PRELIMINARY STAGE 2026
Contest 40
Konongo Odumase SHS: 45 points
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Girls’ SHS: 31 points
Juaben SHS: 28 points
Contest 41
St. Monica’s SHS: 40 points
Amenfiman SHS: 37 points
Tema Methodist Day SHS: 15 points
Contest 42
Accra High School: 33 points
Ghana SHS, Tamale: 32 points
Sunyani SHS: 31 points
ROUND 2 - SPEED RACE
QUESTION
Name the lightest noble gas that can form compounds that are stable under standard conditions.
ANSWER: Krypton
NOTE: Krypton difluoride, $KrF_2$, is the best-known krypton compound, but it slowly decomposes at room temperature; xenon is the lightest noble gas whose compounds (e.g. $XeF_2$) are fully stable under standard conditions.
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PRACTICE QUESTIONS
1. QUESTION: Name the noble gas that was the first to form a chemical compound.
ANSWER: Xenon
SOLUTION:
Neil Bartlett made xenon hexafluoroplatinate in 1962, the first noble-gas compound.
2. QUESTION: Name the radioactive noble gas produced when radium decays.
ANSWER: Radon
SOLUTION:
Radon seeps from rocks and soil and can build up in poorly ventilated buildings.
3. QUESTION: Name the most abundant noble gas in air, used as an inert atmosphere in welding.
ANSWER: Argon
SOLUTION:
Argon makes up about 0.93% of air by volume.
4. QUESTION: Name the noble gas used to fill party balloons because it is lighter than air and not flammable.
ANSWER: Helium
SOLUTION:
Helium is the second lightest gas and is chemically inert.
5. QUESTION: Name the noble gas that glows red-orange in advertising signs.
ANSWER: Neon
SOLUTION:
An electric discharge through neon gives its characteristic red-orange light.
6. QUESTION: Name the noble gas that lies between argon and xenon in Group 0.
ANSWER: Krypton
SOLUTION:
Krypton is used in some photographic flash lamps and energy-saving window glazing.