PSPM1 2008/2009

SECTION A (40 marks) Answer all questions in this section.

1 (a) FIGURE 1 show the mass spectrum for copper, Cu, atom has been identified to
have two isotopes.
Relative
abundance 64.9278
62.9298
63 65
Cu Cu
29 29

62 63 64 65 66
FIGURE 1 Mass/charge

i. Define isotope.
ii. Using the information given in FIGURE 1, calculate the abundance of
each isotope for Cu. [4 m]

(b) Urea, (NH2)2CO is used as fertilizer and in animal feed. It is prepared by

reacting ammonia and carbon dioxide as shown:
2NH3 (g) + CO2 (g)  (NH2)2CO (s) + H2O (l)
In a process, 637.2 g of ammonia is allowed to react with 1142 g carbon
dioxide.
i. Determine the limiting reagent in the reaction.
ii. Calculate the mass of urea formed. [6 m]

2. (a) A hydrogen atom requires a minimum energy of 2.18 x 10-18 J atom-1 to

remove an electron from its ground state level. Determine whether a
blue-violet light with a wavelength of 434.0 nm can affect this process.

(b) The excited electrons of a group of irradiated hydrogen atoms are

randomly scattered to n = 1, 2, 3, and 4 energy levels. Draw an energy
level diagram to show all possible lines produced when all these electrons
drop to lower levels. Identify the line which has the shortest wavelength. [5 m]

(b) FIGURE 2 shows part of a period table. The positions of nine elements
are indicated by letters not representing their usual symbols. Answer the
following questions based on this figure.
FIGURE 2

A B
C D E F
G H I

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Identify the element which

i. has the largest ionic radius.
ii. has the smallest atomic radius.
iii. has the lowest first ionization energy.
iv. has the highest electronegativity.
v. forms amphoteric salt with oxygen. [5 m]

3. (a) Explain why

i. ammonia, NH3 has a higher boiling point than methane, CH4.
ii. diamond has a very high melting point compared to aluminium, Al. [4 m]

3. (b) i. Draw the orbital diagram for phosphorus in PCl6-.

ii. Name the hybrid orbital used by phosphorus in PCl6-.
iii. Draw and name the geometry of PCl6- ion. [6 m]

4. (a) Calculate the pH of a solution prepared by dissolving 0.26 g of sodium

hydroxide, NaOH, in water using a 250 mL volumetric flask. [5 m]

(b) Calculate the solubility of magnesium phosphate, Mg3(PO4)2, in g L-1.

[Ksp Mg3(PO4)2 = 5.2 x 10-24 , Mg3(PO4)2 = 262 g mol -1] [5 m]

SECTION B (60 marks) Answer only four questions in this section.

5 (a) What is an ideal gas.

When 17.75 g of Cl2 gas is filled into a 3-L closed container at 27 oC, the
internal pressure of the container increased to 1.6 atm. Determine whether Cl2
gas behaves as an ideal gas at this condition. State the conditions when a gas
deviates from an ideal behaviour. Explain your answer. [8 m]

(b) What is vapour pressure of a liquid?

Explain why vaporization occurs only on the surface of a liquid before the
boiling point temperature is reached. [7 m]

6 (a) The proton number of elements J and K are 13 and 16 respectively.

Draw the orbital diagram for the valence electrons of each element.
Suggest the most stable ions for J and K. Write their respective electronic
configurations. [8 m]

(b) The ionic radii of elements in the second period of the periodic table are
given in TABLE 1.
TABLE 1
Ion Li+ Be2+ B3+ N3- O2- F-
Radius (nm) 0.060 0.031 0.020 0.171 0.140 0.136

Explain the trend observed in the ionic radii. [7 m]

7 (a) Magnesium is a good electrical conductor. Draw a diagram odd an electron

sea model to explain the bonding formed in the metal. How would the
model explain the electrical conductivity of the metal?

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(b) Based on the skeletal structure of peroxynitrite ion, OONO-, draw all the
possible Lewis structures. Assign formal charge to each atom in the structure.
Determine the most stable Lewis structure for the ion and explain your answer.

What is the hybridization of N atom in the peroxynitrite ion? Estimate the

O-O-N and O-N-O bond angles. [10 m]

8 Sulphuryl chloride, SO2Cl2, gas dissociates reversibly into sulphur dioxide gas, SO2,
and chlorine gas, Cl2. The reaction is endothermic. Suggest all the possible ways to
increase the chlorine production.

An amount of 0.20 mol of SO2Cl2 was placed into a 2-L vessel and allowed to reach
equilibrium. Calculate the equilibrium constant for the reaction if the final concentration
of Cl2 is 0.08 M.

The system in equilibrium is disturbed by adding 0.14 mol os SO2Cl2 at the same
temperature. Calculate the concentrations of sulphuryl chloride and chlorine at the
new equilibrium. [15 m]

9 Pyridine, C5H5N, is a weak base. Calculate the percentage ionization of pyridine if the
initial concentration of pyridine is 5.00 X 10-4 M.

An amount of 0.01 mol of concentrated ammonia, NH3, was added to the above
pyridine solution to give a final volume of 500 ml. Calculate the concentrations of
ammonia and pyridinium ion after the addition of the ammonia.
[Kb C5H5N = 1.52 X 10-9 , Kb NH3 = 1.8 X 10-5] [15 m]

10 (a) A solution containing 0.5 g of unknown non-volatile solute is added to 100 mL of

water. This solution is separated from a volume of pure water by a semi-
permeable membrane. When the system reaches equilibrium, the difference in
height, h, between the solution and the solvent is 5.6 cm. Assuming that the
density, , of the solution is 1.0 g cm-3 , calculate the molecular mass of the
unknown solute.
(Given: Pressure = gh, gravitational acceleration, g = 9.8 ms-2) [5 m]

(b) A mixture consisting of 0.40 mol fraction of hexane, C6H14, and 0.60 mol fraction
of heptane, C7H16 , forms an ideal solution. State two properties of an ideal
solution and explain why a mixture of heptane-hexane forms an ideal solution.

By drawing an appropriate phase diagram, state how the miture of these liquids
can be separated.
[boiling point : C6H14 = 69° , C7H16 = 98°C] [10 m]

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