CHE110 PROBLEM SET AND SOLUTIONS ODL

1.0 Units and Measurements

Accuracy and precision; Significant figures; Experimental errors in general; Graphical methods in
chemistry; Measurements and uncertainties; graphical and error analysis; units and conversions,
uncertainties in experiments.

PROBLEM SET 1
1. How many significant figures are there in each of the following measurements?
a. 73.0000 g b. 0.0503 kg c. 6.300 cm d. 0.80090 m e. 5.10 x 10-7 m f. 2.010 s
2. Four workers measure the mass of a 10.000 g mass on several different kitchen balances.
Worker A: 10.022 g, 9.976 g, 10.008 g
Worker B: 9.836 g, 10.033 g, 9.723 g
Worker C: 10.230 g, 10.231 g, 10.232 g
Worker D: 9.632 g, 9.835 g, 9.926 g
i) Which set of data has the best precision?
ii) Which set of data has the best accuracy?
3. Convert the following as stated:
i) 1 g/cm3 to kg/m3 ii) 0.5 dm3 to L iii) 500 ml to cm3 iv) 273.2 K to ˚C
4. A person’s average daily intake of glucose (a form of sugar) is 0.0833 pound (lb). What is
this mass in milligrams (mg)? (1 lb = 453.6 g.)
5. Liquid nitrogen is obtained from liquefied air and is used to prepare frozen goods and in
low-temperature research. The density of the liquid at its boiling point (-196°C or 77 K) is
0.808 g/cm3. Convert the density to units of kg/m3.

2.0 Stoichiometry
Definition of a mole based on carbon-12; Avogadro’s constant as number of particles per mole;
Masses of atoms and molecules: relative atomic and molecular masses; Molar mass as mass of 1
mole; Molar volumes at STP and RTP; Chemical equations and balancing; Reacting moles and
stoichiometric assumptions; Limiting reagents in reactions; Calculation of theoretical and actual
experimental yields- the % yields; Molar solutions and concentration; Molarity, molality, standard
solutions; Types of formulae (Chemical, empirical, molecular, and structural formulae);
Determination of empirical and molecular formulae from % composition; atomic mass from %
composition; Balancing ionic and molecular equations [Balancing REDOX EQUATIONS]
PROBLEM SET 2
6. (a) Calculate the atomic mass of an element with two naturally occurring isotopes,
from the following data: [solve in terms of x, y and T(if T is the atomic mass of the
element.)]
Isotope Isotopic Mass (a.m.u) % Relative
Abundance
X-63 62.930 x
X-65 64.928 y
(b) Chlorine has two naturally occurring isotopes, 35Cl, with an isotopic mass of
34.9689 a.m.u. and 37Cl with an isotopic mass of 36.9689 a.m.u. If chlorine has an
atomic mass 35.4527 a.m.u. what is the percentage abundance of each chlorine
isotope?
7. Calcium sulphate, CaSO4, is a white, crystalline powder. Gypsum is a mineral, or natural
substance, that is a hydrate of calcium sulphate. A 1.000-g sample of gypsum contains 0.791
g CaSO4.
i) How many moles of CaSO4 are there in this sample?
ii) Assuming that the rest of the sample is water, how many moles of H2O are there in
the sample?
iii) Give the actual formula of the hydrate of the form CaSO4.XH2O.
8. Phosphorus oxychloride is the starting compound for preparing substances used as flame
retardants for plastics. An 8.53 g sample of phosphorus oxychloride contains 1.72 g of
phosphorus. What is the mass percentage of phosphorus in the compound?
9. Thiophene is a liquid compound of the elements C, H, and S. A sample of thiophene weighing
7.96 g was burned in oxygen, giving 16.65 g CO2. Another sample was subjected to a series
of reactions that transformed all of the sulphur in the compound to barium sulphate. If 4.31 g
of thiophene gave 11.96 g of barium sulphate,
(i) What is the empirical formula of thiophene?
(ii) Its molecular mass is 84 a.m.u. What is its molecular formula?
10. Ethylene oxide, C2H4O, is made by the oxidation of ethylene, C2H4.
C2H4 (g) + O2 (g) C2H4O (g)
Ethylene oxide is used to make ethylene glycol for automobile antifreeze. In a pilot study,
10.6 g of ethylene gave 9.91 g of ethylene oxide. What is the percentage yield of ethylene
oxide?
11. The equation for the reaction between aqeuos solutions of silver nitrate and barium
chloride is
BaCl2(aq) + AgNO3(aq) AgCl (s) + Ba(NO3)2 (aq).
If a solution that contains 41.6g AgNO3 is mixed with a solution that contains 35.4g
BaCl2,
a) which reactant is limiting?
b) how many grams of which reactant will be left over?
c) how many grams of AgCl will be formed?
12. An unknown metal carbonate reacts with hydrochloric acid according to the following
equation.
M2CO3(aq) + 2HCl(aq) →2MCl(aq) + CO2(g) + H2O(l)
A 3.44 g sample of M2CO3was dissolved in distilled water to make 250 cm3 of
solution. A 25.0 cm3 portion of this solution required 33.2 cm3 of 0.150 mol dm–3
hydrochloric acid for complete reaction.
(i) Calculate the amount, in moles, of HCl in 33.2 cm3 of 0.150 mol dm–3
hydrochloric acid. Give your answer to 3 significant figures.
(ii) Calculate the amount, in moles, of M2CO3that reacted with this amount of
HCl. Give your answer to 3 significant figures.
(iii) Calculate the amount, in moles, of M2CO3 in the 3.44 g sample. Give your
answer to 3 significant figures.
 (iv) Calculate the relative formula mass, Mr, of M2CO3 Give your answer to 1
decimal place.
(v) Hence determine the relative atomic mass, Ar of the metal M and deduce its
identity.
13. Consider the reaction below:
Fe2+ (aq) + MnO4- (aq) Fe3+ (aq) + Mn2+ (aq)
a. Balance the equation in acidic media
b. Balance the equation in basic media

3.0 Matter
3.1 Composition of matter
3.2 Three states of matter
3.3 Intermolecular forces
3.4 Phase changes

4.0 Fundamental gas laws

4.1 Quantitative treatment of gas laws (Charles’ law, Boyle’s law, Avogadro’s law)
4.2 Ideal gas law
4.3 Gas Stoichiometry
4.4 Dalton’s law
4.5 Graham’s law
4.6 Real gas law

TERM TWO BEGINS

5.0 Atomic Structure
Atoms and electrons; Dalton and Thomson model of the atom; The Bohr-Rutherford atom; Quantum
mechanical model; Electronic configuration

6.0 Periodic Table

Classification of elements; Variation of properties (periodic); Group trends

7.0 Chemical Bonding

Ionic (electrovalent) bonding; Covalent bonding; Dative (or coordinate) bonding; Hydrogen bonding;
Metallic bonding; Hybridisation (sp, sp2, and sp3)
PROBLEM SET FOR TOPICS 5, 6 AND 7
1. What is the wavelength of a photon of light that has a frequency of 3.8 x 109 s-1?

2. What is the wavelength (in Å) of a ray whose energy is 6.16 x 10-21 Joules?

3. An electron has a mass of 9.06 x 10-25 kg and is traveling at the speed of light. Calculate

its

a. wavelength

b. energy in KJ / mol
4. Give the electromagnetic radiation spectrum according to increasing wavelength.

5. State the four quantum numbers that describe the location of an electron in a given atom.

6. Give the orientation and shape of each orbital for electrons if the principal quantum

number is 2.

7. Write the electronic configuration of Cu2+ ion.

8. State the difference between ionization energy and electron affinity.

9. Why are noble gases not reactive?

10. Why are d-block elements not as reactive as s-block elements?

11. Arrange these atoms and ions in order of decreasing size:

F, Cl, Br

Na, Na+,Ca

Mg2+, Ca2+ and Ca

12. Which of the following is largest: S2-, S, O2- ?

13. What are the trends of ionization energy, atomic radius, electron affinity across a period

and a group in the periodic table?

8.0 Solutions
8.1 Colligative properties of solutions
8.2 Van’t Hoff factor
8.3 Raoult’s law
PROBLEM SET FOR TOPIC 8
1. Predict whether each of the following substances is more likely to dissolve in the nonpolar
solvent carbon tetrachloride or in water:
a) C7H16,
b) Na2SO4,
c) HCl, and
d) I2.
SOLUTION
Analyse
We are given two solvents, one that is nonpolar 1CCl42 and the other that is polar 1H2O2, and asked
to determine which will be the better solvent for each solute listed.
Plan
By examining the formulas of the solutes, we can predict whether they are ionic or molecular. For
those that are molecular, we can predict whether they are polar or nonpolar. We can then apply the
idea that the nonpolar solvent will be better for the nonpolar solutes, whereas the polar solvent will be
better for the ionic and polar solutes.
Solve
a) C7H16 is a hydrocarbon, so it is molecular and nonpolar. The non-polar solutes would
be more soluble in the non-polar CCl4 than in polar H2O.
b) Na2SO4, a compound containing a metal and non-metals, is ionic. Water would be the
better solvent for Na2SO4 (the ionic solutes).
c) HCl, a diatomic molecule containing two non-metals that differ in electronegativity, is
polar. Water would be the better solvent for HClpol (ar covalent).
d) I2, a diatomic molecule with atoms of equal electronegativity, is nonpolar. We would
therefore predict the non-polar solutes would be more soluble in the non-polar CCl4
than in polar H2O.
2. State Henry’s law
SOLUTION
Henry’s law states that the mass of a dissolved gas in a given volume of solvent at
equilibrium is proportional to the partial pressure of the gas.
Summarised by:

Alternatively:
The solubility of a gas in a liquid solvent increases in direct proportion to the partial
pressure of the gas above the solution.
The relationship between pressure and gas solubility is expressed by Henry’s law:
Sg = kPg
Here, Sg is the solubility of the gas in the solvent (usually expressed as molarity), Pg is the partial
pressure of the gas over the solution, and k is a proportionality constant known as the Henry’s law
constant. The value of this constant depends on the solute, solvent, and temperature.
3. Calculate the concentration of carbon dioxide in a soft drink that is bottled with a partial
pressure of CO2 of 0.41 MPa over the liquid at 25 °C. The Henry’s law constant for CO2 in
water at this temperature is 3.4 x 10-4 mol/m3-Pa.
SOLUTION

4. (a) A solution is made by dissolving 13.5 g of glucose in 0.100 kg of water. What is the
mass percentage of solute in this solution?

(b)A 2.5-g sample of groundwater was found to contain 5.4 µg of Zn2+. What is the
concentration of Zn2+ in parts per million?

5. What are colligative properties? Mention and explain the four colligative properties of
solutions.
SOLUTION
  Colligative properties of solutions are properties that depend upon the concentration of
solute molecules or ions, but not upon the identity of the solute.
 Colligative properties include vapour pressure lowering, boiling point elevation, freezing point
depression, and osmotic pressure.
6. State Raoult’s Law. Glycerin (C3H8O3) is a non-volatile non-electrolyte with a density of
1.26 g/mL at 25 °C. Calculate the vapour pressure at 25 °C of a solution made by adding
50.0 mL of glycerin to 500.0 mL of water. The vapor pressure of pure water at 25 °C is
3.17 kPa, and its density is 1.00 g/mL.

7. To discuss the boiling point elevation, we take this into account by defining i, the van’t
Hoff factor, as the number of fragments that a solute breaks up into for a particular
solvent. The change in boiling point for a solution compared to the pure solvent is:
Tb = Tb(solution) - Tb(solvent) = iKbm
In this equation, Tb(solution) is the boiling point of the solution, Tb(solvent) is the boiling
point of the pure solvent, m is the molality of the solute, Kb is the molal boilingpoint-
elevation constant for the solvent (which is a proportionality constant that is
experimentally determined for each solvent), and i is the van’t Hoff factor. For a
nonelectrolyte, we can always assume i = 1; for an electrolyte, i will depend on how the
substance ionizes in that solvent. For instance, i = 2 for NaCl in water, assuming complete
dissociation of ions. As a result, we expect the boiling-point elevation of a 1 m aqueous
solution of NaCl to be twice as large as the boiling-point elevation of a 1 m solution of a
nonelectrolyte such as sucrose. Thus, to properly predict the effect of a particular solute on
boiling-point elevation (or any other colligative property), it is important to know whether
the solute is an electrolyte or a nonelectrolyte.

Automotive antifreeze contains ethylene glycol, HOCH2CH2OH, a nonvolatile nonelectrolyte, in

water. Calculate the boiling point and freezing point of a 25.0% by mass solution of ethylene
glycol in water.
9.0 Chemical Equilibria
9.1 Reversible reaction
9.2 The equilibrium condition
9.3 The equilibrium constant
9.4 Equilibrium expressions
9.5 Heterogeneous equilibria
9.6 Le Chatelier’s Principle
9.7 Solubility equilibria
9.8 Common ion effect
PROBLEM SET FOR TOPIC 9
1. Write the equilibrium expression for Kc for the following reactions:

SOLUTION

2. Write the equilibrium-constant expression Kc for

SOLUTION

3. For the reaction of nitrogen and hydrogen to produce ammonia in the Haber process, the
Kc is 9.60 at 300 °C. Calculate Kp for this reaction at this temperature.
SOLUTION
Write a correct balanced chemical eqn,
 With 2 mol of gaseous products (2NH3) and 4 mol of gaseous reactants (1 N2 + 3 H2), n = 2 - 4 =
-2. (Remember that  functions are always based on products minus reactants.) The temperature is
273 + 300 = 573 K. The value for the ideal-gas constant, R, is 8.314 L-kPa/mol.K. Using Kc =
9.60, we therefore have

4. Each of these mixtures was placed in a closed container and allowed to stand:
(a) CaCO3(s)
(b) CaO(s) and CO2(g) at a pressure greater than the value of Kp
(c) CaCO3(s) and CO2(g) at a pressure greater than the value of Kp
(d) CaCO3(s) and CaO(s)
Determine whether or not each mixture can attain the equilibrium

5. After a mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen gases in a reaction vessel is allowed to attain
equilibrium at 472 °C, it is found to contain 747.8 kPa H2, 249.3 kPa N2, and 16.82 kPa
NH3. From these data, calculate the equilibrium constant Kp for the reaction
SOLUTION
From the eqn,

6. A reaction vessel containing 1.000 x 10-3 M H2 gas and 2.000 x 10-3 M I2 gas is heated to
448 °C where the following reaction takes place

What is the value of the equilibrium constant Kc if once the system comes to equilibrium at 448 °C
the concentration of HI is 1.87 x 10- 3 M?
7. For the reaction, CO(g) + 2 H2(g) ↔ CH3OH(g) + energy, predict the effect of the
following changes on the equilibrium concentration of CH3OH(g):
a)
8.

10.0 Acid-Base Equilibria

10.1 Bronsted-Lowry acid-base concept
10.2 Conjugate acid-base pairs
10.3 Strength of acids and bases
10.4 Lewis acid-base concept
10.5 Properties of acids and bases
10.6 Acid-base indicators
10.7 Strong acid and strong base titrations
10.8 Calculations involving pH, pOH, and pK
10.9 Buffer solutions

TERM THREE
11.0 Thermochemistry
11.1 Enthalpy and enthalpy change
11.2 Measurements of heat changes
11.3 Thermochemical equations and Hess’ law
11.4 Semi quantitative treatment of Entropy and Gibb’s free energy

12.0 Electrochemistry
12.1 Oxidation-reduction (REDOX) reactions
12.2 Galvanic cells (Nernst equation)
12.3 The electrochemical series
12.4 Electrolytic cells
12.5 Faraday’s laws of electrolysis
PROBLEM SET FOR TOPICS 10, 11 & 12
1. Define an acid and a base according to Bronsted-Lowry concepts
2. a. Define a buffer
b. For a weak acid derive the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation.
3. What is the pH of a 0.14M aqueous solution of HCN (pKa = 9.31)?
4. The pH of 0.1M CH3COOH is 2.87. What is the value of the acid dissociation constant, Ka?
5. i. Estimate the pH of 10-7M HCl(aq
ii. Calculate the concentration of OH- for an aqueous solution with a pH of 9.60
6. Calculate the solubility of MnS in

i. Water

ii. In 1.0 x 10-2 mol dm-3 solution of sulphide ion [Ksp(MnS) = 2.5 x 10-13.

7. Without perfoming any calculations, state whether the entropy of the system increases or
decreases during each of the processes below. For each explain fully the answer given.

a. Oxidation of nitrogen gas

b. Sublimation of dry ice

c. Evaporation of water from damp clothes.

8. Consider the synthesis of propane gas normally used as camping fuel:

C(s) + H2 (g) C3H8 (g)

Given the following experimental data, determine the enthalpy of formation of propane gas
from solid carbon and hydrogen gas.

9. Nickel–cadmium cells are used to power electrical equipment such as drills and shavers. The
electrode reactions are shown below.

NiO(OH) + H2O + e–→Ni(OH)2 + OH– E = +0.52 V

Cd(OH)2 + 2e–→Cd + 2OH– E = –0.88 V

(a) Calculate the e.m.f. of a nickel–cadmium cell.

(b) Deduce an overall equation for the reaction that occurs in the cell when it is used.
(c) Identify the oxidising agent in the overall cell reaction and give the oxidation state of the
metal in this oxidising agent.
10. Given the following half-reactions and half-cell potentials, write the balanced overall
electrochemical reaction that would occur and calculate the cell potential of a voltaic cell
incorporating these two half reactions.
 O2(g) + 2 H2O(l) + 4 e- → 4 OH-(aq) E° = +0.40 V
Cr3+(aq) + 3 e- → Cr(s) E° = -0.74 V

11. In one of the experimental classes you were asked to construct a galvanic cell with the following
setup.

Pt|Fe2+ (aq), Fe3+ (aq) || (aq), Br2(aq)|Pt

(a) Calculate the e.m.f of this cell

(b) Write a half-equation for the reaction occurring at the negative electrode when
current is taken from this cell.

(c) Deduce what change an increasein the concentration of Fe3+(aq) would cause
in the e.m.f. of the cell.
2+ +
13. Answer the question below regarding the reaction, Pb (aq) + Ag(s) → Pb(s) + Ag (aq).
a. Balance the reaction using the half-reaction method.

b. Use the emf table in the textbook to calculate the E°cell and determine
whether this reaction would occur in a voltaic cell or an electrolytic cell.

c. Use E°cell to calculate Kc for this reaction at 25 °C.

d. Use E°cell to calculate ∆ G° for this reaction.

14. Calculate ∆G˚ for the following reaction, given that its standard cell potential is +0.320V at
25 ˚C.

NiO2 (s) + 2Cl- (aq) +4H+(aq)  Cl2 (g) + Ni2+(aq) + 2H2O(l)

15. Calculate the cell potential for a voltaic cell with Pt/Pt2+ and Ag/Ag+ half-cells and
the initial concentrations [Pt2+] = 0.90 M and [Ag+] = 0.20 M.

Pt2+(aq) + 2 e- → Pt(s) E° = +1.20 V

Ag+(aq) + e- → Ag(s) E° = +0.80 V

16. A concentration cell is constructed using two nickel electrodes with Ni2+
concentrations of 1.0 M and 1.00 x 10-4M in the two half-cells. Calculate the cell
potential for the cell.

13.0 Chemical Kinetics

13.1 Rates of reactions
13.2 An introduction to rate laws
13.3 Collision theory
13.4 Activation energy

PROBLEM SET FOR TOPIC 13

9. Define the following

a. Instantaneous rates b. Average rates c. Initial rates

10. a) Write the rate expression for the decomposition of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) to
produce nitric oxide (NO) and oxygen (O2).

b) The initial concentration of NO2 is 0.0100 mol/L and its concentration after 150 s is 0.0055
mol/L. What is the average rate of the reaction during the 150 s with correct units?

c) What would be happening to the concentration of oxygen as time increases?

11. Given the stoichiometric equation for a chemical reaction, write down the rate
expression for the reaction, in terms of the time derivatives of the concentrations. N2
+ H2  NH3
12. Methyl acetate reacts with hydroxide ion according to the following equation,

with the rate

What is the order of the reaction for each reactant and the overall order of the reaction?
13. i) Sketch graphs to show the relationship between concentration ([A]) and time (t)for
the following orders of reactions and

ii) Draw the concentration versus rates of reaction graphs for:

a. First order reaction b. zero order reaction c. second order reaction

14. Consider the reaction: P4 + 6H2 4PH3. A rate study of this reaction was
conducted at 298 K. The data that were obtained are shown in the table.

a. What is the order wrt (i) P4 and (ii) H2?

b. Write the rate law for this reaction.
c. Determine the value and units of the rate constant, k.
15. Consider the reaction below:

S2O82-(aq) + 3I- (aq) 2SO42- (aq) + I3- (aq)

The following data were obtained.

 Expt. [S2O82-] [I-] Initial Rate,
# (mol/L) (mol/L) (mol/L.s)

1 0.036 0.060 1.5 x 10-5
2 0.072 0.060 2.9 x 10-5
3 0.036 0.120 2.9 x 10-5

(a) Determine the order of the reaction w.r.t. each reactant. Write the rate law for the above
reaction.

(b) Calculate the rate constant, k, and give its appropriate units.

(c) Calculate the reaction rate when each reactant concentration is 0.20 M

16. The decomposition of hydrogen peroxide to oxygen and hydrogen has the following
kinetic data:

Time (s) [H2O2]

0 0.500
21600 0.250
43200 0.125

(a) Use linear regression to determine the rate law

(b) What is the value of the rate constant?
17. A first-order reaction is 38.5% complete in 480 s.
a. Calculate the value of the rate constant.
b. What is the value of the half-life?
c. How long will it take for the reaction to reach 95% completion?
18. A cache of Hebrew manuscripts known as the Dead Sea Scroll was found in 1947. The

specific activity of Carbon-14 in the linen wrappings of the book of Isaiah was about

0.200 disintegration per second per gram (dps g-1). Carbon-14 in living materials has a

specific activity of 0.255 dps g-1. The half-life of Carbon-14 is 5.73 x 103 years. Carbon-14

decay by First order rate law. Calculate the approximate age of the linen.

19. For the decomposition of nitrogen pentoxide (N2O5) write the reaction mechanism and

state which step is the rate determining step.

20. What two factors determine whether a collision between two reactant molecules will result

in a reaction?

21. The rate of this rxn depends only on NO2: NO2 + CO NO + CO2. The following
data were collected.
 a. Determine the order of the reaction wrt nitrogen dioxide.
b. What is the rate law for this reaction?
c. What is the nitrogen dioxide concentration at 2.7 x 104 s after the start of the rxn?
14. A certain gas reaction has the following kinetic data:
T(K) k (s-1)
650.0 2.24 x10-6
750.0 0.00112
800.0 0.01405
Determine the activation energy and the Arrhenius pre-exponential factor A.

15. Consider the following mechanism.

a. Write the overall balanced equation

b. Identify any intermediates within the mechanism.
c. What is the order of the reaction wrt each reactant and write the rate law for the reaction?

14.0 Introduction to Organic chemistry

14.1 Tetra valence and catenation properties of carbon.
14.2 Classification, structures, and nomenclature (IUPAC system) of organic compounds
(alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, alkyl halides, alcohols, carbonyls, and amines).
14.3 Hybridisation of carbon bonds: sp3, sp2 and sp orbitals
14.4 Isomerism: structural
PROBLEM SET ON TOPIC 14

1. Draw the condensed structural formulas for the following molecules:

a. 1-ethyl-2-methylcyclopentane

b. 1,1-dimethylcyclobutane

c. 1,1-dimethyl-2-propylcyclopropane

Do any of these molecules have cis- and trans- geometric isomers?

2. For the molecules in question 1 above, draw the molecules using skeletal structures

3. What are the possible structural isomers and names of each for the compound with the
chemical formula C4H6O2?

4. Name the following compounds:

 H3C

H3C

a. H3C CH3 CH3

5. Draw the correct structure of the compound (4-chloro-5-propylcyclopent-2-en-1

yl)methanol
6. Circle the respective functional groups and give the name of the groups
identified.
O
H3C
CH3 H2N

H3C
a. b. N b.

O CH3 CH2 CH3

H3C
H3C
OH
OH

Cl
1-chloro-3-ethyl-4-methylpent-4-en-1-ol
c. O d.

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS