General Chemistry Exam

1. A chemical engineer uses waste CO2 from a manufacturing process, instead of

chlorofuorocarbons, as a “blowing agent” in the production of polystyrene. Find the density (in
g/L) of CO2 and the number of moles per liter
(a) at STP (0oC and 1 atm) and (b) at room conditions (20oC and 1.00 atm).
2. You add 1.00 kg of ethylene glycol (C2H6O2) antifreeze to 4450 g of water in your car’s radiator.
What are the boiling and freezing points of the solution? (𝐾b = 0.512 K ∙ kg ∙ mol−1 , 𝐾f =
1.86 K ∙ kg ∙ mol−1)
3. Potassium chlorate, a common oxidizing agent in fireworks and matchheads, undergoes a solid-
state disproportionation reaction when heated:
4KClO3(s) = 3KClO4(s) + KCl(s)
⊝
∆f 𝐻m (kJ ∙ mol−1 ) − 397.7 − 432.8 − 436.7
⊝
𝑆m (J ∙ mol−1 ∙ K −1 ) 143.1 151 82.6
⊝ ⊝ ⊝
Use ∆f 𝐻m and 𝑆m values to calculate ∆r 𝐺m at 25oC for this reaction.
4. A key step in the production of sulfuric acid is the oxidation of SO2 (g) to SO3 (g):
2SO2(g) + O2(g) = 2SO3(g)
⊝ ⊝ ⊝
At 298 K, ∆r 𝐺m = −141.6 kJ/mol ∆r 𝐻m = −198.4 kJ/mol ∆r 𝑆m = −187.9 J ∙ mol−1 ∙
K −1 .
(a) Use the data to decide if this reaction is spontaneous at 25oC, and predict how ∆𝐺 will
change with increasing T.
(b) Assuming that ∆𝐻 and ∆𝑆 are constant with T (no phase change occurs), is the reaction
spontaneous at 900oC?
5. Hemoglobin carries O2 from the lungs to tissue cells, where the O2 is released. The protein is
represented as Hb in its unoxygenated form and as Hb∙O2 in its oxygenated form. One reason
CO is toxic is that it competes with O2 in binding to Hb:
Hb∙O2(aq) + CO(g) = Hb∙CO (aq) + O2(g)
(a) If ∆𝐺 ⊝ ≈ −14 kJ/mol at 37°C (body temperature), what is the ratio of [Hb∙CO] to [Hb∙O2]
at 37°C with [O2] = [CO]?
(b) How is Le Châtelier’s principle used to treat CO poisoning?
6. How would you prepare a benzoic acid/benzoate buffer with pH = 4.25, starting with 5.0 L of
0.050 M sodium benzoate (C6H5COONa) solution and adding the acidic component? 𝐾a of
benzoic acid (C6H5COOH) is 6.3 × 10−5.
7. Solid silver nitrate is slowly added to a solution that is 0.0010 M each in NaCl, NaBr, and NaI.
(a) Calculate the percentage of I- precipitated before AgBr precipitates. (b) Calculate the
percentages of I- precipitated before Cl- precipitates. For AgI, 𝐾sp = 1.5 × 10−16 For AgBr,
𝐾sp = 3.3 × 10−13 For AgCl, 𝐾sp = 1.8 × 10−10.
8. In an acidic solution at standard conditions, will tin(IV) ions, Sn4+, oxidize gaseous nitrogen
oxide, NO, to nitrate ions, NO3-, or will NO3- oxidize Sn2+ to Sn4+ ions? Write the cell reaction
and calculate 𝑬⊝ for the spontaneous reaction. 𝜑 ⊝ (Sn4+ ⁄Sn2+ ) = 0.15 V ,
𝜑 ⊝ (NO− 3 ⁄NO) = 0.96 V.
9. Use the standard cell potential to calculate the value of the equilibrium constant, 𝐾, at 25°C for
the following reaction.
2Cu + PtCl2− +
6 → 2Cu + PtCl4 + 2Cl
2− −

𝜑 ⊝ (PtCl2− 2− ⊝ +
6 ⁄PtCl4 ) = 0.68 V , 𝜑 (Cu ⁄Cu) = 0.52 V.
10. Please give two examples of applications, which are related to what you studied in Chapter 1 ~
Chapter 9, in your daily life and your major, respectively.