Multiple Choice Answers

D Na, Mg and Al are metals. Reactivity of Na > Mg > Al. Si is a semi-metal. P, S, Cl are non-metals.
Reactivity of P < S < Cl.

A Lithium is a Group I metal in Period 2.

Boron is a Group III semi-metal in Period 2.

Carbon is a Group IV non-metal in Period 2.

B Oxygen is a Group VI non-metal in Period 2.

D Apart form nature of bonding and melting point of elements, density and solubility in water of
elements also show periodicity across a period.

Magnesium is a metal, so it only contains delocalized electrons.

Lithium is a metal. Carbon is a non-metal while silicon is a semi-metal.

Sulphur has a simple molecular structure.

10

B Molecules with simple molecular structures are held by weak van der Waals forces. Covalent
bonds are not present in monoatomic molecules (e.g. Ar) with simple molecular structures.

11

C Silicon has a giant covalent structure. The atoms are held together by strong covalent bonds which
require a large amount of energy to overcome before melting occurs.

12

B Boron has a giant covalent structure. The strong covalent bonds have to be overcome before
melting occurs. Although aluminium has a giant metallic structure, the metallic bonds do not have to be
substantially broken to form the liquid.

13

Silicon does not conduct electricity at room temperature.

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Beryllium has a giant metallic structure. Oxygen and neon has simple molecular structures.

15

B Sulphur (S 8 ) has a larger molecular size than phosphorus (P 4 ), so the van der Waals forces between
molecules of sulphur are stronger than that between phosphorus. Therefore, sulphur has a higher
melting point than phosphorus.

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A Across Period 3 of the Periodic Table, melting points of elements increase from Group I to IV, and
then decrease to low values in Group V to 0.

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D Diamond has a giant covalent structure while nitrogen gas has a simple molecular structure.
Diamond atoms are held together by strong covalent bonds while molecules of nitrogen gas are held
together by weak van der Waals forces.

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C Both carbon and silicon have giant covalent structures. The numbers of covalent bonds connected
to one carbon atom and to one silicon atom are equal because both of them are Group IV elements.

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D The larger the molecular size, the stronger the van der Waals forces between molecules, and the
higher will be the melting point of the element. Molecular size of S > Cl > F > Ne.

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B Sodium has the highest melting point among the four elements since it has a giant metallic
structure. Molecular formulae of sulphur, chlorine and phosphorus are S 8 , Cl 2 , P 4 respectively. Chlorine
has the smallest molecular size, so the van der Waals forces between Cl 2 molecules are the weakest and
it has the lowest melting point.

Boron, the Group III element in Period 2, does not conduct electricity at room temperature.

The graph shows the variation in melting point from Mg to P.

23

B For B, the molecular size of S > P > Cl > F. The larger the molecular size, the stronger the
intermolecular forces, and the higher will be the melting point.

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C One mole of silicon contains 6.02 1023 atoms. One mole of phosphorus consists of 4 6.02 1023
atoms. One mole of sulphur has 8 6.02 1023 atoms.

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C The three elements are metals in Period 3. The melting point of metals depends on the strength of
metallic bonds, which is in turn determined by the number of delocalized electrons. Aluminium has the
largest number of outermost shell electrons while sodium has the smallest. Therefore, aluminium has
the highest melting point among the three metals while sodium has the lowest one.

26

D All the three elements have simple molecular structures. Their melting points depend on the
strength of van der Waals forces. A major factor affecting the strength of the forces is the molecular
size. Sulphur, phosphorus and chlorine exist as S 8 , P 4 and Cl 2 respectively. Sulphur has the highest
melting point.

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C The giant covalent network in silicon has to be broken in melting, which needs a lot of energy. The
metallic bonds in aluminium do not have to be broken substantially in melting, so less energy is needed.
The least amount of energy is needed to overcome the van der Waals forces in phosphorus, so it has the
lowest melting point.

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A Electrical conductivity depends on the number of delocalized electrons. Sodium, magnesium and
aluminium have 1, 2 and 3 outermost shell electrons respectively, so the correct order is A.

30

C Phosphorus has a simple molecular structure in which electrons are held firmly to the atoms.
Therefore, it has the lowest electrical conductivity. Silicon, although with a giant covalent structure, has
electrons which can be excited to higher energy level and delocalized. Its conductivity increases with
temperature. Aluminium has the highest conductivity since it has the largest number of delocalized
electrons for carrying charges.

31

B The attractive forces between argon molecules are weak van der Waals forces. The least amount of
energy is needed to overcome the forces, so argon has the lowest melting point. Carbon atoms are held
by strong covalent bonds and a large amount of energy is required to break the bonds before melting
can occur, so it has the highest melting point. Magnesium has a larger atomic size than beryllium, so the
metallic bonds in magnesium are weaker than those in beryllium. Therefore, beryllium has a higher
melting point than magnesium.

32

A Hydrogen bond is not present in these three elements. Covalent bond exists between atoms in
phosphorus and sulphur. Only weak van der Waals forces exist as an intermolecular force in these
elements.

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C For (3), it particularly applies to semi-metals. For example, boron is an insulator of electricity at
room temperature but it is a good electrical conductor at higher temperatures.

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D Going from lithium to beryllium and sodium to aluminium, the number of delocalized electrons
increases. Thus, the relative electrical conductivities of beryllium and aluminium are higher. Both
sodium and lithium have one outermost shell electron. However, sodium has a larger atomic size, which
results in a weaker attraction to electrons. Therefore, electrons in sodium are freer to move and sodium
is a better electrical conductor than lithium.

Silicon has a larger atomic size, so the covalent bonds are weaker than those in carbon.

35

A In Period 2, the elements from Group V to 0 have simple molecular structures. Their discrete
molecules are held together by weak van der Waals forces only. The molecular size of sulphur >
phosphorus > chlorine > argon. The larger the molecular size, the stronger will be the van der Waals
forces between molecules, and the higher will be the melting point of the element.

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A For B, sodium, magnesium and aluminium conduct electricity. For C, chlorine and argon are gases
at room temperature and pressure. For D, only silicon has a giant covalent structure in Period 3.

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B For A, it is the trend of the relative electrical conductivities of elements across Period 2 at room
temperature. For C and D, they are the trends of the melting points of elements across Period 2 and 3
respectively.

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C The four elements have simple molecular structures. Their melting points depend on the molecular
size. Molecular size of S > P > Cl > Ar. Therefore, melting point of S > P > Cl > Ar.

40

C A is incorrect as graphite does not form ions. For B, electrons in graphite cannot jump between
layers. D is incorrect since graphite conducts electricity by delocalized electrons instead of mobile ions.

41

B Molecular formulae of Cl, S, P and Ar are Cl 2 , S 8 , P 4 and Ar respectively. Therefore, the molecular
size of S is the largest.

42

C Metals in Period 2 can conduct electricity at room temperature and their electrical conductivity
increases with number of outermost shell electrons.

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B Graphite and silicon have giant covalent structures in which a large amount of energy is needed to
overcome the strong covalent bonds before melting can occur, so they have higher melting points than
aluminium and phosphorus. Carbon atom has a smaller size than silicon atom, so the covalent bonds in
carbon are stronger than those in silicon. Aluminium has a giant metallic structure while phosphorus has
a simple molecular structure, so aluminium has a higher melting point than phosphorus.

44

C Both have giant covalent structures, but rather than forming a complex network, graphite contains
numerous slices that are held together by weak van der Waals forces.

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D The melting point of lithium is higher than that of sodium since the metallic bonds in lithium are
stronger than those in sodium.

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C Elements across a period have different chemical and physical properties. Periodicity is the
recurrence of similar patterns at regular intervals when elements are arranged in increasing atomic
number.

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C Melting point varies across a period according to the bonding and structure of the elements instead
of the metallic property.

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D Metals can conduct electricity because of the presence of delocalized electrons. Although graphite
is a non-metal, it conducts electricity since it has delocalized electrons in each layer of its structure.

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D Cl 2 O 7 is a colourless liquid.

Fluorine is the most electronegative element.

Diamond cannot conduct electricity because there are no delocalized electrons in its structure.

Graphite can conduct electricity at room temperature.

Graphite, which has a giant covalent structure, is a good electrical conductor at room temperature.

The presence of free electrons makes metals become good conductors of electricity.

54

C P 4 O 10 has a simple molecular structure.

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C The difference in electronegativity values between the element and oxygen decreases across a
period, so the bonding of the oxides becomes more covalent across a period.

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A P 4 O 10 and SO 2 have simple molecular structures.

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A Na 2 O and Na 2 O 2 are sodium oxide and sodium peroxide respectively.

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A Phosphorus has two oxides, P 2 O 3 and P 2 O 5 . They are sometimes written as P 4 O 6 and P 4 O 10
respectively according to their actual structure.

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A In going across a period, the electronegativities of elements change from low values on the left to
high values on the right. Since O has a smaller atomic size than Cl, it has a stronger attraction on
electrons. This explains why its electronegativity value is higher.

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A Fluorine is the most electronegative element.

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C Al 2 O 3 has a giant ionic structure.

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D Cl 2 O is an oxide of chlorine. It has a simple molecular structure.

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Both aluminium oxide and silicon dioxide do not react with water.

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MgO(s) + H 2 O(l) Mg(OH) 2 (s); SO 2 (g) + H 2 O(l) H 2 SO 3 (aq)

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C SiO 2 is an acidic oxide. It reacts with dilute alkalis to form salts and water.

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C Al 2 O 3 (s) + 2NaOH(aq) + 3H 2 O(l) 2NaAl(OH) 4 (aq)

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D P 4 O 10 is an acidic oxide.

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B P 4 O 10 is a dehydrating agent.

70

A Reaction of SO 2 with water forms sulphurous acid while reaction of Cl 2 O with water forms
hypochlorous acid.

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B CO 2 has a simple molecular structure while SiO 2 has a giant covalent structure. CO 2 reacts with
water to form carbonic acid while SiO 2 is insoluble in water. CO 2 molecule has linear shape and SiO 2
has a giant three-dimensional netwok.

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A P 4 O 10 is acidic. It reacts vigorously with water to form phosphoric acid which can turn universal
indicator red. Its solid is white in colour. It reacts with water more vigorously than SO 2 .

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C Na 2 O(s) + H 2 O(l) 2NaOH(aq)

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A Magnesium hydroxide is slightly soluble in water, so it will only give a slightly alkaline solution.
Sodium hydroxide reacts vigorously with water to form a strongly alkaline solution.

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A Both CO 2 and SO 2 have simple molecular structures.

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D P 2 O 5 is actually P 4 O 10 . P 4 O 10 (s) + 6H 2 O(l) 4H 3 PO 4 (aq)

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C SO 2 (g) + H 2 O(l) H 2 SO 3 (aq)

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C Dichlorine oxide reacts readily with water to form hypochlorous acid. Cl 2 O(g) + H 2 O(l)
2HOCl(aq)

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B Cl 2 O(g) + H 2 O(l) 2HOCl(aq)

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D Al 2 O 3 is amphoteric.

Aluminium oxide is insoluble in water.

A substance is described as amphoteric if it can act both as an acid and as a base.

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C SiO 2 is insoluble in water.

84

A MgO is a basic oxide.

85

A SO 2 (g) + H 2 O(l) H 2 SO 3 (aq); H 2 SO 3 (aq)

86

D Na 2 O is a basic oxide and it can react vigorously with acids to release a large amount of heat.

87

D Al 2 O 3 is insoluble in water.

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2H+(aq) + SO 3 2(aq)

Glass contains mainly silicon dioxide, which is an acidic oxide. Caustic soda is sodium hydroxide

which can react with silicon dioxide to form silicate ion, SiO 3 2. SiO 2 (s) + 2OH(aq) SiO 3 2(aq) +
H 2 O(l)
89

D Dichlorine oxide is an orange gas. It is acidic and reacts readily with water to form hypochlorous
acid.

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A Al 2 O 3 is insoluble in water.

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A SiO 2 is an acidic oxide.

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C SiO 2 is insoluble in water. P 4 O 10 (s) + 6H 2 O(l) 4H 3 PO 4 (aq); SO 2 (g) + H 2 O(l) H 2 SO 3 (aq)

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B Both aluminium oxide and silicon dioxide are insoluble in water. Silicon dioxide is acidic so it can
react with alkalis. Aluminium oxide can react with acid because it is an amphoteric oxide.

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D Na 2 O(s) + H 2 O(l) 2NaOH(aq) ; Al 2 O 3 (s) + 6H+(aq) 2Al3+(aq) + 3H 2 O(l); Al 2 O 3 (s) +

2OH(aq) + 3H 2 O(l) 2Al(OH) 4 (aq); P 4 O 10 (s) + 6H 2 O(l) 4H 3 PO 4 (aq)

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C Magnesium oxide is basic. Aluminium oxide is amphoteric. Al 2 O 3 (s) + 2NaOH(aq) + 3H 2 O(l)

2NaAl(OH) 4 (aq); sulphur dioxide is acidic. SO 2 (g) + 2OH(aq) SO 3 2(aq) + H 2 O(l)

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Water acts as an acid in this reaction.

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Silicon dioxide is insoluble in water.

99

D Cl 2 O(g) + H 2 O(l) 2HOCl(aq); HOCl(aq)

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B Li 2 O is basic.

101

C SiO 2 has a giant covalent structure.

102

B The correct explanation for the 1st statement is that the difference in electronegativity values
between the elements and oxygen decreases across a period.

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C Al 2 O 3 is insoluble in water.

104

C The aqueous solution of magnesium hydroxide is less alkaline than that of the sodium hydroxide
because magnesium hydroxide is only slightly soluble in water.

105

Dichlorine oxide reacts with water to form hypochlorous acid only.

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Silicon dioxide is insoluble in water.

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A Since amphoteric oxides can act both as acids and as bases, they react with both acids and alkalis.

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The transition metals occupy the central region of the Periodic Table in Periods 4, 5, 6, and 7.

111

The transition metals occupy the central region of the Periodic Table in Periods 4, 5, 6, and 7.

112

A Cr3+(aq) is green in colour.

113

B Mn3+(aq) is red, Fe2+(aq) is green and Cu2+(aq) is blue.

In fact, A is Si/P/S/Cl, B is Na/Mg and C is Al.

H+(aq) + OCl(aq)

The high affinity for water makes phosphorus pentoxide a good dehydrating agent.

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C Co2+ is pink in colour whereas V2+ is violet in colour.

116

B Ti3+(aq) ion is purple. Co2+(aq) ion is pink. Fe2+(aq) ion is green.

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B The solution containing Fe3+ ions is brown or yellow in colour. The solution containing Zn2+ ions is
colourless. The solution containing Co2+ ions is pink in colour.

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A Zinc ions are colourless.

123

C The oxidation numbers +2 and +3 are more common for iron.

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C A variable number of electrons can be removed from the outermost shell and the next inner shell of
the atoms of transition metals. Therefore, they have variable oxidation states in their compounds.

126

A Iron(III) ions are reduced by copper metal.

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128

D MnO 4 (aq) ion is a stronger oxidizing agent than Cr 2 O 7 2(aq) ion. The oxidation state of Cr in
Cr 2 O 7 2(aq) ion is +6 while the oxidation state of Mn in MnO 4 (aq) ion is +7. Cr 2 O 7 2(aq) ion is
orange in colour while MnO 4 (aq) ion is purple in colour.

129

The highest oxidation state of vanadium is +5.

130

Manganese can have 6 different oxidation states.

131

C Oxidation state of transition metals refers to the number of electrons removed from the outermost
shell and the next inner shell of the atoms.

132

B Co3+ can only be reduced to Co2+.

133

A MnO 4 ions are reduced by chloride ions to form MnO 2 , which appears as brown precipitate.

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C The oxidation numbers of manganese in MnO 2 , Mn 2 O 3 , K 2 MnO 4 and MnSO 4 are +4, +3, +6 and
+2 respectively.

136

B Zinc forms only Zn2+(aq) ion. Copper can form Cu+(aq) and Cu2+(aq) ions. Vanadium can form
ions with variable oxidation states ranging from +2 to +5. Titanium can form ions with variable
oxidation states ranging from +2 to +5.

137

A Vanadium is unlikely to exist as vanadium(I) ion.

138

D Zn only exists in one oxidation state, i.e. +2 in its compounds.

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B V 2 O 5 is used as a catalyst in converting sulphur dioxide into sulphur trioxide.

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A Platinum and rhodium are used as catalysts in the catalytic converters in car exhaust systems.

The possible oxidation numbers for vanadium range from +2 to +5.

Manganese has the highest oxidation state, +7, among the first transition series.

Oxidation states from +1 to +6 are possible for iron, but +2 and +3 are the more common ones.

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D The catalysts used for (1), (2) and (3) are Fe, TiCl 4 and V 2 O 5 respectively.

146

B Fe2+ is green in colour. It cannot oxidize copper metal to copper(II) ions. In Haber Process, finely
divided iron is used as the catalyst.

147

C The catalyst for Ziegler-Natta Polymerization is titanium(IV) chloride. The catalyst for Contact
Process is vanadium(V) oxide. The catalyst for catalytic converters in car exhaust system is platinum
and rhodium.

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153

A Human blood appears red as haemoglobin contains iron.

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155

C Both haemoglobin and myoglobin contain the iron-containing non-protein part which is called a
heme group.

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B Both iodide ions and peroxodisulphate ions have negative charge. They tend to repel each other.

165

A MnO 2 is reduced to Mn 2 O 3 by Zn in a zinc-carbon cell. Zn(s) + 2MnO 2 (s) + 2H+(aq) Zn2+(aq) +

Mn 2 O 3 (s) + H 2 O(l)

The catalyst for Haber Process is finely divided iron.

Titanium is used in making space shuttles.