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2020 U.S. NATIONAL Chemistry Olympiad: Local Section Exam Olympiad Examinations Task Force
2020 U.S. NATIONAL Chemistry Olympiad: Local Section Exam Olympiad Examinations Task Force
NATIONAL
CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD
LOCAL SECTION EXAM
Prepared by the American Chemical Society Chemistry Olympiad Examinations Task Force
This test is designed to be taken with an answer sheet on which the student records his or her responses. All answers are to be marked
on that sheet, not written in the booklet. Each student should be provided with an answer sheet and scratch paper, both of which must
be turned in with the test booklet at the end of the examination. Local Sections may use an answer sheet of their own choice.
The full examination consists of 60 multiple-choice questions representing a fairly wide range of difficulty. A periodic table and other
useful information are provided on page two of this exam booklet for student reference.
Only non-programmable calculators are to be used on the ACS Local Section exam. The use of a programmable calculator, cell phone,
or any other device that can access the internet or make copies or photographs during the exam is grounds for disqualification.
This is a multiple-choice examination with four choices for each question. There is only one correct or best answer to each question.
When you select your choice, blacken the corresponding space on the answer sheet with your pencil. Make a heavy full mark, but no
stray marks. If you decide to change your answer, be certain to erase your original answer completely.
Property of ACS USNCO – Not for use as USNCO Local Section Exam after March 31, 2020
Distributed by the American Chemical Society, 1155 16th Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20036
All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.
ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS CONSTANTS
amount of substance n Faraday constant F molar mass M
ampere A free energy G mole mol R = 8.314 J mol–1 K–1
atmosphere atm frequency ν Planck’s constant h R = 0.08314 L bar mol–1 K–1
atomic mass unit u gas constant R pressure P F = 96,500 C mol–1
Avogadro constant NA gram g rate constant k
F = 96,500 J V–1 mol–1
Celsius temperature °C hour h reaction quotient Q
centi– prefix c joule J second s NA = 6.022 × 1023 mol–1
coulomb C kelvin K speed of light c h = 6.626 × 10–34 J s
density d kilo– prefix k temperature, K T
electromotive force c = 2.998 × 108 m s–1
E liter L time t
energy of activation Ea measure of pressure mm Hg vapor pressure VP 0 °C = 273.15 K
enthalpy H milli– prefix m volt V 1 atm = 1.013 bar = 760 mm Hg
entropy S molal m volume V Specific heat capacity of H2O =
equilibrium constant K molar M
4.184 J g–1 K–1
EQUATIONS
RT −∆H o 1 k2 Ea 1 1
E Eo −
= ln Q =ln K + constant ln=
−
nF R T k1 R T1 T2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Li Be B C N O F Ne
6.941 9.012 10.81 12.01 14.01 16.00 19.00 20.18
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Na Mg 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Al Si P S Cl Ar
22.99 24.31 3B 4B 5B 6B 7B 8B 8B 8B 1B 2B 26.98 28.09 30.97 32.07 35.45 39.95
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
K Ca Sc Ti V Cr Mn Fe Co Ni Cu Zn Ga Ge As Se Br Kr
39.10 40.08 44.96 47.88 50.94 52.00 54.94 55.85 58.93 58.69 63.55 65.39 69.72 72.61 74.92 78.97 79.90 83.80
37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54
Rb Sr Y Zr Nb Mo Tc Ru Rh Pd Ag Cd In Sn Sb Te I Xe
85.47 87.62 88.91 91.22 92.91 95.95 (98) 101.1 102.9 106.4 107.9 112.4 114.8 118.7 121.8 127.6 126.9 131.3
55 56 57 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86
Cs Ba La Hf Ta W Re Os Ir Pt Au Hg Tl Pb Bi Po At Rn
132.9 137.3 138.9 178.5 180.9 183.8 186.2 190.2 192.2 195.1 197.0 200.6 204.4 207.2 209.0 (209) (210) (222)
87 88 89 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118
Fr Ra Ac Rf Db Sg Bh Hs Mt Ds Rg Cn Nh Fl Mc Lv Ts Og
(223) (226) (227) (261) (262) (263) (262) (265) (266) (281) (272) (285) (286) (289) (289) (293) (294) (294)
58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71
Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu
140.1 140.9 144.2 (145) 150.4 152.0 157.3 158.9 162.5 164.9 167.3 168.9 173.0 175.0
90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103
Th Pa U Np Pu Am Cm Bk Cf Es Fm Md No Lr
232.0 231.0 238.0 (237) (244) (243) (247) (247) (251) (252) (257) (258) (259) (262)
Page 2 Property of ACS USNCO – Not for use as USNCO Local Section Exam after March 31, 2020
DIRECTIONS
When you have selected your answer to each question, blacken the corresponding space on the answer sheet using a soft, #2
pencil. Make a heavy, full mark, but no stray marks. If you decide to change an answer, erase the unwanted mark very carefully.
There is only one correct answer to each question. Any questions for which more than one response has been blackened will not
be counted.
Your score is based solely on the number of questions you answer correctly. It is to your advantage to answer every question.
1. A 2.50 L sample of butane gas (C4H10), measured at 22.0 8. A student is using a buret for a titration. What initial
ºC and 1.20 atm pressure, is combusted completely and buret reading should be recorded?
the carbon dioxide gas collected at the same pressure and
temperature. What volume of CO2 is produced?
(A) 2.50 L (B) 9.00 L
(C) 10.0 L (D) 22.5 L
(C) 2.79 × 1022 (D) 3.48 × 1022 9. A strip of metallic zinc is placed in a beaker containing
dilute aqueous copper(II) nitrate. Which statement
3. Methanol is produced industrially by catalytic correctly describes what takes place?
hydrogenation of carbon monoxide according to the
following equation: (A) No reaction takes place.
CO(g) + 2 H2(g) → CH3OH(l) (B) The mass of the metal strip decreases as the zinc is
oxidized.
If the yield of the reaction is 40%, what volume of CO
(C) A white precipitate of CuNO3 is formed.
(measured at STP) would be needed to produce 1.0 × 106
kg CH3OH? (D) Bubbles of NO(g) form as the nitrate ion is reduced.
(A) 2.8 × 108 L (B) 7.0 × 108 L 10. Which element does NOT have multiple allotropes?
(C) 1.7 × 109 L (D) 2.1 × 109 L (A) Carbon (B) Oxygen
4. What volume of 18.0 M sulfuric acid must be diluted to (C) Fluorine (D) Phosphorus
250.0 mL to afford a 0.55 M solution of sulfuric acid?
11. Which reaction is not exothermic?
(A) 3.1 mL (B) 4.5 mL (C) 7.6 mL (D) 31 mL
(A) Dilution of concentrated hydrochloric acid in water.
5. What is the concentration of H2O2 in a solution that is (B) Dilution of concentrated sulfuric acid in water.
30.0% by mass hydrogen peroxide and has a density of
1.11 g cm-3? (C) Dissolution of solid sodium hydroxide in water.
(A) 9.79 M (B) 12.6 M (D) Dissolution of solid sodium bicarbonate in water.
(C) 18.5 M (D) 32.6 M
Property of ACS USNCO – Not for use as USNCO Local Section Exam after March 31, 2020 Page 3
12. The molar mass of a volatile organic liquid is measured 16. In which are the ionic compounds listed in order of
by weighing the mass of an empty flask of known increasing magnitude of their lattice energy?
volume, adding some of the liquid, heating the flask in a (A) CaO < RbI < LiF < LiI
water bath until the liquid has just vaporized completely,
then sealing the flask, letting it cool, and remeasuring the (B) RbI < CaO < LiI < LiF
mass of the flask with the remaining organic compound. (C) LiI < LiF < CaO < RbI
Which error will lead to a calculated value of the molar
mass that is lower than the theoretical value? (D) RbI < LiI < LiF < CaO
(A) The flask is not sealed promptly after the last of the
compound vaporizes. 17. Sodium halides crystallize in the rock salt structure,
(B) The organic compound dimerizes to an appreciable which has a cubic unit cell with four formula units per
extent in the gas phase. unit cell. A sodium halide has a density of 2.83 g cm-3
and a unit cell edge length of 462 pm. Which compound
(C) The barometric pressure was assumed to be 1 atm is it?
but in fact was greater than 1 atm.
(A) NaF (B) NaCl (C) NaBr (D) NaI
(D) The volume of the flask used in the calculation is
smaller than the true volume. 18. The tetragonal unit cell of white tin is shown below.
Each circle represents a tin atom, with the gray circles
13. Which gas has an effusion rate closest to half that of sitting on the four vertical faces of the unit cell. How
oxygen gas at a given temperature? many tin atoms are contained in this unit cell?
(A) H2 (B) He (C) SO2 (D) Xe
Page 4 Property of ACS USNCO – Not for use as USNCO Local Section Exam after March 31, 2020
22. If the average carbon-hydrogen bond dissociation 27. Sulfuryl chloride (SO2Cl2) decomposes via first-order
enthalpy in ethane is 416 kJ mol-1, what is the bond kinetics. The half-life is 4.1 minutes at a certain
dissociation enthalpy of the carbon-carbon bond in temperature. How long does it take for 30% of the
ethane? SO2Cl2 in a sample to decompose at this temperature?
Species ∆H°f, kJ mol-1
(A) 0.6 min (B) 2.1 min
C2H6(g) –84.7
(C) 2.5 min (D) 7.1 min
H(g) 217.9
28. The rate constant of a chemical reaction increases 26%
C(g) 718.4 when the temperature is raised from 50 ºC to 55 ºC.
What is the activation energy of this reaction?
(A) 164 kJ mol-1 (B) 333 kJ mol-1
(A) 1.1 kJ mol-1 (B) 18 kJ mol-1
(C) 386 kJ mol-1 (D) 404 kJ mol-1
(C) 41 kJ mol-1 (D) 220 kJ mol-1
23. A reaction has Keq = 20 at 298 K, and Keq increases with
increasing temperature between 298 K and 350 K. What 29. The graph below shows the forward and reverse rates for
may be concluded from these observations? a reaction as a function of time. At time t, a catalyst is
I. ∆G°rxn < 0 at 330 K added to the system, and the forward reaction rate is
II. ∆S°rxn > 0 at 330 K observed to change as indicated by the solid curve.
Which dashed curve best indicates how the reverse
(A) I only (B) II only reaction rate changes?
(C) Both I and II (D) Neither I nor II
Property of ACS USNCO – Not for use as USNCO Local Section Exam after March 31, 2020 Page 5
31. The endothermic reaction shown below is at equilibrium 36. A solution containing Co(H2O)62+(aq), CoCl42–(aq), and
in a sealed flask, with significant amounts of both Cl–(aq) at equilibrium at room temperature is initially
Ca(OH)2(s) and CaO(s) present. Which action will pink. When heated, the solution turns blue. Then, when
increase the amount of Ca(OH)2(s) at equilibrium? Ag+(aq) is added, the solution turns back to pink. Which
Ca(OH)2(s) CaO(s) + H2O(g) statements are correct?
∆H° > 0
I. Co(H2O)62+(aq) is pink.
(A) Crushing the Ca(OH)2(s) into smaller pieces II. Formation of CoCl42-(aq) from Co(H2O)62+(aq) and
Cl–(aq) is exothermic.
(B) Decreasing the temperature of the flask
(A) I only (B) II only
(C) Adding more CaO(s) to the flask
(C) Both I and II (D) Neither I nor II
(D) Adding N2(g) to the flask
37. What is the average oxidation state of tungsten in sodium
32. A solution of ammonia, NH3, has pH = 11.50. What is phosphotungstate, Na3PW12O40?
the ammonia concentration? (The pKa of NH4+ is 9.24.)
(A) +6.00 (B) +6.17
(A) 1.7 × 10-5 M (B) 3.2 × 10-3 M
(C) +6.42 (D) +6.67
(C) 5.5 × 10-3 M (D) 0.58 M
38. Bromate ion and bromide ion react to form bromine in
33. At equilibrium, a solution contains 0.50 mol each of acidic solution. When the reaction is balanced, which
Cd2+(aq), SCN–(aq), and Cd(SCN)42–(aq). What is the statement about H+(aq) is correct?
solution’s volume?
H+(aq) + BrO3–(aq) + Br–(aq) → Br2(aq) + H2O(l)
Cd2+(aq) + 4 SCN–(aq) Cd(SCN)42-(aq)
Kf = 1.0 × 103 (A) Its coefficient is twice the coefficient of Br–(aq).
(B) Its coefficient is twice the coefficient of Br2(aq).
(A) 2.0 L (B) 2.2 L (C) 2.8 L (D) 8.0 L
(C) Its coefficient is twice the coefficient of BrO3–(aq).
34. Barium fluoride has Ksp = 1.8 × 10-7. What is the (D) Its coefficient is the sum of the coefficients of BrO3–
maximum fluoride ion concentration possible in a (aq) and H2O(l).
solution with [Ba2+] = 5.0 × 10-4 M?
39. Which reactions are spontaneous under standard
(A) 3.6 × 10-4 M (B) 3.6 × 10-3 M conditions?
(C) 9.5 × 10-3 M (D) 1.9 × 10-2 M Half-Reaction Eº, V
35. Trimesic acid is a triprotic acid with pK1 = 3.1, pK2 = 3.9, Cu+(aq) + e– → Cu(s) +0.52
and pK3 = 4.7. 100.0 mL of 0.100 M trimesic acid is
Co2+(aq) + 2 e– → Co(s) –0.28
titrated with 0.500 M NaOH(aq) to give the graph below.
What volume of NaOH(aq) has been added at the point In3+(aq) + 3 e– → In(s) –0.34
marked V on the graph?
I. 2 Cu+(aq) + Co(s) → Co2+(aq) + 2 Cu(s)
II. 3 Co2+(aq) + 2 In(s) → 2 In3+(aq) + 3 Co(s)
Page 6 Property of ACS USNCO – Not for use as USNCO Local Section Exam after March 31, 2020
40. An electrolytic cell consists of two copper electrodes 46. The electronegativity of gallium (1.8) is greater than that
immersed in a solution of copper(II) sulfate. What is the of aluminum (1.6). Which is the best explanation for this
result of passing 0.35 A of current through this cell for difference?
1300 s?
(A) Ga is larger than Al, so its valence electrons
(A) The mass of the anode increases by 0.15 g. experience less electron-electron repulsion.
(B) The mass of the anode increases by 0.30 g. (B) Ga has more protons than Al, so its valence
electrons are more attracted to the nucleus.
(C) The mass of the anode decreases by 0.15 g.
(C) Ga has a filled 3d subshell, whose electrons
(D) The mass of the anode decreases by 0.30 g.
incompletely screen the nucleus.
41. What is the change in standard free energy at 298 K for (D) Ga experiences significant relativistic effects, which
the conversion of ozone to molecular oxygen as shown in contract the valence orbitals.
the equation below?
47. Which set of quantum numbers could NOT correspond to
2 O3(g) → 3 O2(g) ∆G° = ??? an electron in a ground-state gas phase Pd atom?
Half-Reaction Eº, V (A) n = 2, l = 1, ml = –1, ms = 1/2
Property of ACS USNCO – Not for use as USNCO Local Section Exam after March 31, 2020 Page 7
52. One Lewis structure of squarate ion, C4O42-, is shown 56. A pure substance is found to rotate the plane of plane-
below. Which statement best describes the bond polarized light. Which compound is it?
distances in the squarate ion?
(A) (B)
(C) (D)
55. Which compound is an ester? 60. Which statement about unsaturated fats is NOT correct?
(A) (B) (A) Unsaturated fats contain carbon-carbon double
bonds.
(B) Unsaturated fats generally have higher melting
points than saturated fats with the same number of
carbon atoms.
END OF TEST
Page 8 Property of ACS USNCO – Not for use as USNCO Local Section Exam after March 31, 2020
Olympiad 2020
USNCO Local Section Exam
KEY