Model Answers: Medium

The correct answer is D because:

● First balance the equation

PbS(s) + 1½O2(g) → PbO(s) + SO2(g)

● Double everything in order to remove a ½ in the equation

2PbS(s) + 3O2(g) → 2PbO(s) + 2SO2(g)

● The sum of the coefficients comes to 2 + 3 + 2 + 2 = 9

Remember: always balance elements last

When you change a coefficient immediately adjust your equation by changing the other
coefficients so you don’t lose track of your changes
It's OK to have fractions in equations, but sometimes it is easier to balance equations by removing
them
2

The correct answer is B because:

Steps Calculation

1 Balanced symbol equation for the 2NaOH (aq) + Cl2 (g) → NaOCl (aq) + H2O (l) + NaCl
cold reaction (aq)

2 Calculate the relative formula mass 22.99 + 16.00 + 35.45 = 74.44

of the compound Mr

3 Find the moles of the product The balanced equation shows the ratio of the Cl2 to
NaOCl is 1:1, so 0.10 mol of Cl2 gives 0.10 mol of
the NaOCl

4 Mass of Compound 0.10 x 74.44 = 7.44 g

Moles = mass /Mr

Re-arrange for mass

Mass = moles x Mr

The correct answer is D because:

● A homogeneous mixture has uniform composition

 ● Concrete is a mixture of cement, sand and stones (aggregate). The mixture varies, so it is
classified as heterogeneous

A is incorrect as in salt solution the salt and water are completely mixed and the concentration is
the same throughout the solution. The salt cannot be seen as separate from the water

B is incorrect as brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. The composition is uniform through the alloy

C is incorrect as orange juice would be heterogeneous until it is filtered, as it will contain small
pieces of solids. However, once filtered it would become homogeneous, as the composition
becomes uniform
4

The correct answer is B because:

● Atoms are electrically neutral as the overall negative charge produced by the electrons is
cancelled by the overall positive charge produced by the protons
● Since there are equal numbers of protons and electrons, then these particles must have an
equal but opposite charge

A is incorrect as the difference in mass does not affect the charge

C is incorrect as neutrons are electrically neutral

D is incorrect as the position of each particle is irrelevant as long as they are part of the same
atom
5

The correct answer is A because:

● In an emission spectrum the ionisation energy corresponds to to a transition between from

the ground state to n=∞
● This is known as the limit of convergence of the spectrum
● Beyond this the electron can have any energy, so is no longer under the influence of the
nucleus: the electron is outside the atom

B is incorrect as the arrow is in the wrong direction for ionisation

C is incorrect as the transition is not from the ground state

D is incorrect as the transition is not from the ground state and the arrow is in the wrong
direction

The correct answer is C because:

● The Aufbau Principle gives the filling order of energy sublevels

○ 1s 2s 2p 3s 3p 4s 3d 4p
● Following the filling order gives the following electron configurations
Z=13 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p1

Z=14 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p2

Z=15 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p3

Z=16 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p4

● Hund's rule: every orbital in a subshell is singly occupied with one electron before any one
orbital is doubly occupied

3p1

3p2

↑ ↑

3p3

↑ ↑ ↑

3p4

↑↓ ↑ ↑

● Z= 15 is the element which has the most unpaired electrons

7

The correct answer is B because:

● The question states that it is the second ionisation energy of magnesium, hence the
electron is being removed from the Mg+ ion
 ● The result is the Mg2+ ion plus and electron
● The sign of the enthalpy change is positive as energy is required to remove the electron,
hence it is an endothermic process

A & D are incorrect as the sign of the enthalpy change is incorrect

C is incorrect as the equation shows two electrons being removed from a magnesium
atom

Exam tip: Don’t forget to include state symbols in ionization energy equations as they are part of
the definition

The correct answer is B because:

● Cobalt accepts lone pairs from the ligands hence acting as a Lewis acid
● The complex is octahedral having 90 degree bond angles
● cobalt has an oxidation number of +3:
○ Co + (NH3 x 5) + Cl - = +2
○ Co + (0 x 5) + (-1) = +2
○ Co - 1 = +2
○ Co = +3
○ Hence, statement II is incorrect

A, C & D are incorrect as these include statement II

The correct answer is B because:

● Statement I is correct
○ The boiling point of propanone is higher than butane
○ This is due to the fact that propanone has stronger intermolecular forces between the
molecule, permanent dipole permanent dipole forces
○ Butanone only exhibits weaker London dispersion forces
● Statement II is incorrect
○ The boiling point of propanone is higher than that of butane
 ○ This is because propanone is polar molecule with permanent dipole permanent

dipole attractions
○ Butane only contains London dispersion forces
● Statement III is correct
○ The strongest type of intermolecular force in propanone are permanent dipole
permanent dipole attractions

A, C & D are incorrect as these are not the correct combination of correct statements

10

The correct answer is C because:

● The copper(II) will form a hexaaqua complex in solution with water as ligands
● As ammonia is a stronger ligand it will displace some of the water ligands in the hexaaqua
complex

A is incorrect as the d orbitals in the copper ion are already split as it has formed a complex
ion with water ligands

B is incorrect as the would be a greater splitting of the d-orbitals as ammonia is higher in

the spectrochemical series than water

D is incorrect as the colour would not fade but changes shade as ammonia ligands absorb
slightly different wavelengths of light compared to water

11

The correct answer is D because:

 ● Sulfur trioxide reacts with water to produce a strong acidic solution in water:
● SO3 + H2O → H2SO4
● A ‘strong’ acid is one that fully dissociates into its ions when in aqueous solution producing
a high concentration of H+ ions and therefore has a very low pH (1)
● The electronic configuration of phosphorus is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p3

↑↓ ↑↓ ↑↓ ↑↓ ↑↓ ↑↓ ↑ ↑ ↑

1s 2s 2p 3s 3p

● Following Hund’s rule, the 3 electrons in the 3p orbital are found separated across different
orbitals

A is incorrect as phosphorus oxides only produce weak acids (H3PO3 and H3PO4) that
do not fully dissociate in solution

B & C are incorrect as the electronic configuration for sulfur is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p4 and
therefore has one electron pair in the 3p orbital

phosphorus oxides only produce weak acids (H3PO3 and H3PO4) that
do not fully dissociate in solution

12

The correct answer is D because:

● The molecule CS2 does obey the octet rule as shown in the diagram
● The central carbon atom and both S atoms have 8 electrons
○ The molecule exists as S=C=S
A is incorrect as

The B atom in BF3

does not obey the octet rule as it only contains 6 electrons

B is incorrect as

The H atom in HCN

does not obey the octet rule as it only contains 2 electrons
C is incorrect
as

The BeCl2 atom does

not obey the octet rule as it only contains 4 electrons

13

The correct answer is D because:

● To determine the formal charge on the xenon and oxygen atoms we use the formula:
○ Formal charge (FC) on atom = valence electrons of atom – (1/2 bonding electrons +
lone pair electrons)

Xe FC = (8) – [1/2(8) + (2)] = +2 FC = (8) – [1/2(12) + (2)] = 0

Left O FC = (6) – [1/2(2) + (6)] = –1 FC = (6) – [1/2(4) + (4)] = 0

 Central O FC = (6) – [1/2(4) + (4)] = 0 FC = (6) – [1/2(4) + (4)] = 0

Right O FC = (6) – [1/2(2) + (6)] = –1 FC = (6) – [1/2(4) + (4)] = 0

● Structure on the right is the preferred structure as it has the lowest formal charge
● XeO3 has 6 bond pairs arranged in 3 double bonds and 1 lone pair
○ 3 bond pairs and 1 lone pairs gives a trigonal pyramidal shape

A, B & C are incorrect as all three statements are correct

14

The correct answer is C because:

● The energy transferred can be calculated using q = mcΔT

● Statement I is incorrect
○ Careful: The mass of magnesium is not needed to calculate the energy transferred
○ It is needed to calculate the molar enthalpy change
● Statement II is correct
○ The mass of water is m in the equation
● Statement III is correct
○ The temperature change is ΔT in the equation

A, B & D are incorrect as they include statement I

15

The correct answer is C because

● To arrive at the target equation you must look at the relationship between the given
equations and the substances in the target equation
● The first equation contains methane, but needs to be multiplied by 2:

CH4(g) + O2(g) → HCHO(l) + H2O(l) ΔH = x

2CH4(g) + 2O2(g) → 2HCHO(l) + 2H2O(l) ΔH = 2x

● The second equation needs to be multiplied by 2 to given one mole of oxygen

HCHO(l) + ½O2(g) → HCOOH(l) ΔH = y

2HCHO(l) + O2(g) → 2HCOOH(l) ΔH = 2y

● The third equation will be unchanged

2HCOOH(l) + ½O2(g) → (COOH)2(l) + H2O(l) ΔH = z

 ● Add the three together to get the target equation, and cancel the common terms

2CH4(g) + 2O2(g) → 2HCHO(l) + 2H2O(l) ΔH = 2x

2HCHO(l) + O2(g) → 2HCOOH(l) ΔH = 2y

2HCOOH(l) + ½O2(g) → (COOH)2(l) + H2O(l) ΔH = z

2CH4(g) + 3½ O2(g) → (COOH)2(l) + 3H2O(l)

The enthalpy change is found by adding together the three adjusted enthalpy values

ΔH = 2x + 2y + z
16

The correct answer is B because:

● The units for ΔHΘ are kJ mol-1

● The question asks you to give the units of ΔGΘ in kJ mol-1
● Therefore the units of ΔSΘ, J K-1 mol-1, need converting to kJ mol-1 by dividing by 1000
● 10 1000 = 0.01
● The equation to calculate ΔGΘ is:
○ ΔGΘ = ΔHΘ - TΔSΘ
○ ΔGΘ = 10 - (298 x 0.01)
○ ΔGΘ = 7.02 kJ mol-1

A is incorrect as the value for ΔSΘ has been divided by 10 000 not 1000

C is incorrect as the value for ΔSΘ has not been converted into kJ mol-1

D is incorrect as the value for ΔHΘ has been divided by 1000 instead of the value for
ΔSΘ

17

The correct answer is C because:

● The formula W2X suggests that the charges on the ions are W+ and X2-
● Therefore the correct equations for lattice enthalpy and ionisation energy are:
○ W2X (s) → 2W+ (g) + X2- (g)
○ W (g) → W+ (g) + e-

A is incorrect as 2W (s) + X2 (g) → W2X is the equation for the enthalpy of formation, ΔHf, for
W2X but the ionisation energy equation is correct
 B is incorrect as W (g) → W2+ (g) + 2e- is not the correct equation for the first ionisation
energy as there is a 2+ ion of W produced from an atom of W but the
equation for lattice enthalpy is correct

D is incorrect as the ionic charges are missing in the equation for lattice enthalpy, and W (g)
→ W2+ (g) + 2e- is not the correct equation for the first ionisation energy as
there is a 2+ ion of W produced from an atom of W

18

The correct answer is C because:

● As the temperature is decreased the line shifts to the left and the peak upwards
● This would mean a greater number of particles with less energy, so the area H increases
and the other two areas decrease

19

The correct answer is A because:

● Increasing the concentration of substances taking part in a reaction increases the rate of
reaction
● This is because if there are more reacting particles in a given volume, they will collide more
frequently
● The more frequent the collisions, the greater the probability of the reactants having the
correct orientation and energy for the reaction to take place

B is incorrect as the collisions are not more violent when the concentration is changed, as there
has been no change in energy

C is incorrect as changing the concentration does not change the activation energy of the reaction

D is incorrect as an alternative pathway would be provided by a catalyst not a change in

concentration
20
The correct answer is A because:

● When [C2H5Br] doubles but [OH-] remains constant, then the rate doubles
○ Therefore, the reaction is first order with respect to [C2H5Br]
● When [OH-] doubles but [C2H5Br] remains constant, then the rate doubles
○ Therefore, the reaction is first order with respect to [OH-]

B, C & D are incorrect as neither chemical is second order

21

A is incorrect as the activation energy has not been converted into J mol-1

C is incorrect as the ln k and ln A terms are the wrong way around

D is incorrect as the gas constant has been converted into kJ K-1 mol-1 and the activation
energy has been converted into J mol-1 so they are not in the same units

The gas constant can be converted into kJ K-1 mol-1 BUT this means that
the activation energy must remain in kJ mol-1

22

The correct answer is B because:

● Following Le Chatelier's Principle, removing the product, NO2 (g), will cause the equilibrium
to shift to the right to replace it
● The reaction is endothermic, so decreasing the temperature will cause it to shift in the
exothermic direction, which is to the left, so this statement is not correct
● There are five moles of gas on the right and two on the left. Decreasing the pressure will
cause the equilibrium to shift to the side which restores the pressure. That means the side
with the most gas moles, which is the right

A, C & D are incorrect as statement II is incorrect

23
The correct answer is A because:

● Statement I is correct as:

○ Increasing the temperature without changing the volume will mean the particles have
greater kinetic energy
○ The faster-moving particles will be more disordered hence there will be an increase
in entropy
● Statement II is correct as:
○ Decreasing the concentration causes the equilibrium to shift to the side with the
greatest number of moles produced to minimise the change
○ This is Le Chateliers principle
○ As there are more particles this will lead to an increase in entropy
● Statement III is incorrect as:
○ Increasing the pressure would cause the equilibrium to shift to the side which
produces the fewest number of moles.
○ This will lead to a decrease in entropy as the total number of particles present will
decrease.

B, C & D are incorrect as they all contain statement III which is incorrect

24

The correct answer is D because:

● The correctly balanced equation is:|

2HNO3 (aq) + Mg(HCO3)2 (s) → Mg(NO3)2 (aq) + 2H2O (l) + 2CO2 (g)
● The sum of the coefficients = 2 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 2 = 8

A, B & C are incorrect as as they do not have the right sum of coefficients

It is a favourite examiner’s trick to ask for the sum of the coefficients knowing that some
candidates will forget that the absence of a number in front of a formula means the coefficient is
1. Don’t get caught out!
25

The correct answer is D because:

● Aluminium ions affect cell division at the tip of plant roots and cause stunted plant growth
● Aluminium ions damage fish gills and cause respiratory and osmotic problems
● Studies have shown that high levels of aluminium are toxic to the brain and are linked with
alzheimer's disease

A, B & C are incorrect as all three are true effects of aluminium ions

26
The correct answer is D because:

● Statements I, II and III are correct

● As the pH of a solution changes, the equilibrium of the dissociation of the indicator will shift
to the left or right hand side

HIn (aq) + H2O (l) ⇌ H3O+ (aq) + In- (aq)

colour 1 ⇌ colour 2

● If the solution is acidic, the equilibrium will shift to the left hand side and colour 1 will be
observed
● If the solution is alkaline, the equilibrium will shift to the right hand side and colour 2 will be
observed
● The pH at which these transitions will occur depends on the Ka of the indicator

○ The endpoint of the reaction is where [HIn] = [In-]

○ At this point these two concentrations are equal and if we take the negative log of
both sides
■ pKa = pH

A, B & C are incorrect as all statements are correct

27

The correct answer is B because:

● Statement II is incorrect
● The correct relationship is
○ Ka x Kb = Kw
○ Kw = 1 x 10-14
 ● pKa and pKb have the relationship
○ pKa + pKb = pKw
○ pKw = 14
● The conjugate base of ethanoic acid is CH3COO- (aq) because
○ Ethanoic acid, CH3COOH, will partially dissociate in water to give:
○ CH3COOH + H2O ⇌ CH3COO- + H3O+

acid base conj. base conj. acid

A, C & D are incorrect as statement II is incorrect

28

The correct answer is C because:

● In reaction 1 the bromide ions reduce the sulfuric acid to sulfur dioxide gas, this decreases
the oxidation state of the sulfur from +6 in the sulfuric acid to +4 in the sulfur dioxide
○ A change in the oxidation state of 2
● In reaction 2 the reduction of sulfuric acid (oxidation state +6) is more complex
○ The first stage is to sulfur dioxide (sulfur oxidation state +4)
○ Then to sulfur (oxidation state 0)
○ And then to hydrogen sulfide (sulfur oxidation state –2)
○ This reaction has a greatest change in oxidation state of 8 (from +6 to -2)
● In reaction 3 there is no change in the oxidation state of sulfur
○ Both hydrogen and potassium have an oxidation state of +1 meaning that the sulfur
oxidation state in these compounds is +6

A, B & D are incorrect because these answers do not correspond to the actual changes in
oxidation number involved
29

The correct answer is B because:

● The hydrogen gas must be at a pressure of 100 kPa, not 100 Pa

● It is important to make sure the units are correct
● The conditions for the SHE are:
○ 298 K
○ Hydrogen gas at 100 kPa
○ Platinum wire
○ [H+] 1.00 dm-3 (HCl)
● These are important to know as you may be asked to label or draw a diagram in a
structured question

A, C & D are incorrect as these are correct conditions for the SHE
30

The correct answer is A because:

 ● Zinc is less negative than magnesium, so it is a weaker reducing agent and cannot reduce
magnesium ions to magnesium metal
● Chloride ions cannot be oxidised to chlorine by zinc powder because the negative electrode
potential shows zinc is an effective reducing agent not oxidising agent

B is incorrect as to produce chlorine gas, chloride ions would have to be oxidised which is
not possible

C is incorrect as to produce magnesium metal, magnesium ions would have to be reduced

by zinc which is not possible

D is incorrect as the zinc does not react, so cannot produce zinc chloride

31

The correct answer is B because:

● Measurement of the bond lengths in benzene from X-ray diffraction studies show that all the
bond lengths are equal and that they are between the length of a single and a double bond,
which is consistent with the delocalised structure of benzene
● Although the bond angles are equal (120o) this would be the same in the resonance hybrid
structure and so it does not provide evidence for a delocalised structure in benzene
● The enthalpy of hydrogenation of benzene is less exothermic than would be expected for
cyclohexa-1,3,5-triene, which suggests the bonds are more stable than they should be. This
provides evidence for benzene having a resonance hybrid structure rather than three
double and three single bonds
● The measured enthalpy of hydrogenation of cyclohexene is

C6H10 + H2 → C6H12 ∆H = -120kJmol-1

● The expected enthalpy of hydrogenation of cyclohexa-1,3,5-triene would be three times this

value as there are three double bonds present

C6H6 + 3H2 → C6H12 ∆H = -120kJmol-1 x 3 = -360kJmol-1

● However, the actual value for benzene is ∆H = -210kJmol-1 so the C-C bonds are stronger
and more stable than expected as a result of delocalisation

The theory of the delocalised structure of benzene has chemical as well as physical evidence. The
fact that benzene does not react with bromine water like alkenes do, is one piece of evidence that
the double bonds are not the same as in alkenes.

A second piece of evidence comes from the absence of isomers of 1,2 substituted benzene
compounds such as 1,2-dibromobenzene
We would expect to see different isomers if double bonds were present in the structure
32

The correct answer is C because:

● Butanone is a ketone and undergoes reduction when heated under reflux with a reducing
agent such as NaBH4 or LiAlH4 to form a secondary alcohol
○ In this case, the product will be butan-2-ol, CH3CHOHCH2CH3
● The equation for this reaction is:
○ CH3CH2COCH3 + 2[H] → CH3CH2CH(OH)CH3

A is incorrect as CH3CH2CHCH2 is an alkene which is not a reduction product

B is incorrect as CH3CH2CH2CH2OH is a primary alcohol and would have been formed

from the reduction of an aldehyde (butanal) with NaBH4

D is incorrect as CH3CH2CH2CHO is an aldehyde.

33
34

The correct answer is A because:

● 1-bromobutane is a primary alkane so will react with sodium hydroxide via the SN2
mechanism
● The SN2 is second order as the rate-determining step depends on the concentrations of the
halogenoalkane and nucleophile
○ rate = k [halogenoalkane] [nucleophile]

B is incorrect as the hydroxide ion is a nucleophile and acts as a Brønsted–Lowry base

C is incorrect as the SN2 reaction is single step

D is incorrect as water is not a product. Sodium bromide would be produced

35

The correct answer is B because:

● The conversion of alkenes into alkanes is a hydrogenation or reduction reaction

● A suitable reducing agent is hydrogen gas in the presence of a nickel catalyst
● The reaction is quite slow at room temperature so it is carried out at 150oC
● This reaction is the basis of making margarine from vegetable oil by partial hydrogenation of
the double bonds in the oils

A is incorrect as concentrated sulfuric acid, steam and 300oC are the reagents and conditions
needed to convert an alkene into an alcohol
C is incorrect as acidified potassium dichromate + heating under reflux are the reagents and
conditions need for an oxidation reaction

D is incorrect as hydrogen bromide does react with but-2-ene at room temperature but the product
would be 2-bromobutane not butane

You should know the reagents and conditions needed to carry out the typical reactions of alkenes
with hydrogen, halogens, hydrogen halides and water
36

The correct answer is D because:

● If the methyl groups in but-2-ene are on the same side of the C=C, we can class this as
cis-but-2-ene
● Trans isomers have two functional groups on opposite sides of the double bond / carbon
ring, i.e. one above and one below the C=C bond as shown in the following molecule

Trans-but-2-ene

A is incorrect as the molecule contains 4 carbons in the chain, not 5 so cannot have the prefix
'pent'

B is incorrect as the isomer is not a trans isomer

C is incorrect as the molecule is an isomer of but-2-ene

37

The correct answer is D because:

● The OH group will substitute for the Br, so only pentan-2-ol can be formed

A is incorrect as the OH group can join on the first or second carbon so the products will be
pentan-1-ol and pentan-2-ol

B is incorrect as the OH will substitute for the Br so the only product will be pentan-1-ol
C is incorrect as the OH group can join on the second or third carbon so the products will be
pentan-2-ol and pentan-3-ol

38

The correct answer is D because:

● The infrared spectrum shown in the question has a peak at 1680 – 1695 which means an
aldehyde or ketone is present
● Propanone and propanal has a C ═ O in the structure giving this characteristic peak
● The absence of C-H peaks for aldehydes, means it can only be the ketone
● Comparing this to the data table in the question this matches the propanone structure

A and B are incorrect because propan-1-ol and propan-2-ol would not have a peak at 1680 – 1695
but have a broad peak at 3750 – 3200 corresponding to the alcohol group

C is incorrect because propanal would have a peak at 1680 – 1695 but also a peak at 2900 – 2820
and 2775 – 2700 which is not present in this spectrum

39

The correct answer is D because:

 ● All three molecules have three unique proton environments(a,b,c)
● This is best seen from structural formulas:

A, B & C are incorrect as all three molecules have three peaks in NMR

40
The correct answer is C because:

● The structure of 2-methylbutan-2-yl 2-methylpropanoate shows that there are 5 unique

proton environments (A - E below)

● The number of protons in each environment is 6, 1, 6, 2 and 3 which correspond to the area
under each peak

A is incorrect as the CH and CH2 in the molecule have been missed

B is incorrect as the CH in the molecule has been missed

D is incorrect as the number of methyl hydrogens has not been counted correctly