Page 1 of 12

As the curriculum has changed for 2015, questions that are not yet relevant for the first
midterm are indicated by "OMIT".
Chemistry 121
The University of British Columbia
Midterm Examination II
Put the first letter
of your family/last
name in this box.

November 13, 2014

Time: 60 minutes
Family/Last Name (printed):______________________
First Name: ___________________________________
Signature:_____________________________________
Student Number:_______________________________

1.
2.
3.

4.

5.

Please check your lecture section:

___101 (MWF 1:00 PM) Rodriguez-Nunez
___102 (MWF 2:00 PM) Wolf
___103 (MWF 3:00 PM) Wolf
___110 (MWF 10:00 AM) Berlinguette
___111 (MWF 11:00 AM) MacLachlan
___122 (T,Th 2:00 PM) Mehrkhodavandi
___133 (T,Th 3:30 PM) Crane
___188 (T,Th 8:00 AM) Crane
___199 (T,Th 9:30 AM) Monga

INSTRUCTIONS
Write all answers on this examination paper, and show full details of your solutions for Part 2.
Read each question carefully.
Check that this examination consists of 12 PAGES PRINTED ON BOTH SIDES. The last sheet
(pages 11 and 12), containing Supplementary Information and the Periodic Table, may be detached
for ease of use.
The only calculator allowed is the Sharp EL-510 model. All other calculators will be confiscated.
Cell phones or other electronic communication devices are not permitted on the examination desks
and must be powered off.
Unassembled molecular model kits may be used.
RULES GOVERNING FORMAL EXAMINATIONS

1. Each examination candidate must be prepared to produce, upon the request of the invigilator or examiner, his or her UBCcard for identification.
2. Examination candidates are not permitted to ask questions of the examiners or invigilators, except in cases of supposed errors or ambiguities in
examination questions, illegible or missing material, or the like.
3. No examination candidate shall be permitted to enter the examination room after the expiration of one-half hour from the scheduled starting time, or to
leave during the first half hour of the examination. Should the examination run forty-five (45) minutes or less, no examination candidate shall be
permitted to enter the examination room once the examination has begun.
4. Examination candidates must conduct themselves honestly and in accordance with established rules for a given examination, which will be articulated
by the examiner or invigilator prior to the examination commencing. Should dishonest behaviour be observed by the examiner(s) or invigilator(s),
pleas of accident or forgetfulness shall not be received.
5. Examination candidates suspected of any of the following, or any other similar practices, may be immediately dismissed from the examination by the
examiner/invigilator, and may be subject to disciplinary action:
i. speaking or communicating with other examination candidates, unless otherwise authorized;
ii.purposely exposing written papers to the view of other examination candidates or imaging devices;
iii. purposely viewing the written papers of other examination candidates;
iv. using or having visible at the place of writing any books, papers or other memory aid devices other than those authorized by the examiner(s);
and,
v. using or operating electronic devices including but not limited to telephones, calculators, computers, or similar devices other than those
authorized by the examiner(s)(electronic devices other than those authorized by the examiner(s) must be completely powered down if present at the
place of writing).
6. Examination candidates must not destroy or damage any examination material, must hand in all examination papers, and must not take any
examination material from the examination room without permission of the examiner or invigilator.
7. Notwithstanding the above, for any mode of examination that does not fall into the traditional, paper-based method, examination candidates shall
adhere to any special rules for conduct as established and articulated by the examiner.
8. Examination candidates must follow any additional examination rules or directions communicated by the examiner(s) or invigilator(s).

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Marks
Part

Question Possible Marks

1
2

Total

22
1

12

10

10
60

Marks

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Part 1. Multiple Choice (22 marks total)
For each numbered statement below, write the letter that corresponds to the best answer in the box
provided. Use CAPITAL LETTERS only. Only the answer given in the box provided will be marked.
There is only one correct answer per question. Each question is worth 2 marks.
OMIT

1.

Diamond and graphite are _____________ of carbon.

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

OMIT 2.

4d 5f
10p 15d
3p 1s
3p 4p
2s 25p

Answer:

What is the ionization energy of an electron in the 4p orbital of a Li2+ ion?

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

4.

Answer:

Which of the following transitions is forbidden for a one-electron species?

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

3.

isotopes
allotropes
metalloids
oxides
None of the above

1.36 1019 J
1.23 1018 J
3.88 1018 J
1.36 1019 J
1.23 1018 J

Answer:

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle states that the velocity and position of an
electron can be measured exactly.
B. The de Broglie wavelength for a 1000 kg car travelling at 1% of the speed of
light is equal to the wavelength of an electron travelling at 100 km/h.
C. X-rays and microwaves travel at the same speed in a
Answer:
vacuum.
D. The ionization energy of sodium is exactly equal to the
binding energy of sodium determined from the
photoelectric experiment.
E. None of the above.

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5.

The sketch below shows the radial probability distribution for an orbital with at least one nodal

plane at = . Which orbital does it represent?

2

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

6.

3py
4dx2-y2
3pz
2s
4dz2

Answer:

Cesium metal has a binding energy of 202 kJ/mol. In a photoelectric experiment, a Cs metal
surface is irradiated with red light of wavelength of 630 nm. Which of the following statements
is correct?
A. Electrons will not be ejected at any wavelength of light since the binding energy
of cesium is so high.
B. Electrons are ejected when light of wavelength 630 nm is irradiated but the
number of photons must be doubled.
C. Electrons are ejected when the wavelength of the light is
Answer:
changed to 750 nm.
D. Electrons are ejected when light of wavelength 630 nm is
irradiated on the metal surface.
E. Electrons are ejected when the wavelength of the light is
changed to 500 nm.

7.

Which set of three quantum numbers (n, l, ml) corresponds to a d orbital?

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

OMIT 8.

5, 2, 3
3, 3, 2
4, 2, 2
2, 2, 0
2, 3, 0

Answer:

The thermite reaction was used to break into a secure storage facility in an episode of the TV
show Breaking Bad. We also observed this reaction in class. Which of the following
reactions is the best description of the thermite reaction?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

P4 + 3 O2 P4O6
3
Al2O3 + 3 Br2 Al2Br6 + 2 O2
2 Al + Fe2O3 Al2O3 + 2 Fe
S8 S2 + S6
1
Na + H2O NaOH + 2 H2

Answer:

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9.

Consider the following plots of probability distribution for a particle in a one-dimensional box.
Which plot represents a particle with the highest energy?

A.

B.

C.

A.

B.

C.

D.

Answer:

E.
L

D.

E.

10. Sulfur dichloride, SCl2 (1 mol) reacts with chlorine gas (1 mol) and sodium fluoride (4 mol) to
form a salt (4 mol) and compound X (1 mol). What is the molecular shape of X?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Bent
Trigonal pyramidal
Tetrahedral
Trigonal bipyramidal
See-saw

Answer:

11. The electrons of certain molecules, such as 1,3-butadiene, may be treated as particles confined
within a one-dimensional box. If the length of the molecule is 5.6 , what is the lowest kinetic
energy of an electron in such a molecule?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

0
1.92 1019 J
4.10 1014 J
1.07 1028 J
3.55 1016 J

Answer:

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Part 2. Short Answer Questions
6 marks

1. Write balanced equations to represent the chemical reactions involved in each of the
following statements. It is not necessary to specify the states of the reactants or products.
OMIT (a) The production of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) from sulfur dioxide (SO2) (this process occurs
in two steps).

OMIT

(b) The reaction to produce pure aluminum from aluminum oxide (alumina) and graphite
(Hall-Hroult process).

OMIT (c) The reaction of (CH3)3GeCl (2 mol) with water (1 mol).

12 marks

2. Reaction of white phosphorus (1 mol) with limited chlorine gas forms compound A (4 mol)
which has trigonal pyramidal molecular shape. Reaction of A (2 mol) with oxygen gas
(1 mol) forms compound B (2 mol) as the sole product. Compound B is a colourless liquid,
where the oxidation state of phosphorus is +5.
OMIT (a) Write a balanced reaction for the formation of A.

OMIT (b) Write a balanced reaction for the formation of B.

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OMIT (c) Which of the following is the best description of compound A? Circle the correct answer.
(i) Brnsted acid

(ii) Brnsted base (iii) Lewis acid

(iv) Lewis base

OMIT (d) Compound B (1 mol) reacts with water (3 mol) to produce a polar gaseous compound C
(3 mol) and compound D (1 mol). Write a balanced reaction for the formation of C and D.

OMIT (e) If an electric discharge is passed through a gaseous mixture of A (2 mol) and hydrogen gas
(1 mol), compound E (1 mol) is formed along with compound C (2 mol). Write a balanced
reaction for the formation of E.

OMIT (f) Draw the best Lewis structures of B, D and E. Write any non-zero formal charges on the
appropriate atoms, show all lone pairs of electrons as pairs of dots and all bond pairs as
lines. In structures containing Cl, the Cl atoms are terminal.
B

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10 marks

3. (a) Sketch cross sections of the indicated atomic orbitals on the axes below. Label the axes
appropriately. Indicate the sign of the phases.
3dx2 y2

OMIT

4px

(b) Below is a sketch of the wavefunction () vs. z for a specific atomic orbital of
the hydrogen atom. Identify the orbital with the appropriate orbital label
(e.g. 1s, 2s, 2px, etc.).

Orbital: ____________

OMIT (c) On the graph below, sketch the wavefunction () vs. for the 3dz2 orbital when the
radius (r) is not zero.

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10 marks

4.

(a) Calculate the energy of the transition between the ground state and first excited state
of a hydrogen atom (in J). Show your work.

Answer:

(b) A one-electron species X in the ground state absorbs light of 5.79 nm resulting in an
8p excited state. What is the one-electron species? Show your work.

Answer:

(c) When the one-electron species X decays from the 8p excited state to states with new
values of n, photons with several different wavelengths are emitted. One of these
transitions corresponds exactly to the energy required to excite an electron in the
hydrogen atom from the ground state to the first excited state. Determine the value
of n (principal quantum number) of the state to which the 8p state of X decays to give
this wavelength. Show your work.

Answer:

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OMIT (d) The plot of vs. (at = ) for the specific orbital of X to which the 8p state decays in
2
part (c) is given below. Identify the orbital with the appropriate orbital label (e.g. 1s, 2s,
2px, etc.).

Answer:

End of Examination

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Supplementary Sheet

Potentially Useful Information

1 Hertz = 1 Hz = 1 s1 = 106 MHz
1 J = 1 kg m2 s2
1 m = 106 m =109 nm = 1012 pm = 1010
h = Planck's constant = 6.626 1034 J s
NA = Avogadro's number = 6.022 1023 mol1
c = speed of light = 3.00 108 m s1
1 amu = 1 u = atomic mass unit = 1.66 1027 kg
electron mass = 9.11 1031 kg
proton mass = 1.67 1027 kg
ao = Bohr radius = 0.53
RH = Rydberg constant = 2.18 1018 J
1 eV = 1.60 1019 J
For one-electron species:
= 2.18 1018 J

2
2

Particle in a one-dimensional box:

2 2
82

(n = 1, 2, 3, etc.)
Cartesian and Spherical Polar Coordinates:

2 + 2 + 2 = 2
= sin cos
= sin sin
= cos

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