NPS International School

Name: ________________ Subject: Chemistry

Date: _________________ Grade: X IGCSE
Energy Changes
1 A student investigates the energy released when zinc powder reacts with copper
sulfate solution. The student uses the apparatus shown in the figure below.
1 g zinc powder
themometer

glass beaker

100 cm3 copper(II) sulfate solution

The student:
• measured 100 cm3 copper sulfate solution into a beaker
• measured the temperature of the copper sulfate solution
• puts 1 g zinc powder into the beaker
• stirred the mixture with a thermometer
• measured the highest temperature.

The student’s results were:

Initial temperature = 21 °C; Highest temperature = 32 °C

(a) Calculate the change in temperature.

[1]

(b) From the student’s results, explain why the reaction is exothermic?

[2]

(c) The energy diagram for the reaction is shown below.

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(i) How can you tell from the energy diagram that the reaction is
exothermic?

[1]

(iii) Which arrow, shows the activation energy, Ea?

[1]

2 Ammonia is used to make nitrogen trifluoride, NF3. Nitrogen trifluoride is essential

to the electronics industry. It is made by the following reaction.

Bond energy is the amount of energy, in kJ/mole, needed to break or make one mole
of the bond. The bonds energies are given in the table below.

Bond Bond Energy (kJ/mol)

N-H 390
N-F 155
F-F 280
H-F 565

Determine if the above reaction is exothermic or endothermic. Show all your

necessary workings clearly.

[4]

3 Methane reacts with chlorine in the presence of sunlight to form chloromethane

(CH3Cl) and hydrogen chloride

(a) Write a balanced chemical equation for the reaction.

[1]

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(b) The bond energies of some bonds are given below.

Bond Bond Energy (kJ/mol)

C-H 412
Cl-Cl 242
C-Cl 331
H-Cl 432

Calculate the enthalpy change of the reaction.

[3]

(c) Hence, is the reaction exothermic or endothermic?

[1]

(d) Explain your answer to (c), in terms of bond breaking and bond forming.

[2]

(d) Draw a labelled energy profile diagram for the reaction.

Energy

Progress of reaction [4]

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4 A student burned four liquid fuels in order to compare the amount of energy they
released, in the form of heat. She used the apparatus shown below.

themometer

copper can
water

spirit burner
liquid fuel

The energy released when each fuel was burned was used to raise the temperature of
100 g of water. For each fuel, the student recorded the mass of fuel burned and the
increase in temperature of the water. Her results are summarized in a table.

Fuel Average Mass of Amount of Increase in

relative fuel fuel burned temperature(°C)
molecular mass burned (g) (mole)
Diesel 170 4 0.00235 15
Ethanol 46 3 0.0652 10
Methanol 32 2 0.0625 5
Petrol 114 1 0.00877 4

The best fuel is the one that releases the most energy.

(a) The student suggested that petrol was the best fuel. Explain why, using the
information in the table.

[2]

(b) Another student suggested that diesel was the best fuel. Explain why, using
the information in the table.

[2]

(c) In another experiment, a student burned propanol and then used his results to
calculate the energy released when one mole of propanol was burned. He then
compared his result with a value from a data book. The values are shown in
the table.

Energy released per mole of propanol burned (kJ)

Student’s result 1020
Data book value 2010
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Suggest two reasons why the student’s result is lower than the data book value.

Reason 1 :

Reason 2 :

[2]

(d) The diagram shows the energy profile for burning a fuel.

Which arrow determines whether the reaction is endothermic or exothermic.

[1]

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