1. No specific comment available.

2. (a) Many candidates failed to answer the question in that no explanation was given. Attempts
were made in terms of a periodic trend - (because it increases across a period or decreases
down a group). A number of candidates said that sodium was losing one electron while
magnesium was losing two.
(b) There was a lot of confusion between electronegativity and ionization energy.
Electronegativity was sometimes effectively described as if it were the electron affinity.
Many candidates referred to “chlorine having more electrons in its outer shell allowing it
to have a complete outer shell by adding one more electron.”

3. No specific comment available.

4. No specific comment available.

5. In dealing with questions of this nature, candidates need to find the “crux” of the question. In
(i), it was the loss of two electrons and the consequent loss of a shell. In (ii), it was the
difference of a whole shell and some comment on the number of protons. In (iii), candidates
needed to emphasise the isoelectronic nature of the two ions and the difference in nuclear
charge.

6. No specific comment available.

7. No specific comment available.

8. This question covered material that should have been familiar to candidates and was a popular
question with almost all candidates attempting all parts. However, answers were generally poor.
The classification of oxides according to acid-base character rarely scored full marks.

1
9. This question covered material that should have been familiar to candidates and was a popular
question with almost all candidates attempting all parts. However, answers were generally poor.
Most candidates clearly indicated in the way their answers were structured, which trend they
were referring to and made appropriate reference to electrons in explaining the trends for metals
and halogens. The content was often deficient and in many cases answers read as if they were
about ionization energies.

10. This question covered material that should have been familiar to candidates and was a popular
question with almost all candidates attempting all parts. However, answers were generally poor.
Often the wrong comparisons were made. Those asked for in the question were for K with Na,
K with Ar, Na with Mg; many candidates compared Na and Ar, and others mentioned valid
points but not in the correct comparison. Points looked for included nuclear charge, energy level
or distance from the nucleus, repulsion by other electrons.

11. A comment was made that the wording of the question suggested that the electronegativity of
argon was greater than that of chlorine. The point is taken, and it would have been better to ask
about the trends from sodium to chlorine. It did not prove a problem for candidates, as nearly
three-quarters chose the correct response B.

12. No specific comment available.

13. Ligands and complex ion formation based on Lewis acid-base theory was generally well done.

14. No specific comment available.

15. No specific comment available.

16. No specific comment available.

17. No specific comment available.

18. No specific comment available.

2
19. This question posed few problems.