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STRUCTURED QUESTIONS
1 Define an isotope in terms of its sub-atomic particles.
Atoms which have the same number of protons (or same element) but
different numbers of neutrons
4 Argon is used to fill electric light bulbs. These have a fine filament of a metal wire,
usually tungsten, which glows white hot from its electrical resistance to the current.
Suggest why argon, rather than air, is used to fill electric light bulbs.
hot metals will react with oxygen in air (or nitrogen)
to form oxides/will burn out/to a powder
argon will not react
at high temperatures O2 and N2 in air will react to give NOx
5 Define the term relative atomic mass.
weighted mean/average mass of an atom (not element)
compared with 12C
one atom of 12C has a mass of exactly 12
6 Oxygen and sulphur are both in Group VI of the Periodic Table.
Suggest why the melting and boiling points of water, H2O, are much higher than those
of H2S.
H2O has hydrogen bonds/H2S does not or
H2S has van der Waals forces only
hydrogen bonds are stronger
than van der Waals forces or
H2S has weaker intermolecular bonds than H2O

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SAHAN SATHARASINGHE -

7. The use of the Data Booklet is relevant to this question. Complete these sketches
for elements of the third period (sodium to argon) to show how each property
changes along the period.

AL CHEMISTRY
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SAHAN SATHARASINGHE -

8 Define the term standard enthalpy change of combustion.

the enthalpy/energy change when one mole of a substance
is burned in an excess of air/oxygen
or completely combusted
under standard conditions
9 The melting and boiling points of hydrazine are much higher than those of ethene.
Suggest reasons for these differences in terms of the intermolecular forces each
compound possesses.
ethene van der Waals forces
hydrazine hydrogen bonds
hydrogen bonds are stronger
or van der Waals forces are weaker

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SAHAN SATHARASINGHE -

10 Explain what is meant by the term dynamic equilibrium.

rate of forward reaction equals
rate of backward reaction
or equilibrium concentrations remain constant
while reaction is occurring
11 When equal volumes of ethoxyethane, C2H5OC2H5, and water are mixed, shaken,
and then allowed to stand, two layers are formed.
Suggest why ethoxyethane does not fully dissolve in water. Explain your answer.
hydrogen bonds exist between H2O molecules
hydrogen bonds cannot form between C2H5OC2H5 molecules

12 Explain why there is a general increase in first ionisation energies from sodium to
argon.

from Na to Ar, electrons

are added to the same shell/have same shielding
are subject to increasing nuclear charge/proton number
are closer to the nucleus or atom gets smaller
13 Explain why the first ionisation energy of aluminium is less than that of
magnesium.
Al and Mg
in Al outermost electron is in 3p rather than 3s
3p electron is at higher energy
or is further away/is more shielded from nucleus

14 Explain why the first ionisation energy of sulphur is less than that of phosphorus.
P and S
for P 3p sub-shell is singly filled
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SAHAN SATHARASINGHE -

and for S one 3p orbital has paired electrons

paired electrons repel

15 At room temperature, the chloride of titanium, A, is a liquid which does not

conduct electricity.
What does this information suggest about the bonding and structure in A?

covalent/not ionic
simple molecular or
mention of weak intermolecular forces or
weak van der Waalss forces between molecules

16 Chlorine, Cl 2, is a gas at room temperature whereas bromine, Br 2, is a liquid

under the same conditions.
Explain these observations.

fewer electrons in Cl 2 than in Br2

smaller van der Waals forces in Cl 2 or stronger van der Waals forces in Br2

17 The gases nitrogen, N2, and carbon monoxide, CO, are isoelectronic, that is they
have the same number of electrons in their molecules.
Suggest why N2 has a lower boiling point than CO.

CO has a permanent dipole or

N2 does not permanent dipole-permanent dipole interactions
permanent dipole-permanent dipole interactions are stronger than those from induced
dipoles
18 Although each compound contains the same number of electrons and a strong
triple bond in its molecule, CO and HCN are both very reactive whereas N2 is not.

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SAHAN SATHARASINGHE -

Suggest a reason for this.

CO and HCN both have a dipole or N2 does not have a dipole

19 Explain the meaning of the term activation energy.

the minimum amount of energy molecules must have or energy required
in order for the reaction to take place

20 In the sequence of fluorides above, the oxidation number of the elements increases
from NaF to SF6 and then falls at Cl F5.
Attempts to make Cl F7 have failed but IF7 has been prepared.
Suggest an explanation for the existence of IF7 and for the non-existence of Cl F7.

cannot pack 7 F atoms around Cl atom

or can pack 7 F atoms around I atom

21 Explain qualitatively variation in atomic radius in a period.

from Na to Cl
nuclear charge increases
electrons are in the same shell/have the same shielding
nuclear attraction increases
22 Suggest why it is not possible to use the same type of measurement which use to
measure atomic radius of the elements of the second period from Na to Cl, for argon,
Ar.

argon does not form any bonds/compounds or

argon exists as single atoms/is monatomic

23 Explain the differences in size between the cations and the corresponding atoms.

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cations contain fewer electrons than the corresponding atoms or

cations contain fewer electrons than they do protons
nucleus has a greater attraction

24 Explain the differences in size between the anions and the corresponding atoms.

anions contain more electrons than the corresponding atoms or

anions contain more electrons than they do protons
nucleus has a smaller attraction

25 How are the two atoms in a covalent bond held together? In your answer, state
which particles are attracted to one another and the nature of the force of attraction.
attraction between bonding electrons and nuclei
attraction is electrostatic

26 What is meant by the term bond polarity? Explain why the HCl molecule is polar.
bonding electrons are unequally shared or
the molecule has a dipole/+ and - ends to molecule

the H and Cl atoms have different electronegativities

or chlorine is more electronegative than hydrogen

27 Define the term standard enthalpy change of formation.

enthalpy change when
1 mol of a compound is formed
from its elements
in their standard states under standard conditions
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28 Use the Data Booklet to suggest a value for the energy required to form one mole
of the gaseous radium cation from one mole of gaseous radium atoms. Explain your
answer.

less than (502 + 966)

allow answers in the range 10001400 kJ mol1
ionisation energies decrease down the Group
or must be less than IE for Ba Ba2+
or size of atom increases down Group/
electrons are further away from nucleus
or there is increased shielding down Group

29 What is meant by the term homolytic fission?

when a covalent bond breaks the two electrons in the bond
are shared between the two atoms

30 State Hess Law

the overall enthalpy change/energy change/H for a reaction
is independent of the route taken or
is independent of the number of steps involved
provided the initial and final conditions are the same