THE CANADIAN CHEMISTRY CONTEST 2020

PART A – MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS (60 minutes)

All contestants should attempt this part of the contest before proceeding to Part B and/or Part C.
The only reference material allowed is the CIC/CCO Periodic Table provided. You must complete answers on the Scantron Sheet provided. Students
may use a scientific calculator. No phones or communication devices are allowed.

1) 15 mL of 0.25 mol L-1 aqueous silver nitrate reacts with 0.10 g of zinc as 4) A student drew structural diagrams for some of the isomers of a molecule
follows: and wrote down each isomer’s boiling point (b.p.). There is an error in the
2 AgNO3 (aq) + Zn (s) → 2 Ag (s) + Zn(NO3)2 (aq) student’s work. For which structure did the student incorrectly record the
What mass of silver metal should the reaction produce? boiling point?

A) 0.16 g B) 0.20 g C) 0.33 g D) 0.40 g E) 0.81 g A) b.p. 129°C B) b.p. 116°C

2) Two elements X and Y form a covalent compound. X has six valence

electrons and Y has seven valence electrons. Which of the options (I-IV) C) b.p. 126°C D) b.p. 106°C
given below, represent possible formulae and shapes of covalent compounds
of X and Y based on VSEPR theory and Lewis structures? E) b.p. 109°C
I) XY4 II) XY6 III) bent IV) see-saw (or distorted tetrahedral)

A) I and III only B II and IV only C) I and IV only 5) In which of the following substances does sulfur have the lowest oxidation
state?
D) I, II and III only E) I, II, III and IV
3) A student combines 100 mL of two clear, equimolar, colourless solutions A) S8 B) Na2S2O3 C) Na2SO4 D) H2S E) SO2
and observes a solid white precipitate form at the bottom of the beaker. A
representation of the resultant particles in the beaker is in the diagram below. 6) Given the graph of the successive ionization energies for two unknown
Which combination of reactants would best align with the information atoms, which combination provides the most likely identity of X and Y?
provided and diagram of resultant particles in the beaker?
A) lead (II) nitrate (aq) + potassium chloride (aq)
Unknown: X Y Successive ionization energies of 2 elements
B) zinc nitrate (aq) + sodium phosphate (aq)

Ionization Energy (kJ mol-1)

A) Al Si 80000
C) nickel (II) nitrate (aq) + lithium bromide (aq)
D) copper (II) nitrate (aq) + sodium hydroxide (aq) B) Kr Rb 60000
E) silver nitrate (aq) + magnesium sulfate (aq)
C) Cl Ar 40000
20000
D) Se Br
0
E) Rb Sr

4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th
11th
12th
13th
14th
1st
2nd
3rd
Electron removed from the unknown element
Unknown X Unknown Y
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7) The structure below is a substance found in the skin of certain species of 11) Hydrogen peroxide decomposes to form oxygen gas and water via the
amphibians. In large quantities, the substance can have a psychoactive effect following chemical equation:
on humans, changing brain function and altering behaviour. What is the correct
molecular formula of the substance? 2 H2O2 (aq) → 2 H2O (l) + O2 (g) ΔH = -392 kJ

The density of 30% hydrogen peroxide is 1.11 g mL-1. If 50.0 mL of a 30%

by mass hydrogen peroxide solution decomposes, what is the accompanying
change in energy?

A) 96 kJ released B) 117 kJ absorbed C) 173 kJ released

A) C12H16N2O B) C10H12N2O C) C11H14N2O
D) 192 kJ released E) 392 kJ absorbed
C) C12H18NO E) C12H14N2O
12) A mixture of ethanol and nitric acid, called nital, is an industrial etching
8) How many constitutional isomers and how many stereoisomers does the agent. A student prepared a 20.0 mL solution of nital using 0.70 mL of nitric
organic molecule with the formula C3H9N have? acid of unknown concentration and 19.3 mL of 98% ethanol. The student
determined by titration that the final concentration of nitric acid in the nital
constitutional stereoisomers constitutional stereoisomers etching agent was 4.0 % by mass. The density of 98% ethanol was 0.79 g
isomers isomers mL-1 and the density of the unknown concentration of aqueous HNO3 was
1.4 g mL-1. What was the original concentration of HNO3, in w/w, in the
A) 2 2 D) 4 0
0.70 mL reagent the student used for the nital solution preparation?
B) 3 2 E) 3 0
C) 4 2
A) 63% B) 66% C) 70% D) 73% E) 93%
9) Consider the following equilibrium in a sealed container
13) A student placed 3 identical metal cubes into an oven and heated them to the
same final temperature. The student entirely submerged each of the 3 cubes
2NO(g) + 5H2(g) ⇋ 2NH3(g) + 2H2O(g) ΔH = -756.4 kJ mol-1 in separate beakers as shown in the diagram below. All solutions had
approximately the same density and all were at room temperature before
Which of the following changes would most likely shift the equilibrium adding the metal cubes. The maximum temperature compared as follows:
position towards reactants?
Tmax beaker B > Tmax beaker A > Tmax beaker C.
A) Increasing the temperature D) Adding nitrogen monoxide gas
B) Adding argon gas E) Removing ammonia Which of the following is true about the relationship of the specific heat
C) Decreasing the volume of the capacities of solutions A, B and C?
sealed container
A) cA > cC > cB
10) When a sample of an unknown compound with a formula of CxHy
combusts with an excess amount of oxygen, the reaction produces B) cC > cB > cA
132.001 g of carbon dioxide and 72.064 g of water. Based on the C) cC > cA > cB
information given, this unknown compound is: D) cB > cA > cC
A) methane B) ethane C) propane D) butane E) octane E) cB > cC > cA
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14) The organic compound below is a local anesthetic developed over one 17) A student adds two moles of liquid water initially at 273 K to three moles
hundred years ago to treat pain. What is the correct IUPAC name of the of liquid water at 363 K in a perfectly insulated container. The total volume
compound? of water remains constant. Assume that the molar heat capacity of liquid
water is constant and independent of temperature. What is the final
equilibrium temperature of the water?

A) 298 K B) 309 K C) 318 K D) 327 K E) 358 K

A) methyl 4-hydroxy-5-aminobenzoate 18) One mole of uranium-238 decays slowly. If uranium-238 decays according
B) methyl 3-hydroxy-4-aminobenzoate to first order kinetics, after how many half-lives is there likely only one
C) methyl 3-aminophenolate atom of uranium-238 left?
D) methyl 3-amino-4-hydroxybenzoic acid
E) methyl 3-amino-4-hydroxybenzoate A) 85 B) 10 C) 238 D) 41 E) 79

15) Given the following standard reduction potentials. 19) Consider the structures and associated pKa values in the table below.
Which statement below the table best explains the pKa values observed?
Cu2+ + 2 e– → Cu Eo = + 0.34 V
Al3+ + 3 e– → Al Eo = – 1.66 V
Na+ + e– → Na Eo = – 2.71 V
Which of the following statement(s) is/are true?

I. Na is the most easily oxidized

II. Cu is the best reducing agent.
III. Cu2+ cannot be spontaneously reduced by Al
IV. Na+ has a greater attraction for electrons than Al3+ A) The electron density on the ionizable proton is diminished by
induction, which increases the strength of the acid
A) I only B) I and II only C) I, II and III only B) The presence of electron-donating alkyl groups increases the stability
D) II and IV only E) II, III, and IV only of the conjugate base, increasing the strength of the acid
C) Resonance stabilization of the conjugate base increases the strength of
the acid
16) Which of the following should have the same electron arrangement as BF4–
D) The presence of electronegative atoms decreases the stability of the
around the central atom? conjugate base, decreasing the strength of the acid
E) Resonance stabilization of the conjugate base decreases the strength of
A) IF4– B) XeCl4 C) ClF4+ D) SF4 E) CCl4 the acid
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20) H2PO4–(aq) + H2O(l) ⇌ HPO42–(aq) + H3O+(aq) Ka = 6.2 x 10–8 23) One source of oxygen in chemical oxygen generators for emergencies in
Ka = 7.9 x 10–3 submarines and aircraft is potassium perchlorate, which decomposes as
H3PO4 (aq) + H2O(l) ⇌ H2PO4–(aq) + H3O+(aq) follows:
H3COOH(aq) + H2O(l) ⇌ CH3COO–(aq) + H3O+(aq) Ka = 1.8 x 10-5 KClO4 (s)→ KCl (s) + 2 O2 (g)

Using the equilibria below, determine which of the following combinations Assume ideal gas behaviour for the reaction, a temperature of 25.0°C and a
of solutions will generate a buffer with a pH of approximately 5? pressure of 1.00 bar. If 138.5 grams of potassium perchlorate decompose
inside an oxygen generator, what volume of oxygen does the reaction
A) 50 mL of 0.10 mol L–1 Na2HPO4 + 100 mL of 0.10 mol L–1 NaH2PO4 generate if there is a 78.0% yield?
B) 100 mL of 0.10 mol L–1 NaCH3COO + 100 mL of 0.10 mol L–1 NaOH A) 9.65 L B) 19.3 L C) 24.8 L D) 38.6 L E) 49.6 L
C) 100 mL of 0.10 mol L–1 NaH2PO4 + 100 mL of 0.10 mol L–1 HCl
D) 100 mL of 0.10 mol L–1 NaH2PO4 + 100 mL of 0.10 mol L–1 NaOH 24) Metal sulfides have considerable applications in industry, including their
E) 100 mL of 0.10 mol L–1 CH3COOH + 50 mL of 0.10 mol L–1 NaOH use as components of semiconducting materials. Consider the following
equilibrium, where M represents a transition metal:
21) The reaction mass efficiency (RME) helps a student determine how much MS(s) ⇋ M2+(aq) + S2-(aq)
reactant material a product contains at the end of a chemical reaction. RME
is calculated as follows: S2- ions liberated in solution readily react and form HS- and OH- according
mass of desired product
reaction mass = x 100% to the following equilibrium:
efficiency S2-(aq) + H2O(l) ⇋ HS-(aq) + OH-(aq)
(total input mass - mass of recycled material)
Which of the following will increase the solubility of the metal sulfide?
0.205 moles of phenylboronic acid (C6H7BO2) was reacted with 0.205 moles
of 4-iodophenol (C6H5IO) and 0.615 moles of potassium carbonate to form
A) Increasing the concentration of OH– by adding a strong base
0.185 moles of 4-phenylphenol (shown below). 300 mg of catalytic
B) Adding a strong acid
palladium on carbon was used and completely recycled. C) Increasing the amount of the metal sulfide present
D) Diluting the solution present
E) Adding MCl2

A) 18.4 % B) 20.3 % C) 24.2 % D) 25.5% E) 35.1 % 25) The thermochemical reaction for the formation of water vapour is:
H2 (g) + ½ O2 (g) → H2O (g) ΔHf° = –241.8 kJ mol-1
22) The crossover temperature for a reaction is the temperature at which a The thermochemical reaction of diatomic element X with oxygen is:
chemical reaction changes from occurring spontaneously to being non- X2 (g) + O2 (g) → 2XO (g) ΔH° = +180.8 kJ mol-1
spontaneous. For a particular chemical reaction, the entropy change is If the enthalpy of the reaction of of the tri-hydride of element X with oxygen is:
-157 J mol-1·K-1 and the enthalpy change is -82 kJ mol-1. What is the 4 XH3 + 5 O2 (g) → 4 XO (g) + 6 H2O (g) ΔH° = –904.4 kJ mol-1
crossover temperature for the reaction? What is the enthalpy (in kJ) of the synthesis of 2 mols of the tri-hydride of
element X from the reaction of X2 (g) and hydrogen gas?
A) 0 K B) 75K C) 239 K D) 522K E) There is no
crossover A) –996.8 B) –391.2 C) –513.2 D) – 92.4 E) – 964.4
temperature
for this
reaction End of Part A of the contest
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