Chem 201

Problem Set 1
February 13, 2021

Write your answers and solutions in a separate sheet of paper

1. Two basic laws of chemistry are the law of conservation of mass and the law of constant
composition. Which of these laws (if any) do the following statements illustrate? (3 points)
a) The mass of phosphorus, P, combined with one gram of hydrogen, H, in the highly toxic gas
phosphine, PH3,is a little more than twice the mass of nitrogen, N, combined with one gram
of hydrogen in ammonia gas, NH3.
b) A cold pack has the same mass before and after the seal between two reactants is broken to
allow reaction to occur.
c) It is highly improbable that carbon monoxide gas found in Los Angeles is C 1.2O1.1.
2. Who discovered the nucleus? Describe the experiment that led to this discovery. (2 points)
3. Radon is a radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. It has been detected in the basement
of some homes. In an atom of Rn-220, (2 points)
a) How many protons are there?
b) How many neutrons are there
4. Consider two isotopes : Fe-54 and Fe-56. (2 points)
a) Write the nuclear symbol for both isotopes
b) How do they differ from each other.
5. Consider the following nuclear symbols, How many protons, neutrons, and electrons does
each element have? What elements do A, L, and Z represent? (5 points)
a) 7533 A b)2351L c) 13154Z
6. An isotope of antimony (Sb, Z=51) is used as a tracer to detect leaks in oil pipelines. This
isotope has 73 neutrons in its nucleus. What is the nuclear symbol. (2 points)
7. Write the symbol for the element used as a medical tool for scanning lungs. It has 54
protons and 79 neutrons. (2 points)
8. One of the most harmful components of nuclear waste is a radioactive isotope of strontium,
90
38Sr, it can be deposited in your bones, where it replaces calcium. How many protons are

there in the nucleus of Sr-90? How many neutrons? (5 points)

9. Which members possess the lowest first ionization energy in their respective period. (1
point)
a) Alkali metals b) Alkaline earth metals c) noble gases d) transition metals
10. Name the elements represented by (5 points)
a) S b) Sc c) Se d) Si e) Sr
11. Classify the elements in question 10 as metals (main group, transition, or post-transition),
non-metals or metalloids. (2 points)
12. Which period of the periodic table (1 point)
a) Has no metals b) has no non-metals c) has one post-transition metal and two
metalloids
13. Give the number of protons and electrons in the following: (8 points)
a) S8 molecule b) SO42-ion c) H2S molecule d) S2-ion
14. Calculate the number of neutrons of 239Pu (2 points)
15. Indicate the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in each of these species: (10 points)
15 33 63 84 202 130 186
7N, 16S, 29Cu, 38Sr, 80Hg, 56Ba, 74W

16. Write the appropriate symbol for each of these isotopes: (5 points)
a) Z= 74, A = 186 b) Z= 80, A= 201
17. Group these elements in pairs that you would expect to show similar chemical properties: K,
F, P, Na, N, and Cl. (5 points)
18. Give the number of protons and electrons in each of the following common ions: (10 points)
K+, Mg2+, Fe3+, Mn2+, Cu2+, Br-
19. Give the empirical formulas of the following compounds: (5 points )
a) Na2S2O4 b) N2O5 c) K2Cr2O7 d) Al2Br6
20. Which of the following compounds are likely to be ionic, Which are likely to be molecular.
(10 points)
a) CH4 b) CCl4 c) NaBr d) BaF 2 e) CsCl f) NF 3
21. In which one of these pairs do the two species resemble each other most closely in chemical
properties: (2 points)
a) 11H and 11H+ b) 147N and 147N3- c) 126C and 136C
22. Which of these symbols provides more information about the atom 23Na or 11Na? Explain. (2
points)
23. List the elements that exist as gases at room temperature. (5 points)
24. The elements in group 8A of the periodic table are called noble gases. What is the meaning
of “noble” in this context. (2 points)
25. A monoatomic ion has a charge of +2. The nucleus of the parent atom has a mass number of
55. If the number of neutrons in the nucleus is 1.2 times that of the number of protons,
what is the name and symbol of the element? (2 points)