CHM 104 REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. Draw the shapes of s, p, and d orbitals. What is the degeneracy of each of these orbitals?
2. Draw the shape of the px orbital. What is the degeneracy of the p orbitals?
3. For the shell n=3, what are the l values? How many electrons are in this shell?
4. For a shell whose principal quantum number is 4,
(a) Identify the types and number of possible orbitals that can be found in it.
(b) Calculate the number of electrons in the shell.
5. Consider an element A whose electron configuration is 1s22s22p63s23p2,
(c) What is the group of A?
(d) In which period is it located?
(e) What is the atomic number of A?
(f) If the configuration of A is written as [Ne]3s23p2, write the configuration of Ne.
6. Identify what is wrong in the following configurations, write the correct configurations, and
explain the basis for your decision.
(g) 1s22s23p63s22p6
(h) 1s22s22p63s23p64s23d4
(i) 1s22s22p63s23p64s23d9
(j) Assign the elements in 6g - i to:
(i) Period (ii) Group and (iii) Block in the periodic Table
7. Answer the following questions:
(i) What do the ions O2-, Mg2+, Na+, and N3- have in common? What name is given to such ions?
(Atomic numbers of O, Mg, Na, and N are 8, 12, 11 and 7 respectively.)
(ii) How many d-block elements are in Period 4 of the Periodic Table? What other name is given to
these d-block elements?
(iii) Where in the Periodic Table do you expect to find the (a) most electropositive element; (b) most
metallic element; (c) metalloids?
(iv) An element has the configuration 1s22s22p63s23p64s2. What block of element does it belong? Why?
8. Explain the following observations:
(i) The ionisation energy of Be (element 4 in Period 2) is greater than that of B (element 5 in the same
Period).
(ii) BeO reacts with both acids and alkalis whereas N2O5 does not react with acids but reacts with
bases. Write balanced equations for the reactions with (a) NaOH and (b) HCl in each case.
(iii) HClO4 is a stronger acid than H2SO4.
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9. The elements within a group have widely varying numbers of protons, neutrons, and electrons.
Why, then, do elements in a group tend to have similar chemical properties?
10. Fluorine and sodium are only two atomic numbers apart on the periodic table. Why then does
fluorine form an anion, F-, whereas sodium forms a cation, Na+?
11. What are the electron configurations of chlorine anion, argon, and potassium cation?
Why do metals tend to form ionic compounds with non-metals?
12. Write balanced equations for the reaction of water, HCl and NaOH with each of the following:
NaH; B2O3; CO2.
13. Classify these oxides/hydroxides as basic, acidic and amphoteric: CO 2; BeO; Al2O3; Mg(OH)2;
(HO)3PO; NaOH. What is the basis for your classification?
14. Explain the following observations:
(a) When water is added to NaH, a gas is evolved and the solution formed is alkaline.
(b) The solution of MgCl2 is acidic.
15. Draw the structures of H2SO4 and H3PO4 and explain why H2SO4 is more acidic than H3PO4.
16. Explain the following observations:
(a) Why are group 1 metals reducing agents?
(b) Why are alkali metals stored under oil?
(c) Why would Na form a peroxide but not a superoxide whereas Cs forms a superoxide?
(d) Even though I2 does not dissolve in water, it dissolves readily in KI.
(e) When CO2 is passed into lime water it forms a white precipitate but when CO 2 is passed the
precipitate dissolves.
17. Ba2+ ion is very poisonous; however, BaSO4 is used as barium meal in the diagnosis of ulcer.
18.
(a) What does the Principal Quantum number correspond to in the Periodic Table?
(b) Where in the Periodic Table would you find the most electropositive element?
(c) Where in a Group would you expect to find the most metallic element?
(d) Draw the shapes of the three degenerate p-orbitals. What is the degeneracy of the d-orbital?
19.
(a) For a shell whose principal quantum number is 3, what are the l values, the corresponding orbitals,
and the total number of orbitals present in this shell?
(b) Based on the orbitals identified in (a), how many electrons are in this shell?
20. The first ionization energy of phosphorus is 1060 kJmol-1 and that for sulphur is 1005 kJmol-1.
Why? (Atomic number of P = 15 and that of S = 16; Hint: your answer should include the electronic
configurations of the two elements).
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21. Be, Mg, Ca and Sr are in Group II and in that order down the group. Arrange the radii of the ions
Be2+, Mg2+, Ca2+ and Sr2+ in decreasing order. How would the radius of Mg compare with that of Mg2+
and why?
22. Explain the following observations:
(i) Group one metals are reducing agents.
(ii) Sodium metal is stored under oil.
(iii) Group 1 metals are more reactive than Group II metals.
(iv) Ionisation energies increase from left to right in the Periodic Table whereas they decrease down
a group.
(v) The melting points of Na, Mg, and Al are in the order Al > Mg > Na.
23.
(a) Lithium can lose or gain electrons under certain conditions to form Li + or Li- ions. Arrange Li, Li-
and Li+ in order of increasing sizes. Give reasons for your ordering.
(b) What do the following ions have in common? N3-, O2-, F-, Na+, Mg2+ and Al3+ (Atomic numbers
are: N, 7; O, 8; F, 9; Na, 11; Mg, 12; Al, 13). What type of ions are they?
