2009 U. S.

NATIONAL
CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD
LOCAL SECTION EXAM
Prepared by the American Chemical Society Olympiad Examinations Task Force

OLYMPIAD EXAMINATIONS TASK FORCE

Arden P. Zipp, State University of New York, Cortland, NY
Chair

James Ayers, Mesa State College, Grand Junction, CO Paul Groves, South Pasadena HS, South Pasadena, CA
Sherry Berman-Robinson, Consolidated HS, Orland Park, IL (retired) Preston Hays, Glenbrook South HS, Glenbrook, IL

Seth Brown, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN David Hostage, Taft School, Watertown, CT
Peter Demmin, Amherst HS, Amherst, NY (retired) Adele Mouakad, St. John’s School, San Juan, PR

Marian Dewane, Centennial HS, Boise, ID Jane Nagurney, Scranton Preparatory School, Scranton, PA
Valerie Ferguson, Moore HS, Moore, OK Ronald Ragsdale, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT

Kimberly Gardner, US Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO

DIRECTIONS TO THE EXAMINER

This test is designed to be taken with an answer sheet on which the student records his or her responses. All answers are to be marked
on that sheet, not written in the booklet. Each student should be provided with an answer sheet and scratch paper, both of which must
be turned in with the test booklet at the end of the examination. Local Sections may use an answer sheet of their own choice.

The full examination consists of 60 multiple-choice questions representing a fairly wide range of difficulty. Students should be
permitted to use non-programmable calculators. A periodic table and other useful information are provided on page two of this exam
booklet for student reference.

Suggested Time: 60 questions—110 minutes

DIRECTIONS TO THE EXAMINEE

DO NOT TURN THE PAGE UNTIL DIRECTED TO DO SO.

This is a multiple-choice examination with four choices for each question. There is only one correct or best answer to each question.
When you select your choice, blacken the corresponding space on the answer sheet with your pencil. Make a heavy full mark, but no
stray marks. If you decide to change your answer, be certain to erase your original answer completely.

Not valid for use as an ACS Olympiad Local Section Exam after March 31, 2009. STOCK CODE OL09
Distributed by the ACS DivCHED Examinations Institute, Iowa State University, Ames, IA.
All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.
 ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS CONSTANTS
amount of substance n Faraday constant F molar M
ampere A free energy G molar mass M R = 8.314 J·mol–1·K–1
atmosphere atm frequency ν mole mol R = 0.0821 L·atm·mol–1·K–1
atomic mass unit u gas constant R Planck’s constant h 1 F = 96,500 C·mol–1
atomic molar mass A gram g pressure P
1 F = 96,500 J·V–1·mol–1
Avogadro constant NA hour h rate constant k
Celsius temperature °C joule J reaction quotient Q NA = 6.022 × 1023 mol–1
centi– prefix c kelvin K second s h = 6.626 × 10–34 J·s
coulomb C kilo– prefix k speed of light c c = 2.998 × 108 m·s–1
electromotive force E liter L temperature, K T
energy of activation Ea measure of pressure mmHg time t 0 °C = 273.15 K
enthalpy H milli– prefix m volt V
entropy S molal m volume V
equilibrium constant K

EQUATIONS

RT $ "#H '$ 1 ' "k % E " 1 1 %

E = Eo ! ln Q ln K = & )& ) + constant ln$$ 2 '' = a $$ ( ''
nF % R (% T ( # k1 & R # T1 T2 &

1 PERIODIC TABLE OF THE ELEMENTS 18

1A 8A
1 2
H 2 13 14 15 16 17 He
1.008 2A 3A 4A 5A 6A 7A 4.003

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Li Be B C N O F Ne
6.941 9.012 10.81 12.01 14.01 16.00 19.00 20.18
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Na Mg 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Al Si P S Cl Ar
22.99 24.31 3B 4B 5B 6B 7B 8B 8B 8B 1B 2B 26.98 28.09 30.97 32.07 35.45 39.95

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
K Ca Sc Ti V Cr Mn Fe Co Ni Cu Zn Ga Ge As Se Br Kr
39.10 40.08 44.96 47.88 50.94 52.00 54.94 55.85 58.93 58.69 63.55 65.39 69.72 72.61 74.92 78.96 79.90 83.80
37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54
Rb Sr Y Zr Nb Mo Tc Ru Rh Pd Ag Cd In Sn Sb Te I Xe
85.47 87.62 88.91 91.22 92.91 95.94 (98) 101.1 102.9 106.4 107.9 112.4 114.8 118.7 121.8 127.6 126.9 131.3
55 56 57 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86
Cs Ba La Hf Ta W Re Os Ir Pt Au Hg Tl Pb Bi Po At Rn
132.9 137.3 138.9 178.5 180.9 183.8 186.2 190.2 192.2 195.1 197.0 200.6 204.4 207.2 209.0 (209) (210) (222)
87 88 89 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 114
Fr Ra Ac Rf Db Sg Bh Hs Mt Ds Rg Uub Uuq
(223) (226) (227) (261) (262) (263) (262) (265) (266) (269) (272) (277) (2??)

!
58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71
Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu
140.1 140.9 144.2 (145) 150.4 152.0 157.3 158.9 162.5 164.9 167.3 168.9 173.0 175.0
90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103
Th Pa U Np Pu Am Cm Bk Cf Es Fm Md No Lr
232.0 231.0 238.0 (237) (244) (243) (247) (247) (251) (252) (257) (258) (259) (262)

Page 2 Not valid for use as a USNCO Local Section Exam after March 31, 2009
 DIRECTIONS
 When you have selected your answer to each question, blacken the corresponding space on the answer sheet using a soft, #2
pencil. Make a heavy, full mark, but no stray marks. If you decide to change an answer, erase the unwanted mark very carefully.
 There is only one correct answer to each question. Any questions for which more than one response has been blackened will not
be counted.
 Your score is based solely on the number of questions you answer correctly. It is to your advantage to answer every question.

1. Which salt is colorless? 7. The mass of one atom of an element is 1.71×10–22 g.

What is the atomic mass of this element in g·mol-1?
(A) KMnO4 (B) BaSO4
(A) 101 (B) 103 (C) 105 (D) 107
(C) Na2CrO4 (D) CoCl2
8. What is the percent by mass of nitrogen in ammonium
2. Which 0.10 M aqueous solution exhibits the lowest
carbonate, (NH4) 2CO3?
electrical conductivity?
(A) 14.53% (B) 27.83%
(A) NH4Cl (B) CuBr2
(C) 29.16% (D) 33.34%
(C) Na2CO3 (D) C2H5OH
9. How many moles of water will be produced from the
3. Which element is a liquid at 25˚C and 1 atm?
complete combustion of 4.4 g of C3H8?
(A) fluorine (B) chlorine
(A) 0.10 (B) 0.25 (C) 0.40 (D) 0.80
(C) bromine (D) iodine
10. A 10.0 g sample of an oxide of copper forms metallic
4. Mixing which combination produces a gaseous product? copper and 1.26 g of water when heated in a stream of
hydrogen. What is the mass percent of copper in this
(A) solid ammonium nitrate and solid calcium hydroxide
oxide?
(B) copper metal and 0.10 M hydrochloric acid
(A) 11.2% (B) 66.6% (C) 79.9% (D) 88.8%
(C) solutions of barium hydroxide and 0.10 M sulfuric
acid 11. A 49.9 g sample of barium Molar Mass / g·mol-1
hydroxide octahydrate, Ba(OH)2·8H2O 315
(D) solutions of aluminum nitrate and sodium chloride
Ba(OH)2·8H2O, is dissolved in water and the solution is
5. Which technique can be used to determine the number of diluted to give a final volume of 2.50 L. What is the
components in a plant pigment? concentration of the hydroxide ion in this solution?
(A) 0.0634 M (B) 0.127 M
(A) calorimetry (B) chromatography
(C) 0.190 M (D) 0.634 M
(C) colorimetry (D) gravimetry
12. What volume (in mL) of 0.0500 M phosphoric acid is
6. In the determination of the molar mass of a solid acid by
titrating it with a standardized base, which procedural needed to titrate completely 25.0 mL of 0.150 M barium
error will yield a molar mass that is smaller than the hydroxide solution to a phenolphthalein end point?
actual value? 3Ba(OH)2 + 2H3PO4 r Ba3(PO4)2 + 6H2O

(A) adding the standardized base to a buret containing (A) 50.0 (B) 75.0 (C) 100. (D) 150.
drops of water
13. A sample of gas at 273 K has a pressure of P1 and a
(B) dissolving the weighed solid acid in twice the volume of V1. When the pressure is changed to P2, what
recommended volume of water is the volume V2? (Assume the temperature remains
(C) using half as many drops of indicator as suggested constant.)
(A) P1P2 (B) P1V1
(D) weighing out half of the recommended mass of solid
acid V1 P2
(C) P2V1 (D) P2
P1 P1V1
! !

! !
Not valid for use as a USNCO Local Section Exam after March 31, 2009 Page 3
 14. How do the number of molecules, n, in 1.0 L of each of 21. NO(g) " 1 1
2 N 2 (g) + 2 O 2 (g) #H1o
the following gases; CH4, N2, CO2, compare at 1 atm and
2NO(g) " N 2O(g) + 1 2 O 2 (g) #H 2o
25 ˚C?
Which relationship is correct?
(A) n CH 4 < n CO 2 < n N 2 (B) n N 2 < n CO 2 < n CH 4
! (A) ∆H1˚ = ∆H2˚
(C) n CO 2 < n CH 4 < n N 2 (D) n CH 4 = n CO 2 = n N 2 ! (B) ∆Hf˚ for NO(g) = ∆H1˚
15. Solid sodium acetate, NaC!2H3O2, is what type of solid?
! (C) ∆Hf˚ for N2O(g) = ∆H2˚
! (A) ionic ! (B) metallic (D) ∆Hf˚ for N2O(g) = ∆H2˚ – 2∆H1˚
(C) molecular (D) network covalent
22. When 2.74 g of Ba(s) reacts with O2(g) at 298 K and 1
atm to form BaO(s), 11,100 J of heat is released. What is
16. Which substance has the highest vapor pressure at 25˚C?
∆Hf˚ for BaO(s) in kJ·mol–1?
(A) methanol, CH3OH
(A) 556 (B) 221 (C) –221 (D) –556
(B) ethanol, CH3 CH2OH
(C) 1-propanol, CH3CH2CH2OH 23. A reaction has ∆H˚ > 0 and ∆G˚ > 0 at 25˚C. This
reaction
(D) 1-butanol, CH3 CH2CH2CH2OH
(A) is at equilibrium at 25˚C.
17. Which point on the phase (B) could not be spontaneous under standard conditions
diagram represents the at any temperature.
normal boiling point?
(C) could be spontaneous under standard conditions at
temperatures above 25˚C.
(D) could be spontaneous under standard conditions at
temperatures below 25˚C.

24. An ionic compound has a solubility of 1 mol·L–1 in water

(A) point A (B) point B
at 25 ˚C and its solubility increases as the temperature is
(C) point C (D) point D raised. What are the signs of ∆H˚ and ∆S˚ for the
dissolving process?
18. What types of I. dipole-dipole forces
∆H˚ ∆S˚
intermolecular forces II. hydrogen bonding
are exerted by CH3Cl III. London dispersion forces (A) + +
molecules in the liquid phase?
(B) + –
(A) I only (B) II only
(C) – +
(C) I and III only (D) II and III only
(D) – –
19. A 22.0 g piece of metal is heated Cp / J·g–1·˚C–1
25. For the reaction
to 100.0˚C and placed in 75.0 g H2O 4.18 represented by the
H2O at 25.0˚C. If the final temperature of the metal and accompanying diagram,
water is 27.8˚C, what is the specific heat capacity of the which reaction rate is the
metal in J·g–1·˚C–1? (Assume no heat is lost/gained by the greatest?
surroundings.)
(A) 0.038 (B) 0.16 (C) 0.55 (D) 5.0

20. Which change(s) I. conversion of O2(g) to O3(g)

(A) average rate (B) final rate
is(are) accompanied II. freezing of water
by an increase in III. sublimation of iodine (C) initial rate (D) rate at 20 seconds
entropy of the system?
26. Which units are appropriate for a reaction rate?
(A) I only (B) III only
(A) mol·L–1·s–1 (B) mol·L–1
(C) I and II only (D) II and III only
(C) mol·L·s–1 (D) L·mol–1·s–1

Page 4 Not valid for use as a USNCO Local Section Exam after March 31, 2009
 27. What is the rate equation for a reaction, 33. Which is not a conjugate acid/base pair?
A + B r products, based on the rate data?
(A) H2CO3 & CO32– (B) HSO4– & SO42–
[A]o, mol·L–1 [B]o, mol·L–1 Rate
0.15 0.10 x (C) H2PO4– & HPO42– (D) H3O+ & H2O
0.30 0.20 4x
0.30 0.40 16x 34. What is the [OH–] in an aqueous solution which has a
pH = 11.70?
(A) Rate = k[A]2 (B) Rate = k[B]2
(A) 7.1×10–2 M (B) 5.0×10–3 M
(C) Rate = k[A][B] (D) Rate = k[A][B]2
(C) 1.4×10–6 M (D) 2.0×10–12 M
28. The effect of temperature on the rates of chemical
reactions is primarily a result of the 35. Equal volumes of 0.25 M HNO2 and 0.25 M HNO3 are
titrated separately with 0.25 M KOH. Which would be
(A) size of the colliding molecules. the same for both titrations?
(B) orientation of the colliding molecules. (A) initial pH
(C) enthalpies of the reactants and products.
(B) pH halfway to the equivalence point
(D) kinetic energies of the colliding molecules.
(C) pH at the equivalence point
29. The value of the rate constant for a gas phase reaction (D) pH when 5 mL excess KOH has been added
can be changed by increasing the
36. For which salt is the molar solubility, s, equal to
(A) amount of product. 4×10–6 M?
(B) pressure of the reactant.
(A) AgC2H3O2 Ksp = 2×10–3
(C) temperature of the reaction vessel.
(B) TlBr Ksp = 4×10–6
(D) volume of the reaction vessel.
(C) MnCO3 Ksp = 2×10–11
30. What is the half life of the irreversible first order (D) Zn(OH)2 Ksp = 3×10–17
reaction, A r B, if 75% of A is converted to B in 60
minutes? 37. Which substance can act only as a reducing agent?
(A) 30 minutes (B) 45 minutes (A) I2 (B) BrCl (C) NaBr (D) HIO4
(C) 60 minutes (D) 80 minutes
38. When the equation
31. What is the Keq expression for the reaction, Sn2+(aq) + IO3–(aq) + H+(aq) r Sn4+(aq) + I2(aq) + H2O(l)
C(s) + CO2(g) s 2CO(g)? is balanced, what is the Sn2+(aq) / IO3– (aq) mole ratio?

(A) 2[CO] (B) 2[C][CO] (A) 1 / 1 (B) 2 / 1 (C) 1 / 2 (D) 5 / 2

K eq = K eq =
[CO 2 ] [CO 2 ] 39. Given the standard reduction potentials, which statement
(C) [CO] 2 (D) [C][CO] 2 is correct?
K eq = K eq = Cu2+ (aq) + 2e– r Cu(s) E˚ = 0.34 V
[CO 2 ] [CO 2 ]
! ! 2H+(aq) + 2e– r H2(g) E˚ = 0.00 V
32. The equilibrium system N2O4(g) s 2NO2(g) has Cr3+(aq) + 3e– r Cr(s) E˚ = –0.73 V
Kp = 11 and ∆H˚ = 57 kJ·mol–1 at 25 ˚C. Which action (A) Cr(s) will react with acid.
! will not cause a change in!the position of the
equilibrium? (B) Cu(s) will react with acid.
(A) increasing the temperature (C) Cu2+(aq) will react with acid.

(B) adding NO2(g) (D) Cu(s) will react with Cr3+(aq).

(C) adding xenon gas to increase the pressure

(D) increasing the container volume

Not valid for use as a USNCO Local Section Exam after March 31, 2009 Page 5
 40. Use the standard reduction potentials given to calculate 48. In which series are the species listed in order of
the standard potential for the reaction; increasing size?
Pb(s) + 2Ag+(aq) r Pb2+(aq) + 2Ag(s)
(A) N, O, F (B) Na, Mg, K
Ag (aq) + e– r Ag(s)
+
E˚ = 0.80 V 2+ 3+
Pb2+(aq) + 2e– r Pb(s) E˚ = –0.13 V (C) Cr, Cr , Cr (D) Cl, Cl–, S2–

(A) 1.73 V (B) 0.93 V (C) 0.67V (D) 0.54 V 49. In which molecule does the chlorine have the most
positive partial charge?
41. For the voltaic cell represented,
(A) HCl (B) BrCl (C) OCl2 (D) SCl2
Ni(s) Ni2+ (aq) Ag + (aq) Ag(s)
which change will increase the cell potential? 50. Which molecule contains the shortest carbon-carbon
bonds?
(A) increasing the [Ag+] (B) increasing the [Ni2+]
(A) C2H2 (B) C2H4 (C) C3H8 (D) C6H12
! (C) adding Ni(s) (D) removing Ag(s)
51. How many valence electrons are in one ion of thiosulfate,
42. The deposition of 1.0 g of which element from its molten S2O32–?
chloride requires the shortest time at a current of 1 A?
(A) 26 (B) 28 (C) 30 (D) 32
(A) Na (B) Mg (C) Al (D) Ba
52. Which substance has the highest melting point?
43. Which properties of electromagnetic radiation are
inversely related? (A) CO (B) CO2 (C) SiO2 (D) P2O5

(A) amplitude and frequency 53. Which species has exactly five pairs of electrons around
(B) energy and wavelength the central atom?

(C) energy and frequency (A) ClF5 (B) SF4 (C) SF5– (D) XeF4

(D) wavelength and amplitude 54. What are the H H O

hybridizations of the
44. Which electronic transition in a hydrogen atom releases carbon atoms labeled H N C C O H
1 2
the greatest amount of energy? C1 and C2, respectively,
in glycine? H
(A) n = 3 r n = 2 (B) n = 5 r n = 3
(C) n = 6 r n = 5 (D) n = 3 r n = 6 C1 C2
(A) sp2 sp2
45. Which must represent an atom in an excited state?
(B) sp2 sp3
(A) 1s22s22p1 (B) 1s22s22p2
(C) sp3 sp2
2 2 2 1 2 2 5
(C) 1s 2s 2p 3s (D) 1s 2s 2p
(D) sp3 sp3
46. Which quantum numbers represent the orbitals being
filled in the ground state for the elements Sc (21) to Zn 55. The formula, H3CCOCH3, represents a(n)
(30)? (A) aldehyde. (B) ester.
(A) n = 3, 1 = 1 (B) n = 3, l = 2 (C) ether. (D) ketone.
(C) n = 4, l = l (D) n = 4, l = 2
56. Which suffix is used to designate a carbohydrate?
47. Which pair consists of species that are isoelectronic? (A) –ase (B) –ate (C) –one (D) –ose
(A) Na+, K+ (B) Cl, Cl–
57. Which compound has the largest molar mass?
(C) Fe2+, Mn2+ (D) Ar, Ca2+
(A) hexane (B) 1-hexene
(C) 1-hexyne (D) benzene

Page 6 Not valid for use as a USNCO Local Section Exam after March 31, 2009
 58. Which functional group is not commonly found in
proteins?
(A) alcohol (B) aldehyde
(C) amide (D) amine

59. Which hydrogen is H H O

b
the most acidic in
the molecule Ha N C C O H
shown? d
H C H

O H
c
(A) Ha (B) Hb (C) Hc (D) Hd

60. The gentle oxidation of ethanol, CH3CH2OH, produces

(A) ethanal, CH3CHO.
(B) ethanoic acid, CH3CO2H.
(C) carbon monoxide, CO.
(D) carbon dioxide, CO2.

END OF TEST

Not valid for use as a USNCO Local Section Exam after March 31, 2009 Page 7
 Olympiad 2009 Local Section

KEY

Number Answer Number Answer

1. B 31. C
2. D 32. C
3. C 33. A
4. A 34. B
5. B 35. D
6. A 36. C
7. B 37. C
8. C 38. D
9. C 39. A
10. D 40. B
11. B 41. A
12. A 42. D
13. B 43. B
14. D 44. A
15. A 45. C
16. A 46. B
17. D 47. D
18. C 48. D
19. C 49. C
20. B 50. A
21. D 51. D
22. D 52. C
23. C 53. B
24. A 54. C
25. C 55. D
26. A 56. D
27. B 57. A
28. D 58. B
29. C 59. D
30. A 60. A

Not for use as a USNCO Local Section Exam after March 31, 2009