Why is Google's Valentine's Day Doodle about the periodic table?

Head to Google’s homepage today and you might expect to see the obligatory teddy bears, red roses and love hearts.

Instead, you’ll be greeted by two anthropomorphised cartoon boxes being drawn to one another.

That’s because, for the theme of its Valentine’s Day Doodle, the search engine has gone with chemistry. Or, more specifically, the periodic elements.

We don’t have to explain why “chemistry” is relevant to February 14, but few of us tend to think of chlorine or hydrogen on the day of love.

And yet, this Doodle consists of a surprisingly informative game, which also happens to be pretty sweet. Who knew science could be so… well… lovely.

The interactive offering – which the site cutely calls “Chemistry CuPd” in a pun on the symbols Cu (copper) and Pd (palladium) – begins with a five-question quiz to find out which element “best fits your personality”.

The Doodle tells you which of a selection of elements best suits your personality(Google)

The game then evolves into a sort of family-friendly Tinder – inviting you to swipe left or right on different elements to decide which you’d like to “bond” with.

Each one has its own bio, so you can check its compatibility with your own. For example, nitrogen is apparently “cool, calm and collected” and will “never give you the cold shoulder”.

Once you’ve made your selection, the “bonding” begins, and you are invited to physically draw your two chosen elements together.

You’re then presented with the resulting compound, which has its own profile, too. I.e. Putting together nitrogen and fluoride leaves you with nitrogen monofluoride – a bond which Google points out “doesn’t last forever”.

Who will you "bond" with?(Google)

“Under the right conditions, NF forms, giving off a characteristic glow, but then quickly separates once the excitement is over,” it adds.

But if you think the excitement of the Doodle ends there, you’re mistaken.

The game then invites you to “keep swiping” and fill your own 18-block table with new matches, to reveal a hidden picture.

If you think this all sounds a bit complicated, well, just remember that finding love is, too.

Happy V Day, everyone!

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