1

2011 Supplementary Questions (suggested answers)

MTBE is a constituent of petrol.
What are the values of angle P and angle Q in a molecule of MTBE?
angle P

A
B
C
D

angle P
90o
90o
109o
109o

CH3

angle Q
105o
180o
105o
180o

H3C

CH3

CH3
angle Q
MTBE

Ans.

Which structural feature is common to both diamond and graphite ?

A
a carbon-carbon bond length equal to that in ethane
B
covalent bonds between carbon atoms
C
delocalized electrons
D
each carbon atom bonded to four others
Ans. B
Which of the following statements about the properties associated with ionic and
covalent bonds is correct?
A
A covalent compound cannot be an electrolyte.
B
Any covalent compouhnd that contains bothe oxygen and hydrogen in its
molecule forms hydrogen bonds.
C
Ionic bond and covlalent bonds cannot both occur in the same compound
D
Ionic compound differ from metals in that inic compounds do not conduct
electricity in the solid state.
Ans D
Which compound is an ionic solid at room temperature, is present as ions in
aqueous solution, and decomposes into covalent compounds when heated?
A
ammonium chloride
B
barium sulfate
C
aluminium chloride
D
sodium chloride
Ans. A
{Aluminium chloride is not an ionic solid, barium sulfate is not soluble in water,
sodium chloride forms ions when heated. Only ammonium chloride decomposes
into covalent ammonia molecules when heated.}
Which of the following has no permanent dipole?
A
CCl2F2
B
CHCl3
C
C2Cl4

C2H5Cl
Ans. C
When magnesium is burned in air, a mixture of the ionic solid magnesium oxide and
magnesium nitride, Mg3N2, is formed. Adding water to Mg3N2 produces an alkaline
gas and a white insoluble solid.
(a)

Use a dot-and-cross diagram to describe the bonding in Mg3N2.

2+
3 Mg

x
xN x
x
x

3--

Suggest an equation for the reaction between Mg3N2 and water, and use it to
calculate the mass of white insoluble solid that would be formed from 2.0g of
Mg3N2.
Mg3N2 + 4H2O 3MgO +
2NH3
+ H2O

(b)

State the factors that affect the magnitude of the lattice energy of an ionic
compound.
Factors affecting lattice energy are ionic charge and ionic radius:

q+ . qLattice energy
r+ + r(d)

How would you expect the magnitudes of the lattice energies of the oxides of
the Group II elements ot vary down the group ?
Down the group, the ionic radius of the M2+ ion increases. Since all ions are
of the same charge, the magnitudes of the lattice energies of the group II
oxides decreases down the group.

(e)

Suggest how the magnitude of the lattice energy and melting point of Mg3N2
might compare to that of MgO. Explain your answer.
Since there is no significant difference in the ionic radii of nitride ion and
oxides ion, the higher charge on nitride ion results in greater magnitude of
lattice energy in magnesium nitride.

Selenium, Se, is in group VI of the Periodic Table and occurs in nature as a mixture
of six isotopes having the relative abundances given below:
Nucleon(mass) number
% abundance

74
0.9

76
9.0

77
7.6

78
23.5

80
49.8

82
9.2

(a)

Calculate the relative atomic mass, Ar, of selenium to three significant figures.
[2]
Ar of Se = (79x0.9 + 76x9.0 + 77x7.6 + 78x23.5 + 80x49.8 + 82x9.2)/100
= 79.072
= 79.1

(b)

Predict the number of neutrons in the most abundant isotope of selenium and
write down the electronic configuration of the selenium atom.
[2]
Mass number of the most abundant isotope is 80
Electronic configuration is likely to be 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p4
Hence, no. of neutrons is 46 (with 34 protons)

(c)

Selenium dioxide, SeO2, is a solid that melts at 315 C and does not conduct
electricity when molten. State the type of bonding and structure you would
expect to find in crystalline selenium dioxide.
[2]
Since Selenium dioxide does not conduct electricity when molten, it is
not giant ionic lattice. Hence, it has the simple molecular structure
made up of simple discrete SeO2 molecules held by van der Waals
forces with strong covalent bonds between Se and Oxygen atoms within
the molecules.