2024 JC1 H2 Chemistry Revision Booklet Set 1 (Atomic Structure)

ATOMIC STRUCTURE

SECTION A (Multiple Choice Questions)

1 Which of the following are correct statements about atomic particles?

1 The nucleon number of an element is the number of neutrons in one atom of the
element.
2 The proton number of an element is the number of protons in one atom of the element.
3 The size of the charge on an electron is the same as that on a proton

A 1, 2 and 3 are correct

B 1 and 2 only are correct
C 2 and 3 only are correct
D 1 only is correct
J97/III/3

2 Archeologists used 14C, a radioactive isotope, in carbon dating. Which particle has the same
number of neutrons and the same number of electrons as an atom of 14C?
14
A N+ B 16
O2+
17 + 28
C F D Si
N00/III/3

3 Use of the Data Booklet is relevant to this question.

2
Deuterium, 1D, is an isotope of hydrogen.

Which of the following species has more electrons than protons, and more neutrons than
protons?

A D3O+ B ND4+
C OD– D AlD4–
ACJC 2016 H2 Prelim

4 The use of the Data Booklet is relevant to this question.

The 68 Ge isotope of the Group 14 element germanium is medically useful because it

undergoes a natural radioactive process to give a gallium isotope, 68 Ga , which can be used
to detect tumors. This transformation of germanium occurs when an electron enters the
nucleus, changing a proton into a neutron.

Which statement about the composition of an atom of the gallium isotope is correct?

A It has 37 neutrons.
B Its proton number is 32.
C It has a total of 32 electrons.
D It has 4 electrons in its outer shell.
J98/III/4

2024/ASRJC/CHEM 1
 2024 JC1 H2 Chemistry Revision Booklet Set 1 (Atomic Structure)
5 Gaseous particle B has a proton number n and a charge of +1.

Gaseous particle C has a proton number of (n+1) and is isoelectronic with B. B and C have
the same number of neutrons.

Which of the following statements correctly describes B and C?

1 The charge of B is half that of C.

2 B has a larger ionic radius than C.
3 B requires less energy than C when a further electron is removed from each particle.
4 B has a higher charge density than C.

A 1 and 3 are correct

B 2 and 3 are correct
C 1, 2 and 3 are correct
D 3 and 4 are correct

6 In 1898 Marie Curie found that uranium minerals were highly radioactive and underwent
decay to other elements. The following equation is an example of such decay.
238
92 U → element A + 8 42 He + 6 −01 e

Which of the following gives the identity of element A?

Mass number atomic number

A 206 82
B 206 86
C 222 76
D 234 90
NJC 2010 H2 Prelim

7 Which pair of species exhibit identical deflections in an electric field?

A 14
N+ and 14
N–
14
B N+ and 28
Si2+
16 2– 4
C O and He2+
16 2– 32 2–
D O and S

2024/ASRJC/CHEM 2
 2024 JC1 H2 Chemistry Revision Booklet Set 1 (Atomic Structure)
8 Alpha particles, 4He2+, are commonly emitted by large radioactive nuclei.

The path of a mixture of 16O2+ ions, alpha particles and two unknown ions, F and G, upon
entering an electric field is shown below.

Source

16
alpha F O2+ G
particles

Which of the following represent F and G respectively?

+ 2+ 2+ 3+
A 1H 9Be B 12C 27Al
2+ 3+ + +
C 9Be 14N D 12C 1H
2016/AJC/P1/Q2

9 Which of the following statements about s, p and d orbitals are correct?

1 An s orbital can accommodate a maximum of 2 electrons.

2 A p orbital has a higher energy than the s orbital of the same principal quantum
number.
3 Electrons always filled up the p x orbital first before the py and pz orbital.

A 1, 2 and 3 are correct

B 1 and 2 only are correct
C 2 and 3 only are correct
D 1 only is correct

NJC 2007 H1 Prelim

10 What kind of orbital must an electron with the principal quantum number n = 2 occupy?

A a spherically–shaped orbital
B either an s or p orbital
C the orbital closest to the nucleus
D a dumb–bell–shaped orbital
N2000/III/2

2024/ASRJC/CHEM 3
 2024 JC1 H2 Chemistry Revision Booklet Set 1 (Atomic Structure)
11 Which diagram best shows the shapes and relative energies of 2s and 2p orbitals in carbon?

A 2p

2s

B 2p

2s

C 2p

2s

D 2p

2s
N97/III/1

12 What is the electronic configuration of the atom of the element which is isoelectronic with
(i.e. it has the same number of electrons as) H 2S?

A 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 B 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p2

C 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p4 D 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6
N92/IV/I; J98/III/3

13 Which diagram represents the arrangement of electrons in the 3 rd and 4th quantum shell of
a Fe2+ ion?

SRJC 2007 H2 Promo

14 Which atom has three unpaired electrons?

A Al B Sc

C Cr D Co
N99/III/18

2024/ASRJC/CHEM 4
 2024 JC1 H2 Chemistry Revision Booklet Set 1 (Atomic Structure)
15 The electronic configurations of four elements are given.

Which of these elements has the highest first ionisation energy?

A 1s2 2s2 2p3 B 1s2 2s2 2p4

C 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s1 D 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p3

J96/III/5

16 Which one of the following does not contain either an unpaired s electron or an unpaired p
electron?

A Cr B Ge

C S– D Sc
N2012/I/3

17 Why is the first ionisation energy of sulfur lower than that of phosphorus?

A Sulfur is more electronegative than phosphorus.

B Sulfur forms anions more readily.
C The electron to be lost is paired with another electron.
D The sulfur atom is larger than the phosphorus atom.

N2004/I/4

18 Why is the first ionisation energy of neon higher than that of fluorine?

A Fluorine is more electronegative than neon.

B Neon has a complete octet, but fluorine does not.
C The atomic radius of fluorine is less than that of neon.
D The nuclear charge of neon is greater than that in fluorine.
N2011/I/2

19 Which one of the following set gives the symbols of elements in the order of decreasing first
ionisation energy?

A Cl, Br, I B F, Ne, Na

C Sr, Ca, Mg D Al, Mg, Na

VJC 2007 H1 Prelim

20 The sequence of ionisation energies (kJ mol–1) of an element is shown below:

762, 1540 , 3300, 4390, 8950, 11900

Which group does this element belong to?

A I B II

C III D IV
YJC 2007 H2 Prelim

2024/ASRJC/CHEM 5
 2024 JC1 H2 Chemistry Revision Booklet Set 1 (Atomic Structure)
21 Elements M and N have the following successive ionisation energies in kJ mol –1.

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th

M 580 1800 2700 11600 14800 18400 23300
N 1300 3400 5300 7400 11000 13000 21000

What could be the chemical formula of the compound formed by these two elements?

A MN2 B MN3

C M2N3 D M3N2
HCI 2007 H1 Prelim

22 Which of the following pair(s) of observation and explanation is/are false?

Observation
1 The second ionisation of any element
is always higher than its first ionisation
energy.
2 The second ionisation energy of
chromium is lower than that of
manganese.
3 The third ionisation energy of strontium
is higher than that of yttrium.
Explanation
More energy is required to remove an
electron from an increasingly more
positive species.
Manganese has one more proton than
chromium.
Sr2+ ion has a larger ionic radius as
compared to that of Y2+ ion.

A Only 1 is incorrect
B Only 2 is incorrect
C 1 and 3 are incorrect
D 2 and 3 are incorrect

2024/ASRJC/CHEM 6
 2024 JC1 H2 Chemistry Revision Booklet Set 1 (Atomic Structure)
23 The graph shows the first thirteen ionisation energies for element X.

What can be deduced about element X from the graph?

A It is a d–block element.
B It is in Group 2 of the Periodic Table.
C It is in Group 13 of the Periodic Table.
D It is in the second period (Li to Ne) of the Periodic Table.
N2012/I/4

SECTION B (Structured and Free Response Questions)

1 Water, H2O, covers about two–third of the Earth’s surface and is vital to life.

(a) About 0.005% of water molecules consist of an oxygen atom bonded to two atoms of
2
the hydrogen isotope, deuterium, 1D . The compound formed is deuterium oxide, D2O
and is also known as ‘heavy water’.

(i) What do you understand by the term isotope?

[1]

(ii) State the number of subatomic particles present in one molecule of D 2O.

Number of protons
Number of neutrons

Number of electrons
[1]

2018 H1 NYJC

2024/ASRJC/CHEM 7
 2024 JC1 H2 Chemistry Revision Booklet Set 1 (Atomic Structure)
79
2 (a) Bromine exists naturally as a mixture of two stable isotopes, Br and 81Br, in a 1:1 ratio.
79
(i) Write down the full electronic configuration of Br2+. [1]

(ii) Define the term relative isotopic mass. [1]

(b) Chlorine atom exists naturally as two isotopes, 35Cl and 37Cl, in a 3:1 ratio. When
equimolar amounts of bromine and chlorine were mixed together, an interhalogen
compound, BrCl, is formed. The product mixture contains four species with three different
mass numbers 114, 116 and 118. 79Br35Cl is one of the four species.

(i) With the help of the information given in (a), state the species that corresponds to
each mass number. Hence, calculate the relative abundance for each mass
number.
[3]
79
(iii) Suggest with a reason how the first ionisation energy of Br is compared to 81Br.
[1]

(c) Bromine reacts with an element A to form a compound with empirical formula ABr3. The
percentage by mass of A in ABr3 is 4.31%. Calculate the relative atomic mass of A.
[1]
2018 VJC

3 (e) Nitride is a compound of nitrogen where nitrogen has a oxidation state of –3. Nitrides are
a large class of compounds with a wide range of properties and applications.

(i) State the electronic configuration of the nitride ion, N3–. [1]

(ii) When a beam of nitride ions, N3– was passed through an electric field, it deflected
63° towards the positive plate. Under identical conditions, a beam of azide ions,
N3– was passed through the electric field. Determine the angle of deflection of the
azide ion beam. [1]

2018 TJC

4 Describe the carbon atom, 12C, as fully as you can, including the nature and location of the
sub–atomic particles, and sketch the shapes of the filled valence orbitals.
[3]
2016 H1 VJC

2024/ASRJC/CHEM 8
 2024 JC1 H2 Chemistry Revision Booklet Set 1 (Atomic Structure)
5 (a) Describe the lithium atom, 7 Li , as fully as you can, including the nature and location of
the sub–atomic particles.

(b) [This part will be covered in the JC 2 Topic of Periodic Table]

Predict, with reasons, how the radius of (i) and (ii) compares with the radius of the neon
atom.

(i) the fluoride ion, F–

(ii) the magnesium ion, Mg2+

J95/I/3

6 Write an equation representing the second ionisation energy of chlorine. Hence, explain the
difference in the second ionisation energies between chlorine and sulfur.
[2]

2018 H1 NYJC

7 (a) The successive ionisation energies of element E is shown below.

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th

I.E. 999 2265 3331 5071 7008 8487 27107 31719
kJmol–1

Predict the group number in which E belongs and write down the electronic configuration
of the species in the +4 oxidation state.

(b) Compare the 1st ionisation energy of E with the element just before it. Explain.

Modified 2011 SRJC

2024/ASRJC/CHEM 9
 2024 JC1 H2 Chemistry Revision Booklet Set 1 (Atomic Structure)

8 Magnesium, like aluminium, is a fairly strong and light–weight metal that is commonly used
to make body panels of racing cars.

The graph of successive ionisation energy of magnesium and aluminium are given below:

(a) Write an equation to represent the second ionisation energy of magnesium.

(b) Explain why the ionisation energies increase for both magnesium and aluminium as
electrons are successively removed.

(c) Explain why the third ionisation energy of magnesium is much higher than that of
aluminium.

9 Elements K, L, M and N are four consecutive Period 3 elements. The table below shows
the first four ionisation energies (in kJ mol–1) of elements K, L, M and N.

Element First I.E Second I.E Third I.E Fourth I.E

K 577 1820 2740 11600
L 786 1580 3230 4360
M 1060 1900 2920 4960
N 1000 2260 3390 4540

(a) For element K, briefly explain why the energy difference between the removal of the
2nd and 3rd electrons is smaller than that between the removal of the 3rd and 4th
electrons.

(b) Explain why the first ionisation energy of element N is lower than that of element M.

2024/ASRJC/CHEM 10
 2024 JC1 H2 Chemistry Revision Booklet Set 1 (Atomic Structure)
10 The first ionisation energies, in kJ mol–1, of Group 2 and Group 13 elements are given
below:
Group 2 Group 13
Be 900 B 799
Mg 736 Al 577
Ca 590 Ga 577
Sr 548 In 558
Ba 502 Tl 589 [Tl = thallium]

(a) (i) Define, by means of an equation, what is meant by the first ionisation energy
of an element.

(ii) Explain why the first ionisation energies decrease in magnitude on

descending Group 2.

(b) (i) On the grid below, plot and label the two graphs of the variation of the first
ionisation energies of these two groups of elements. Join the points of each
group using a ruler.

I.E. / 900
kJ mol-1

800

700

600

500 period number

2 3 4 5 6

[1]

(ii) Explain why the first ionisation energy of aluminium is less than that of
magnesium.

J94/III/1

2024/ASRJC/CHEM 11
 2024 JC1 H2 Chemistry Revision Booklet Set 1 (Atomic Structure)
11 Data of four species A, B, C and D are given in the table below.

species mass number number of neutrons

A 60 32
B 63 34
C 64 33
D 66 37

(a) Identify the two species that are isotopes of the same element, suggest its identity and write
its full electronic configuration.

(b) Complete the table below for each of the sub–atomic particles.

sub–atomic particles relative mass relative charge

proton
neutron
electron

(c) Some radioactive isotopes emit beta particles and are said to undergo beta decay. In a beta
decay, a neutron in the nucleus spontaneously changes to a proton and a high energy
electron is emitted which forms the beta particles.
3
He is one such isotope that undergoes beta decay forming a new element E, as shown by
the equation below.
3
He E + −01e

Write the notation showing the mass number and atomic number of E, and hence identify
the element.

(d) The table shows the first three ionisation energies (I.E.) for elements W, X, Y and Z from
Period 3.

1st I.E. / kJ mol–1 2nd I.E. / kJ mol–1 3rd I.E. / kJ mol–1

W 1251 2300 3820
X 496 4560 6910
Y 738 1450 7730
Z 1000 2250 3360

(i) Write an equation to represent the second ionisation energy of Z.

(ii) What is the expected oxidation state for the most common ion of element X?
(iii) Suggest the formulae of the compounds formed when Y is burnt separately in oxygen and
nitrogen.
(iv) Based on your answers above, suggest if aluminium is among the four elements. Explain
your answer.

2016 AJC

2024/ASRJC/CHEM 12
 2024 JC1 H2 Chemistry Revision Booklet Set 1 (Atomic Structure)
12 Sir James Jeans, who was a great populariser of science, once described an atom of
carbon as being like six bees buzzing around a space the size of a football stadium.

(a) (i) Suggest what were represented by the six bees in this description.

(ii) Explain (in terms of an atom of carbon) what stopped the bees from flying
away from the space of the football stadium.

(iii)What is missing from Jean’s description when applied to an atom of carbon?

[3]
(b) The diagram below represents the energy levels of the orbitals in atoms of the
second period, lithium to neon.

(i) Label the energy levels to indicate the principal quantum number and the type
of orbital at each energy level.

energy

nucleus

(ii) Sketch the shapes of the two types of orbital.

(iii) Complete the electron configurations of nitrogen and oxygen on the energy
level diagrams below, using arrows to represent electrons.

nitrogen oxygen

(iv) Explain, with reference to your answer to (iii), the relative values of the first
ionisation energies of nitrogen and oxygen. The values are given in the Data
Booklet and should be quoted in your answer.
[6]

J2002/II/1(a),(b)

2024/ASRJC/CHEM 13
 2024 JC1 H2 Chemistry Revision Booklet Set 1 (Atomic Structure)
13 One method for measuring the ionisation energy of an element is by using photoelectron
spectroscopy. The voltage applied to ionise the gaseous atoms can be used to calculate
ionisation energy.

In an experiment, samples of consecutive elements Q to Z, with atomic numbers below

20, were analysed and their nth ionisation energies were recorded and plotted as shown.

(a) W is a Group 15 element and has 16 neutrons within the nucleus.

(i) Identify W. Hence, draw the energy level diagram representing the electronic
configuration of W.

(ii) Sketch and label all the orbitals in the valence shell of W

(b) Determine the value of n, giving a reason to justify your answer.

14 (a) The lanthanides are a group of metals with similar properties. They all form
tripositive ions M3+ (aq). The first member lanthanum, La, has proton number 57 and
the electronic configuration [Xe] 4f 0 5d1 6s2.

(i) State the likely electronic configuration of lutetium, Lu, the last member of the
lanthanide group.

(ii) Suggest why both lanthanum and lutetium have only one oxidation state (the
tripositive).

(iii) Another member of the lanthanide group which has only a single tripositive
oxidation state is gadolinium, Gd. Suggest the likely electronic configuration
of gadolinium and explain why this configuration gives it a single tripositive
oxidation state.

(b) The third ionisation energies of lanthanum, gadolinium and lutetium are given below.
La Gd Lu
third ionisation energy / kJ mol–1 1850 1990 2022

Suggest why the third ionisation energy increases from lanthanum to lutetium.

2024/ASRJC/CHEM 14
 2024 JC1 H2 Chemistry Revision Booklet Set 1 (Atomic Structure)

2024/ASRJC/CHEM 15