Chemistry Scavenger Hunt Clues and Answers

One of the more popular chemistry assignments is a scavenger hunt, where students are asked to identify or bring in items that fit a description. Examples of scavenger hunt items are things like 'an element' or 'a heterogeneous mixture'. Are there additional items you would add to a scavenger hunt or that you have been asked to find for an assignment?

Chemistry Scavenger Hunt Clues

First, let's start with the clues. You can print this page out to start your own chemistry scavenger hunt or try to find the answers. These same clues plus possible answers are found at the bottom of this page.

1. An element
2. A heterogeneous mixture
3. A homogenous mixture
4. A gas-liquid solution
5. A malleable substance
6. A solid-liquid solution
7. A substance which has a volume of 1 cm³
8. An edible example of a physical change
9. An edible example of a chemical change
10. A pure compound which contains ionic bonds
11. A pure compound which contains covalent bonds
12. A mixture that can be separated by filtration
13. A mixture that can be separated by some other method than filtration
14. A substance with a density of less than 1g/mL
15. A substance with a density of more than one
16. A substance which contains a polyatomic ion
17. An acid
18. A metal
19. A non-metal
20. An inert gas
21. An alkaline earth metal
22. Immiscible liquids
23. A toy which demonstrates a physical change
24. The result of a chemical change
25. A mole
26. A substance with tetrahedral geometry
27. A base with a pH greater than 9
28. A polymer

Possible Scavenger Hunt Answers

1. An element: Aluminum foil, copper wire, aluminum can, iron pan, gold ring, carbon in the form of soot, carbon in the form of graphite pencil lead, carbon diamond
2. A heterogeneous mixture: Sand and water, salt and iron filings, a bag of multicolored candies
3. A homogenous mixture: Air, sugar solution, salt water
4. A gas-liquid solution: Soda
5. A malleable substance: Play-doh or modeling clay
6. A solid-liquid solution: Maybe an amalgam of silver and mercury? This is definitely a tough one. Some references say sugar in water is a solid-liquid solution because the sugar doesn't break into anything smaller.
7. A substance which has a volume of 1 cubic centimeter: Standard sugar cube, cut a cube of soap the proper size, cut a piece of polystyrene foam, mold clay into the appropriate size. You could also bring in 1 milliliter of a liquid!
8. An edible example of a physical change: Melting ice cream, melting ice, melting butter, freezing ice cream. In most cases, boiling results in cooking, which is a chemical change example.
9. An edible example of a chemical change: Seltzer tablet (barely edible), candies that fizz or pop when damp, baking cookies or cake
10. A pure compound which contains ionic bonds: Salt or any chemical that is technically a salt, such as baking soda
11. A pure compound which contains covalent bonds: Sucrose or table sugar
12. A mixture that can be separated by filtration: Fruit cocktail in syrup, coffee grounds and water separated by a coffee filter, sand and water
13. A mixture that can be separated by some other method than filtration
    Saltwater—salt and water can be separated using reverse osmosis or an ion exchange column
14. A substance with a density of less than 1g/mL: Oil, ice, wood. Water has a density of 1 g/ml, so most objects that float in water qualify
15. A substance with a density more than one: Anything that sinks in water, such as a metal nail, a glass marble, or a rock
16. A substance which contains a polyatomic ion: Gypsum (SO42-), Epsom salts
17. An acid: Vinegar (dilute acetic acid), solid citric acid
18. A metal: Iron, aluminum, copper
19. A non-metal: Sulfur, graphite (carbon)
20. An inert gas: Helium in a balloon, neon in a glass tube, argon if you have access to a lab
21. An alkaline earth metal: Calcium, magnesium
22. Immiscible liquids: Oil and water
23. A toy which demonstrates a physical change: A toy steam engine
24. The result of a chemical change: Ashes, a baked cake, a boiled egg
25. A mole: 18 g of water, 58.5 g of salt, 55.8 g of iron
26. A substance with tetrahedral geometry: Silicates (sand, quartz), diamond
27. A base with a pH greater than 9: Baking soda, soap, laundry detergent
28. A polymer: A piece of plastic, hair, or fingernails