National Certificate of Educational Achievement · Science

Chemical Reactivity, Bonding, Structure and Organic Chemistry

38 practice questions, each with the answer and an explanation.

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Random questions from this topic, one at a time. You see the answer and the explanation straight after each one.

All 38 questions

  1. What is the electron configuration of a neutral sodium atom (atomic number 11), and what ion does it form?
  2. Why do solid ionic compounds like sodium chloride (NaCl) not conduct electricity, whereas molten or aqueous NaCl conducts readily?
  3. What type of bonding exists within a diamond crystal, and why does diamond have an exceptionally high melting point?
  4. Why does graphite conduct electricity whereas diamond does not, even though both are allotropes of pure carbon?
  5. What gas is produced when dilute hydrochloric acid reacts with calcium carbonate (marble chips)?
  6. According to collision theory, why does increasing the temperature of a reaction mixture increase the rate of reaction?
  7. What is the pH of a neutral aqueous solution at 25 deg C, and what happens to pH as acidity increases?
  8. What colour does red litmus paper and blue litmus paper turn when dipped into an alkaline solution of sodium hydroxide?
  9. What is the general formula for the homologous series of alkanes?
  10. What test distinguishes an alkene (such as ethene) from an alkane (such as ethane) in a laboratory test tube?
  11. What is the functional group present in alcohols, such as ethanol?
  12. What type of chemical reaction occurs when ethene monomers join together to form polyethene (polythene plastic)?
  13. What is an exothermic reaction, and what happens to the temperature of the surrounding solution during an exothermic reaction?
  14. Why does powdered calcium carbonate react much faster with hydrochloric acid than an equal mass of large marble chips?
  15. What is the correct chemical formula for aluminium sulfate?
  16. Which of the following describes the bonding and structure of water (H2O)?
  17. What mass of carbon dioxide (CO2) is produced when 24 grams of carbon completely burns in excess oxygen gas (molar masses: C = 12 g/mol, O = 16 g/mol)?
  18. Explain why copper metal is ductile and malleable whereas crystalline copper sulfate (CuSO4) is brittle and shatters when hammered.
  19. A student adds magnesium ribbon to excess dilute hydrochloric acid in an insulated calorimeter. The temperature rises from 20 deg C to 35 deg C. How would you explain this in terms of bond energies?
  20. What are the structural isomers of the alkane with molecular formula C4H10?
  21. In terms of intermolecular forces, explain why ethanol (C2H5OH, boiling point 78 deg C) has a substantially higher boiling point than propane (C3H8, boiling point -42 deg C), despite having similar mo…
  22. What chemical species are present in an aqueous solution of sodium hydrogen carbonate (NaHCO3), and why does it react with vinegar (ethanoic acid) to produce fizzing?
  23. During a laboratory titration, 25.0 mL of 0.10 mol/L sodium hydroxide (NaOH) neutralises exactly 20.0 mL of sulfuric acid (H2SO4). What is the concentration of the sulfuric acid?
  24. What type of chemical reaction is represented by: 2Mg(s) + O2(g) -> 2MgO(s)?
  25. Which of the following substances contains ionic bonds?
  26. What is the IUPAC systematic name for the organic compound CH3-CH2-CH2-OH?
  27. What precipitate forms when aqueous barium chloride (BaCl2) is mixed with aqueous sodium sulfate (Na2SO4)?
  28. What is the term for a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without being consumed?
  29. Why is copper used extensively in electrical wiring in homes and industrial machinery?
  30. What is the mole ratio of hydrogen gas to oxygen gas required to react completely to form water: 2H2 + O2 -> 2H2O?
  31. What is formed when a carboxylic acid reacts with an alcohol in the presence of an acid catalyst?
  32. What does the law of conservation of mass state regarding a chemical reaction occurring in a sealed flask?
  33. What is the empirical formula of glucose (molecular formula C6H12O6)?
  34. Why is the enthalpy change of neutralisation between any strong acid and strong base approximately -57 kJ/mol?
  35. What occurs when a clean strip of zinc metal is immersed in a blue copper sulfate (CuSO4) solution?
  36. How many single covalent bonds are there in one molecule of methane, CH4?
  37. Which compound has the molecular formula C3H6 and contains a carbon-carbon double bond?
  38. Ethene reacts with hydrogen gas over a nickel catalyst. What is the product?

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