COMPILED PAST BOARD EXAM QUESTIONS

Licensure Examination for Chemical Technicians

October 29, 2021

1. Benzene and its derivatives undergo substitution reactions instead of addition reactions because
a. the integrity of the benzene ring and the stable pi-bonding pattern remains intact
b. the hydrogens of benzene are relatively loosely bound
c. the benzene ring is sterically crowded hence only substitution can occur
d. the benzene ring is electron rich

2. Electrophiles are
a. electron deficient species
b. electron rich species
c. electrically neutral species
d. positively charged ion

3. SN2 means
a. two step nucleophilic substitution mechanism involving both alkyl halide and nucleophile
b. one step nucleophilic substitution mechanism involving both alkyl halide and nucleophile
c. two step nucleophilic substitution mechanism involving only the alkyl halide
d. one step nucleophilic substitution mechanism involving only the nucleophile

4. In the decomposition and dissolution of solids during sample preparation, which of the following is
expensive and often the last resort?
a. Acid treatment using oxidation
b. Fusion technique
c. dissolution using ultrasound & appropriate solvent
d. Simple dissolution

5. It is important to discard containers that are scratched or abraded on their interior surfaces. The
internal surface area of a container, whether used for sample preparation or storage, may cause
loss of
a. matrix
b. analyte
c. weight
d. ash

6. Glass container is not suitable for

a. inorganic trace analyses
b. oil and grease determination
c. microbiological analyses
d. all of the above

7. Which of the following is a primary standard for use in standardizing bases?

a. Ammonium hydroxide
b. Sulfuric acid
c. Acetic acid
d. Potassium hydrogen phthalate
8. A solution has been prepared by transferring 60 mL from Ortho-phosphoric acid 85 % (v/v)
H3PO4 and diluting it to 1.0 L, what is the concentration of the new solution.
a. 10.10%
b. 9.25%
c. 12.2%
d. 5.10%

9. A student has got three stock standard solutions of 3 different elements, zinc (Zn) 2000 ppm,
cadmium (Cd) 1500 ppm and lead (Pb) 1000 ppm. A student took 10 mL from each solution and
transfers it to 200 mL volumetric flask then completed to total volume with solvent. What is the
final concentration of each element in the diluted mix solution?
a. 50 ppm Zinc, 32 ppm Cd, 25 ppm Pb
b. 100 ppm Zinc, 75 ppm Cd, 50 ppm Pb
c. 75 ppm Zinc, 75 ppm Cd, 50 ppm Pb
d. 100 ppm Zinc, 25 ppm Cd, 25 ppm Pb

10. The HPLC column type in which molecules are separated according to size.
a. Ion exchange
b. size exclusion
c. normal phase
d. reverse phase

11. During ignition for ashing, muffle furnaces that go up to 1100oC are used primarily for this and
________ is needed to contain the sample.
a. porcelain crucible
b. evaporating dish
c. beaker
d. all of the above

12. A graphical representation of measuring signal as a function of quantity of analyte.

a. Calibration curve
b. Quality Control Chart
c. Absorbance Chart
d. None of the above

13. In AAS method, If the sample concentration is too high to permit accurate analysis in linearity
response range, there are alternatives that may help bring the absorbance into the optimum
working range.
a. sample dilution
b. using an alternative wavelength having a lower absorptivity
c. reducing the path length by rotating the burner hand
d. All of the above

14. A student has to measure out 9.40 mL of a liquid and selects a 100 mL graduated cylinder. To
improve the accuracy of the measurement, it would be most effective to:
a. take the average of multiple measurements using the graduated cylinder.
b. measure the liquid using a 25 mL graduated cylinder instead.
c. estimate the measurement obtained from the graduated cylinder to an additional significant
figure.
d. measure the liquid using a 10 mL graduated pipette instead.
 15. A buffer solution may be a mixture of
a. a weak acid and its salt
b. a weak base and its salt
c. an excess of a weak acid with a strong base
d. all of the above

16. Which statement is true?

a. The value of the equilibrium constant increases with the addition of a catalyst b.
A catalyst speeds up both the forward and reverse reaction rates
c. The greater the activation energy, the faster the rate of reaction.
d. A catalyst increases the rate of reaction by decreasing the number of collisions

17. What volume is occupied by 4.00 g of carbon dioxide, CO2 (44.0) gas at a pressure of 0.976 atm
and a temperature of 25.00C?
a. 0.191 L
b. 19.1 L
c. 2.28 L
d. 22.8 L

18. Molecular oxygen is highly soluble in the blood because

a. the hemoglobin molecule can bind up to four oxygen molecules
b. the solubility of oxygen is increased by the higher temperature of the body
c. pressure is increased inside the body
d. pressure inside the body is different outside of it

19. When water is heated in a beaker, bubbles of air form on the side of the glass before the water
boils. This shows that
a. the solubility of gases in water decreases with increasing temperature
b. the solubility of gases in water increases with increasing temperature
c. the solubility of gases in water decreases with decreasing temperature
d. the solubility of gases in water increases with decreasing temperature

20. The absorbance of different concentrations of potassium permanganate determined through UV

Vis Spectrophotometer is shown below.
Concentration, ppm Average Absorbance

1.11 0.015

22.2 0.236

44.4 0.512

66.6 0.751

88.8 1.062
Note: During the actual boards, this table was not given.
 The Quality Control Sample for this run gave an average absorbance reading of 0.486. The
theoretical concentration of the QC sample is 44.4 ppm. Calculate for the error of this QC run.
a. 0.0524
b. 0.0552
c. 0.0465
d. 0.00052

21. Method of passing the sample through a metal or plastic mesh of a uniform cross-sectional area to
separate particles into uniform sizes.
a. sieving
b. pulverizing
c. macerating
d. milling

22. In handling acid wastes, what type of protective gloves should be used?
a. Cloth gloves
b. Surgical gloves
c. Rubber gloves
d. Disposal plastic gloves

23. What type of container must be used for acid or alkali wastes?
a. Polyethylene Drums
b. Metal drums
c. Fiber Drums
d. Cloth container

24. A solid waste management practice which refers to the controlled decomposition of organic
matter by microorganisms, mainly bacteria and fungi, into a humus-like product.
a. Composting
b. Recycling
c. Bioremediation
d. Reducing

25. A series of reference standards solutions that have known and accurate pH values at different
temperatures used for pH meter calibration.
a. Buffer Solutions
b. QC Solutions
c. pH solutions
d. None of the above.

26. Law that states the linear relationship between absorbance and concentration of an absorbing
species
a. Beer-Lambert’s Law
b. Charles Law
c. Boyles Law
d. Avogadro’s Law
27. Type of quality-control sample used to evaluate the effects of sample matrices on the
performance of an analytical method
a. Matrix Duplicate
b. Matrix Spike
c. Method Blank
d. Reagent Blank

28. Component of error which, in the course of a number of analyses of the same measurand, remains
constant or varies in a predictable way.
a. Random Error
b. Analyst’s Error
c. Systematic Error
d. Uncertainty

29. Determine the actual volume contained in a 50.0 mL volumetric flask given the following data:
Mass of water: 50.1227 g Density of water at 25˚ C : 0.99707 g/mL
a. 50.45 mL
b. 50.27 mL
c. 50.37 mL
d. 50.17 mL

30. It is a pure dry solid substance of known chemical composition used in the direct standardization
of solution.
a. primary standard
b. secondary standard
c. analytical standard
d. indicator

31. It is the closeness of the agreement between the result of a measured value and a true value.
a. Accuracy
b. Precision
c. Mean
d. Error

32. Sample preparation technique used prior to instrumental analysis of metals.

a. acid digestion
b. liquid-liquid extraction
c. sieving
d. clean-up

33. Which of the following chemicals may be used to neutralize waste containing caustic soda?
a. Potassium Hydroxide
b. Ammonia
c. Hydrochloric Acid
d. Buffer 10 Solution

34. Which of the following are possible routes of exposure of the hazardous effect of waste?
a. Inhalation
b. Dermal
c. Ingestion
d. all of the above
35. According to Revised DAO 04-36, the appropriate waste labels shall include:
a. Volume of Waste
b. Generator ID Number
c. Container Material
d. All of the above

36. What type of GHS hazard symbol is shown below?

a. Corrosive b. Flammable c.Oxidizer d. Explosive

37. Sampling type that eliminates questions of bias in selection

a. composite
b. stratified
c. systematic
d. random

38. Reliability of the results decreases with a decrease in the level or concentration of the:
a. matrix
b. analyte
c. reactant
d. product

39. Properties of nitric acid making it the preferred acid for digesting samples for the analysis of
metals.
a. acts as a strong acid
b. as an oxidizing agent
c. does not form insoluble compounds with metals/nonmetals
d. All of the above
40. Possible sources of contamination during sample preparation include:
a. Reagents (tracers)
b. Glassware/equipment
c. Cross-contamination between high- and low-activity samples
d. All of the above

41. The size of the sample taken for analysis depends on the concentration of the
a. analyte
b. equipment to be used
c. specific tests
d. All of the above

42. Locating the adulterated portion of the lot for sampling is an example of
a. random sampling
b. selective sampling
c. composite sampling
d. stratified sampling

43. Quantitative chemical analysis of weighing a sample, usually of a separated and dried precipitate.
a. Titrimetric analysis
b. Volumetric analysis
c. Gravimetric analysis
d. Elemental analysis
44. The substance which does the dissolving and must be greater than 50% of the solution.
a. solvent
b. solute
c. mixture
d. solution

45. Requirements of a primary standard.

a. High Purity, 99.9% or better
b. Stability in air
c. Absence of hydrate water
d. All of the above

46. Used for vacuum filtration using filter paper.

a. gooch crucible
b. Buchner funnel
c. rotary evaporator
d. rubber aspirator

47. In chromatography, ________ is carried out on glass plates or strips of plastic or metal coated
on one side with a thin layer of adsorbent.
a. HPLC
b. GC
c. Paper Chromatography
d. Thin Layer Chromatography

48. Chromatography is used to

a. Separate two or more compounds based on their polarities.
b. Separate two or more compounds based on their masses.
c. Separate two or more compounds based on how strongly they interact with other d.
compounds.
e. all of the above

49. A technique for separating mixtures into their components in order to analyze, identify, purify,
and/or quantify the mixture or components.
a. Spectroscopy
b. Chromatography
c. Gravimetry
d. Titrimetry

50. A graph showing the detectors response as a function of elution time : band’s shapes, position,
resolution
a. monitor display
b. quality control chart
c. calibration curve
d. chromatogram

51. Under the Bronsted concept of acids and bases, a base is

a. a proton donor
b. a proton acceptor
c. a hydroxide donor
d. an electron pair donor
52. Which of the following is NOT an acid-base conjugate pair?
a. HCN and CN−
b. H2O and OH−
c. H2S and OH−
d. NH3 and NH4+

53. Predict the products of the following acid-base reaction: NH3(aq) + HNO3(aq) →
a. NH2OH(aq) + HNO2(aq)
b. NH4NO3(aq)
c. NH4OH(aq)
d. no reaction takes place

54. Which of the following is not a common method used for purification?
a. Sublimation
b. Crystallisation
c. Electrolysis
d. Chromatography

55. The solution of impure compound and solvent is concentrated to get ____________
a. Unsaturated solution
b. Undersaturated solution
c. Saturated solution
d. Oversaturated solution

56. Insoluble impurities from solution during crystallization are removed by ____________
a. Drying
b. Filtration
c. Heating
d. Cooling

57. Crystal phases can be interconverted by varying ____________

a. Temperature
b. Pressure
c. Size
d. Viscosity

58. Which of the following is not separated through distillation process?

a. Acetone and water
b. Aniline and chloroform
c. Impurities in seawater
d. Milk and water

59. Column chromatography is based on the principle of _______________ (this question appeared
twice)
a. Ion-exchange
b. Exclusion principle
c. Differential adsorption
d. Absorption

60. Select the correct statement from the following options.

a. The lesser the polarity of solute, more strongly it will be adsorbed on a polar surface
b. The greater the polarity of solute, more weakly it will be adsorbed on a polar surface
c. The greater the polarity of solute, more strongly it will be adsorbed on a polar surface
d. All of the mentioned option
61. The elution power of a solvent is determined by ____________
a. Its overall polarity
b. The polarity of the stationary phase
c. The nature of the sample components
d. All of the mentioned

62. The principle on which thin layer chromatography is based is that the ____________
a. Different compounds are absorbed on an absorbent to different degrees
b. Different compounds are absorbed on an absorbent to same degrees
c. Different compounds are adsorbed on an adsorbent to different degrees
d. Different compounds are absorbed on an absorbent to same degrees

63. Which type of chromatography is used for the structural analysis?

a. Column chromatography
b. Paper chromatography
c. Partition chromatography
d. Affinity chromatography

64. Affinity chromatography is used for the analysis and isolation of ____________
a. Insoluble starch substances
b. Enzyme tyrosinase
c. Antibodies bound with a covalently-attached antigen on cellulose column
d. All of the mentioned

65. Which of the following is not an application of high performance liquid chromatography?
a. Analysis of proteins, drugs and explosives
b. Separation of pharmaceutical drugs
c. Elimination of undesirable substances from blood
d. Separation of lipids, fatty acids and steroids

66. Which of the following is the application of ion exchange chromatography?

a. The softening of hard water
b. The demineralisation of water
c. The separation and determination of anions
d. All of the mentioned

67. The quantitative analysis is done using ____________

a. Ion exchange chromatography
b. Thin layer chromatography
c. Gas chromatography
d. Liquid chromatography

68. The temperature at which solid and liquid coexist in equilibrium is called ____________
a. Melting point of liquid
b. Freezing point of liquid
c. Freezing point of solid
d. All of the mentioned

69. The analysis of electromagnetic radiation scattered, absorbed or emitted by the molecule is called
__________
a. Kaleidoscopy
b. Astronomy
c. Spectroscopy
d. Anatomy
70. The different types of energies associated with a molecule are __________
a. Electronic energy
b. Vibrational energy
c. Rotational energy
d. All of the mentioned

71. Select the correct statement from the following option.

a. Spectroscopic methods require less time and more amount of sample than classical methods b.
Spectroscopic methods require more time and more amount of sample than classical methods c.
Spectroscopic methods require less time and less amount of sample than classical methods d.
Spectroscopic methods require more time and less amount of sample than classical methods

72. Which of the following is not in the infrared spectrum?

a. HCl
b. H2O
c. CO2
d. CH4

73. The components of the mixture in column chromatography are eluted in order of
a. increasing polarity and increasing distribution ratio.
b. increasing polarity and decreasing distribution ratio.
c. decreasing polarity and increasing distribution ratio.
d. decreasing polarity and decreasing distribution ratio.

74. Which equipment must be used in the detection of Pb2+ in blood?

a. AAS
b. NMR Spectrometer
c. IR Spectrometer
d. Mass Spectrometer

75. An industrial source of alcohol.

a. Coal
b. Fats
c. Sugar
d. Ether

76. What is the most common isotope of hydrogen?

a. H has only one isotope
b. Protium
c. Deuterium
d. Tritium

77. A 22/24 stopper is used in a volumetric flask. Which of the following is true? (Same concept as
this).
a. The diameter is 24 cm and the height is 22 cm.
b. The diameter is 22 cm and the height is 24 cm.
c. The diameter is 24 mm and the height is 22 mm.
d. The diameter is 22 mm and the height is 24 mm.

78. This type of glass is commonly used for laboratory glassware.

a. Amber
b. Quartz
c. Fused silica
d. Borosilicate
79. What is the purpose of the apparatus shown below?
a. Titrating b. Refluxing c.Filtering d. Distilling

80. In the analysis of a mixture by gas chromatography, which of the following gives the best clue as
to whether the components can be analysed with any degree of accuracy? (Same concept)
a. Column length
b. Retention times
c. Column temperature
d. Flow rate of the carrier gas

81. The determination of the equilibrium constant of a colored species can be done via which
technique?
a. Conductance
b. Ion-exchange
c. Electrophoresis
d. Spectrophotometry

82. Why is there a need to separate halogenated waste from non-halogenated waste?
a. Halogenated waste disposal is more costly.
b. Non-halogenated wastes are more toxic.
c. They are not compatible.
d. They will react.

83. Organic peroxides are dangerous when

a. Heated
b. Concentrated
c. Let ether, p-dioxane, THF, among others to vaporize
d. All of the above

84. Which of the following can be disposed down the drain?

a. 1 g/L PCl5
b. 1 M H2SO4
c. 200 g/L PCl5
d. None of the above

85. This quality system standard is a general requirement for the competence of testing and
calibration laboratories.
a. GLP
b. GMP
c. ISO 9000
d. ISO/IEC 17025:2005

86. As P increase while T drops, intermolecular forces are evident, what is applicable?
a. Ideal gas is still in effect
b. Ideal gas must be replaced by van der waals (???)
c. ---
d. No change

87. In an ideal gas of volume V and temp T. What happens to T when volume is doubled under
constant P?
a. Increases
b. Halved
c. Remains the same
d. Doubled
88. Water is a good solvent for benzoic acid recrystallization.what is the correct preparation of
benzoic solution for recrystallization.
a. Add benzoic acid to minimum hot water with stirring
b. Add room temp water to benzoic while stirring until dissolved
c. Add maximum hot water to benzoic acid while stirring
d. Add small.portions of hot water to benzoic acid while stirring. Until dissolved

89. What is the name of RA 6969?

a. Toxic Substances
b. Toxic and Hazardous
c. Toxic, Hazardous, and Nuclear Wastes
d. Toxic, Hazardous and Nuclear Substances
Note: The choices were quite confusing. The correct one should be “Toxic Substances and
Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes”

90. What type of reactions is hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen?

a. Decomposition
b. Replacement
c. Synthesis
d. Combustion

91. How to balance H2O → O2 + H2

a. Change the coefficient of O2 to 2
b. Change the coefficient of H2 to 2
c. Change the coefficients of both H2O and H2
d. Change the coefficients of both H2O and O2 to 1/2

92. What compound is possibly shown in an infrared spectrum which has peaks of 3000 cm-1and
1650 cm-1
a. Cyclohexane
b. Benzene
c. Acetone
d. Cyclohexene (???)

93. If you are going to mass produce vitamin C, which standard should you subscribe in?
a. Both A & B
b. ISO 9000
c. Both B & C
d. GMP
No idea since the choices were quite confusing. Maybe the choices were typo.

94. According to NFPA, what color refers to flammability.

a. Blue
b. Red
c. Yellow
d. White

95. Complete name of the acronym MSDS.

a. ---
b. ---
c. Material Safety Data Sheet
d. ---
 96. A solution is _______ if more solute can dissolve in it.
a. saturated
b. supersaturated
c. unsaturated
d. concentrated

97. What is the molality of 6M H2SO4 solution? The density of the solution is 1.34 g/mL. (Forgot the
choices haha)

98. Solutions of metals and salts are ______

a. Insulator
b. Conductor
c. Polar
d. Negative

99. How many isomers do C5H12 have?

a. 2
b. 3
c. 4
d. 5

100. Which is not a constitutional isomer of 2-butene?

101. Which of the following compounds have the same molecular and empirical formula?
Choices: Different structures of carboxylic acids

107. Which of the ff are limitations of Lambert-Beer's Law?

a. Scattering of light due to particles
b. Fluorescence of sample
c. Non-monochromatic radiation
d. All of the above

108. Which of the ff requires the most energy for electronic transition?
A. Alkyl halides
B. Alkanes
C. Carbonyl compounds
D. Carboxylic compounds

109. The process in which the relationship of the analytical response and the concentration of the analyte
is established.
A. Calibration
B. Standardization
C. Correlation analysis
D. Normalization

110. Which compound is different from compound I?

111. Which compound is different from other compounds?

112. What is the IUPAC name of the compound?

A. 4-ethyl-pent-3-ene
B. 2-ethyl-pent-2-ene
C. 3-methyl-hex-3-ene
D. 4-methyl-hex-3-ene

113. Which compound is a tertiary alcohol?

114. What is the correct molecular formula of the molecule?

A. C7H10O
B. C7H12O
C. C6H8O
D. C6H10O

115. How much calcium chloride is needed to make .5L of .5M solution?
27.7 g

116. Which of the following will cause the mass of the metal block to increase?
A. Putting the block in a freezer
B. Heating the block
C. Measuring the mass of the block in Jupiter
D. None of the above

117. The process that combines alcohol and carboxylic acid to form an organic compound and water is
called ____
Esterification

118. 250lb in SI unit

113 kilograms

119. When proteins are broken down by enzymes, the products are:
a. amino acids b. carbohydrates c. fatty acids d. nucleic acids

120. Which of the following is an acid?

A. Milk of magnesia
B. Apple juice
C. --
D. --

121. Which compound will rapidly decolorize bromine in CHCl3

A. hexane
B. benzene
C. 1-hexene
D. cyclohexane

122. Presence of a functional group in a compound can be established by using:

a. Chromatography
b. IR Spectroscopy
c. Mass Spectroscopy
d. X Ray diffraction
123. The gas-solid chromatography is ____________ chromatography as per basic principle involved
a. Exclusion
b. Ion exchange
c. Adsorption
d. Absorption

124. What is the advantage of using ground glass joints when carrying out a chemical reaction?
a. no purities are introduced in the reactions from corks or rubber stopper
b. all joints are interchangeable and a good fit is assured
c. glassware apparatus can easily be assembled
d. All of the above ??

125. A compound is known to decompose at its boiling point, which of the following methods can be
used to purify this substance
a. Simple distillation
b. vacuum distillation
c. liquid-liquid extraction
d. fractional distillation
e. steam distillation

126. How many possible isomers of alcohol does C4H8O have? (Not sure of the exact question)

127. Which compounds have both cis and trans isomers possible? Choices: Different organic compounds
were given but you can choose which one is an alkene.

128. What type of cell converts chemical to electrical energy?

A. Voltaic cell
B. Galvanic cell
C. Electrolytic cell
D. Voltaic and galvanic cells