IGCSE ACIDS, BASES AND SALTS

1. Magnesium reacts slowly with warm water to form a base, magnesium hydroxide.
(i) Explain what is meant by the term base.
....................................................................................................................................

(ii) Write a chemical equation for the reaction between magnesium and warm water.
...................................................................................................................................

(iii) Aluminium oxide is amphoteric. It is insoluble in water.

Describe experiments to show that aluminium oxide is amphoteric

...............................................................................................................................................

...............................................................................................................................................

...............................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................. [3]
2. Gallium (III) oxide, 𝐺𝑎2 𝑂3 , is amphoteric.
(i) Write the chemical equation for the reaction between gallium (III) oxide and dilute nitric acid to form
a salt and water only.

........................................................................................................................................................ [2]
(ii) The reaction between gallium (III) oxide and sodium hydroxide solution forms only water and a salt
containing the negative ion 𝐺𝑎2 𝑂42−
Write the chemical equation for this reaction.

..................................................................................................................................................... [2]

3. Some oxides of some elements are listed.

Answer the following questions using only oxides from the list. Each oxide may be used once, more than once
or not at all.
(a) Give the formula of an oxide;

(I) which is the main cause of acid rain, ............................................................................

(II) which would give a solution of pH14 when added to water, ...........................................

(III) which is the major impurity in iron ore, .....................................................................

(IV) which is amphoteric, ......................................................................................................

(V) which is neutral.............................................................................................................

(VI) which is coloured, ......................................................................................................... [6]

 (b) Amphoteric oxides and neutral oxides are different from each other.

(i) What is meant by the term amphoteric oxide?

...........................................................................................................................................

(ii) What is meant by the term neutral oxide?

............................................................................................................................................
[2]
4. Describe how you would prepare a pure dry sample of copper (II) nitrate crystals in the laboratory using
dilute nitric acid and solid copper(II) carbonate. Include a series of key steps in your answer. You should
include a chemical equation for the reaction.

......................................................................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................................................................

....................................................................................................................................................................

....................................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................................... [6]

5. Silver dichromate, 𝐴𝑔2 𝐶𝑟2 07, is a red insoluble salt.

Silver dichromate can be made by reacting silver nitrate solution with ammonium dichromate solution.
The chemical equation for the reaction is shown.

(a) Describe how you could obtain pure dry solid silver dichromate after mixing silver nitrate solution and
ammonium dichromate solution.

...................................................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................................. [3]

(b) The charge on a silver ion is +1.

(i) Deduce the charge on the dichromate ion in 𝐴𝑔2 𝐶𝑟2 𝑂7 .
.......................................................................................................................................................

(ii) Write the ionic equation for the formation of silver dichromate in this reaction. State symbols are
not required.
....................................................................................................................................................... [1]
(c) Dilute aqueous sodium hydroxide was added to the ammonium nitrate solution made in the reaction. The
mixture was then warmed and damp Universal Indicator paper was held above the mixture.
State and explain what would happen to the Universal Indicator paper

.....................................................................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................................... [2]

(d) The following apparatus shown was set up.

After five minutes, a red solid appeared along the line marked S on the diagram.

(i) Explain why a red solid appeared along the line marked S.

.................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................... [3]

(ii) The experiment was repeated at a higher temperature.

What effect, if any, would this have on the time taken for the red solid to appear? Explain your
answer.

..................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................
[2]
(e) Ammonium dichromate, (𝑁𝐻4 )2 𝐶𝑟2 𝑂7, undergoes thermal decomposition.
The products are chromium (III) oxide, nitrogen and water.

(i) What is meant by thermal decomposition?

...........................................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................................... [2]

(ii) Write a chemical equation for the thermal decomposition of ammonium dichromate.
........................................................................................................................................... [2]
 6. Dilute sulfuric acid is used to make salts known as sulfates
A method consisting of three steps is used to make zinc sulfate from zinc carbonate.

step 1 Add an excess of zinc carbonate to 20𝑐𝑚3 of 0.4mol/𝑑𝑚3 dilute sulfuric acid until the reaction is
complete.
step 2 Filter the mixture.
step 3 Heat the filtrate until a saturated solution forms and then allow it to crystallise.

(i) Name a suitable piece of apparatus for measuring 20𝑐𝑚3 of dilute sulfuric acid in step 1.

................................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) State two observations which would show that the reaction is complete in step 1.

1.................................................................................................................................................

2.................................................................................................................................................
[2]
(iii) Why is it important to add an excess of zinc carbonate in step 1?

................................................................................................................................................ [1]

(iv) What is meant by the term saturated solution in step 3?

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................ [2]

(v) Complete the equation by inserting the state symbol for zinc sulfate.

(vi) Name another zinc compound which could be used to make zinc sulfate from dilute sulfuric acid
Using this method.

................................................................................................................................................... [1]

(vii) Suggest why this method would not work to make barium sulfate from barium carbonate and
Dilute sulfuric acid.
7. A student attempted to make the maximum amount of sodium nitrate crystals. The process involved three steps.

step 1 The student added aqueous sodium chloride to aqueous silver nitrate and stirred. Neither reagent was in
excess.

step 2 The student filtered the mixture. The student then washed the residue and added the washings to the
filtrate.

step 3 The student obtained sodium nitrate crystals from the filtrate.
 (i) Describe what the student observed in step 1.

............................................................................................................................................................ [1]

(ii) Why was the residue washed in step 2?

............................................................................................................................................................. [1]

(iii) Give the names of the two processes which occurred in step 3.

1............................................................................................................................................................

2............................................................................................................................................................
[2]

(iv) The student started with 20𝑐𝑚3 of 0.20mol/𝑑𝑚3 𝑁𝑎𝐶𝑙(aq)

(a) Determine the amount of 𝑁𝑎𝐶𝑙aq) used.

amount of 𝑁𝑎𝐶𝑙aq) used =................... mol

(b) The yield of 𝑁𝑎𝑁03 crystals was 90%.

Calculate the mass of 𝑁𝑎𝑁𝑂3 crystals made.

mass of 𝑁𝑎𝑁03 crystals =....................g

[4]
(c) Write a chemical equation for the action of heat on sodium nitrate crystals.

................................................................................................................................................. [2]

8. Silver chloride, 𝐴𝑔𝐶𝑙, is insoluble. It can be made by a precipitation reaction between aqueous barium chloride
And a suitable silver salt.

(i) What is meant by the term precipitate?

..........................................................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................................................... [2]

(ii) Name a suitable silver salt to use to prepare silver chloride. Complete the chemical equation to show
the formation of insoluble silver chloride from aqueous barium chloride and the silver salt you have
named.

name of a suitable silver salt..............................................................................................................

 [3]

9. Soluble salts can be made using a base and an acid.

Complete this method of preparing dry crystals of the soluble salt cobalt(II) chloride-6-water from the insoluble

Base cobalt(ii) carbonate.

10. Barium sulfate can be made from aqueous ammonium sulfate using a precipitation reaction.

(i) Name a solution that can be added to aqueous ammonium sulfate to produce a precipitate of barium

Sulfate.

............................................................................................................................................................ [1]

(ii) Write an ionic equation for this precipitation reaction. Include state symbols.

............................................................................................................................................................. [2]

11. X, Y and Z are oxides of elements in the same row of the Periodic Table

Some information about each oxide is shown.

Which types of oxides are X, Y and Z?

12. Four different acids are dissolved in water.

Which beaker contains the most concentrated strong acid solution?

13. The following substances can be reacted together to prepare salts.

In which reactions can the excess reactant be separated from the solution by filtration?
14.

15.

16. What is a characteristic of acids?

17. Zinc oxide is an amphoteric oxide. Which row describes the reactions of zinc oxide?

18. Which statement about acids and bases is correct?

19. Which statement about oxides is correct?

20. The solubility of some salts is shown.

Which two aqueous solutions produce an insoluble salt when mixed together?
21. Which methods are suitable for preparing both zinc sulfate and copper(II) sulfate?

BONUS QUESTIONS.

22. 25.0 cm3 of 0.100 mol /dm3 aqueous sodium hydroxide is neutralised by 24.6 cm3 of dilute sulfuric acid.
What is the concentration of the dilute sulfuric acid?

23.

24. What are the ionic half-equations for the electrode reactions during the electrolysis of concentrated aqueous

Sodium chloride