name the common names of these chemicals? by naturefreak2101

Chemical Formula	Common Name/Use	Chemical Name and State
N₂O		Nitrous Oxide (g)
NaOH		Sodium Hydroxide (s/aq)
NaHCO₃		Sodium Bicarbonate (s)
CH₃COCH₃		Acetone (l)
NaCl		Sodium Chloride (s)
KNO₃		Potassium Nitrate (s)
C₁₀H₈		Naphthalene (s)
Ca(ClO)₂		Calcium Hypochlorite (s)
HO(CH₂)₂OH		Ethylene Glycol (l)

Chemical Formula	Common Name/Use	Chemical Name and State
C		Carbon [SP2 layered] (s)
C		Carbon [SP3 crystal] (s)
CaSO₄∙0.5H₂O		Calcium Sulfate Hemihydrate (s)
C₆H₈O₆		Ascorbic Acid (s/aq)
CaCO₃		Calcium Carbonate (s)
Mg(OH)₂		Magnesium Hydroxide (aq)
(CF2)_n		Polytetrafluoroethylene (s)
C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁		Sucrose (s)
C₇H₅N₃O₆		Trinitrotoluene (s)
CH₃COOH	Trinitrotoluene (s)
NaClO	Trinitrotoluene (s)

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There are 34 comments for this game.
(Warning: comments may contain spoilers)

Chemical Common Names Quiz

by naturefreak2101

Created Sep 28, 2009 in Science
Game Plays 4,295

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	brownowl:	Sep 29th, 2009 at 12:12 GMT		5 points
	Great quiz idea, but please can you include caustic soda as an option for NAOH? Also I tried nail varnish remover rather than paint remover for acetone (maybe that's asking too much though ;-)).

	naturefreak2101:	Sep 29th, 2009 at 16:55 GMT		1 point
	Thanks, brownowl. Added in the caustic soda as a valid answer, didn't realize it was such a common term. Also added "Nail Varnish remover", although i did already have "Nail Polish Remover" as a possibility. Thanks for the advice. :)

	naturefreak2101:	Sep 29th, 2009 at 21:30 GMT		0 points
	Also, just added "sub" tags to make subscripts. Should look nicer now.

	Polymer:	Sep 30th, 2009 at 02:32 GMT		2 points
	Love the quiz; I would suggest the synonym "paint thinner" for acetone, and also you could add either "brimstone" for sulfur or "epsom salts" for magnesium sulfate to have an even 20 questions. Or add both, whichever. I had also thought of suggesting "quicksilver" for mercury but that's a bit obscure and I think your quiz has a nice balance to it as is.

	naturefreak2101:	Sep 30th, 2009 at 07:37 GMT		1 point
	Liked the idea of making it 20 questions even. Brimstone I thought was a little too obscure (I would just call it "Sulfur"), and Epsom salts is slightly dated (reminds me of Oregon Trail on the Apple II), and is technically Magnesium sulfate heptahydrate, harder to write in. So I went with a favorite trivia of mine I hadn't thought of, that's also easy enough to guess if you're clever enough - Trinitrotoluene. :D P.S. - Paint thinner is added; although "technically" paint thinner is mineral spirits, you can use acetone for it.

	brownowl:	Sep 30th, 2009 at 21:54 GMT		2 points
	Thanks for the changes! I would've included ethanol but maybe that's too easy? Liking the explosive addition though!

	HPZ:	Oct 2nd, 2009 at 20:55 GMT		2 points
	Great idea! Five Sporcles!

	James_Kay:	Oct 3rd, 2009 at 00:47 GMT		2 points
	Great quiz. I would have got mothballs if the chemical was paradichlorobenzene. I think it's more commonly used for mothballs now than naphthalene is.

	naturefreak2101:	Oct 3rd, 2009 at 01:10 GMT		0 points
	Paradichlorobenzene is modern mothballs, although it is also used predominantly in other things (urinal cakes for example). Naphthalene is not known for much else other than mothballs. I also felt it wasn't dated enough to leave out (I didn't put in such things as Epsom Salts because I thought they were too dated). Overall, best way I can explain it is that I wasn't looking for the best chemical for mothballs - I was looking for the use of naphthalene.

	iceman1731:	Oct 3rd, 2009 at 07:07 GMT		-3 points
	isnt NOS nitrous oxide too

	naturefreak2101:	Oct 3rd, 2009 at 18:34 GMT		0 points
	NOS either stands for Nitrous Oxide Systems (automotive company dealing with engine enhancements) and it's engine boosting product, or the NOS drink named after the aforementioned company/product. Nitrous oxide only has one chemical formula, N2O.

	Gumpster:	Oct 9th, 2009 at 17:29 GMT		1 point
	are antifeez and radiator fluid the same thing? if so, could you add that?

	davidr:	Oct 9th, 2009 at 17:31 GMT		1 point
	I'm sorry but this is awful. The scientific name for CH3COOH is ethanoic acid. The common name is acetic acid. Vinegar is a dilute solution of ethanoic acid plus a bunch of minor consituents, which is why different vinegars taste different. Saying that `Antifreeze' is the common name for ethylene glycol is like saying that `soda can' is the common name for aluminium: it's not the common name; it's a common use. Likewise naphthalene and mothballs.

	Ieuano:	Oct 9th, 2009 at 17:41 GMT		4 points
	acetic acid is fine, everyone knows what your on about when you say that, if you're going to want IUPAC names for everything than sucrose should be β-D-fructofuranosyl-(2→1)-α-D-glucopyranoside (yes i nicked that from wiki) but i am a chemist so i know my shizz.

	redsxfenway:	Oct 9th, 2009 at 17:42 GMT		1 point
	I can't believe I missed TNT, especially since the Nobel Peace Prize was just announced.

	andrea:	Oct 9th, 2009 at 17:51 GMT		8 points
	I'm much more likely to call "acetone" "acetone" than I am to call it "paint remover."

	naturefreak2101:	Oct 9th, 2009 at 18:32 GMT		0 points
	nail polish remover and nail varnish remover were also acceptable answers ... there is flexibility

	davidr:	Oct 9th, 2009 at 18:36 GMT		3 points
	@naturefreak: If you're going to reject epsom salts for being hydrated, note that plaster of Paris / gypsum, which is the hemihydrate (CaSO_4.½H_2O). Also, bleach and vinegar are aqueous solutions of the substances you name; milk of magnesia is an aqueous suspension.

	naturefreak2101:	Oct 9th, 2009 at 18:38 GMT		0 points
	Also added coolant and radiator fluid as possible answers for antifreeze. And yes, vinegar is a dilute solution of acetic acid. But for all intents ans purposes, when someone outside the scientific community recognizes "Acetic acid", they'll recognize it as vinegar. This is meant to appeal to all sporcle players, not just the ones that can nitpick. If I wanted to nitpick my own quiz, I would talk about the fact that I can't draw structures, for naphthalene and trinitrotoluene. And yes, some of these are common "uses" instead of "names", but that's not really a big enough difference to matter much.

	naturefreak2101:	Oct 9th, 2009 at 18:41 GMT		0 points
	I rejected epsom salts more for their antiquity than for their hydrated form. That said, you did give me an idea to perhaps make this more proper.

	naturefreak2101:	Oct 9th, 2009 at 18:56 GMT		0 points
	Updated. Again, this isn't meant to be 100% scientifically correct. But it would just confuse people if I added end structures to the teflon, and also the reason I tried to stay away from hydrated compounds. Yes, naphthalene has other uses, but if it has a single use that is infinitely more well known than others, it's as mothballs. Other compounds, such as acetone, have multiple uses, and I only display paint remover while I accept paint thinner, nail polish remover, and other terms as well. I'm always trying to update the quiz to make it more accessible and more fun, and I'm always looking for constructive criticism.

	davidr:	Oct 9th, 2009 at 20:02 GMT		3 points
	But that's just it — these are uses, not names and that's a big distinction. If you ask `What is the common name for naphthalene?', a lot of people will be saying, `Well, it's used in mothballs but I can't think of another name.' People who know the answer you're looking for won't get it because you're asking the wrong question. A quiz of actual common names would be great and a quiz on common uses of chemicals would be great. But those are two separate quizzes. Acetaminophen, alcohol, aspirin, caffeine, carbolic acid, chloroform, ibuprofen and niacin/vitamin B3 might make good additions to this quiz. (NB: acetaminophen is known as paracetamol everywhere but the USA.)

	moran:	Oct 9th, 2009 at 21:15 GMT		2 points
	Dammit, I tried PTFE but forgot Teflon, because I always just say PTFE.

	clicktrack:	Oct 10th, 2009 at 01:08 GMT		2 points
	I'm surprised there's no dihydrogen monoxide.

	davidr:	Oct 10th, 2009 at 08:16 GMT		1 point
	@moran: Teflon is Dupont's trademark; PTFE is the generic name so, yeah, that should be accepted too.

	menacingcheese:	Oct 10th, 2009 at 15:12 GMT		1 point
	You might add Tums or antacid for calcium carbonate. I work in a pharmacy and calcium carbonate is the generic name we use for Tums. Good quiz though.

	davidr:	Oct 10th, 2009 at 22:02 GMT		1 point
	@menacingcheese: Calcium carbonate is the generic name for the active ingredient in Tums. Tums also contain(s) all kinds of other stuff: sucrose, corn starch, talc (yum!), mineral oil (tasty!), flavourings, adipic acid, sodium polyphosphate and colourings including tartrazine. Again, this is a use, not a common name.

	Zantar:	Oct 12th, 2009 at 19:54 GMT		1 point
	nice quiz - I like it

	Bartleby:	Oct 13th, 2009 at 01:55 GMT		2 points
	naturefreak: if you want to change the "common name" column to "common name/application" maybe you'd get people like davidr off your back. i suppose davidr thinks he's trying to preserve the integrity of sporcle (or something like that), but he comes across as a whiny guy who has to be right all the time.

	Bartleby:	Oct 13th, 2009 at 01:57 GMT		1 point
	to his credit though, davidr has come up with many good games. to me, calling this game "awful" reflects badly on him.

	BingKafei:	Oct 17th, 2009 at 21:10 GMT		1 point
	Medics use Nitrous Oxide as a form of painkiller, and it is commonly referred to by them as Entonox.

	RS89:	Nov 12th, 2009 at 01:33 GMT		1 point
	No dihydrogen monoxide?

	arsenicsauce:	Dec 11th, 2010 at 05:12 GMT		1 point
	difficult but good. Probably didn't add dihydrogen monoxide because he puts formulas in hehehe. Can you accept "antacid" or "Mylanta" or something for Mg(OH)2 (since you're accepting "Teflon")

	naturefreak2101:	Dec 13th, 2010 at 18:23 GMT		0 points
	I did add antacid for MG(OH)2, although it is already a possible answer for CaCO3 as well. I don't want to put in "Mylanta" because there are so many brand names out there. Then I should put in "Tums" for CaCO3, among others. "Teflon" is unique because it's the (trademarked) name for the material itself, not just a brand of pan. Thanks!