2024

MATRICULATION EXAMINATION
CHEMISTRY Time Allowed: (3) Hours
WRITE YOUR ANSWERS IN THE ANSWER BOOKLET.
The symbols in this paper have their usual significance

SECTION (A)

(Answer ALL questions)

1. Write TRUE or FALSE for each of the following statements. (10 marks)

(a) The units of equilibrium constant depends on the form of the equilibrium expression.

(b) The application of Arrhenius theory is limited to all solvents.

(c) Nichrome wire is used in electric stoves.

(d) Pesticides can cause acute effects and chronic adverse effects.

(e) A biodegradable plastics is made from animals residues.

(f) When new bonds in the products form, energy is released.

(g) Burning of magnesium ribbon takes several hours.

(h) The central atom in an electron-deficient molecule has valence electrons of more than 8.

(i) Animals fats or vegetable oil are naturally-occuring esters.

(j) Bending is a vibration that occurs along the bond line and changes the bond length.

2. Fill in the blanks with correct word(s), notation(s), term(s), unit(s), etc., as necessary. (10 marks)

(a) Potassium-40 is a ___________ which is found in water.

(b) Reactant particles moving in random directions possess ____________ energy.

(c) During digestion, humans release ___________ and use it to power systems inside the body.

(d) A bond’s polarity is determined by the __________ of two bonded atoms.

(e) The colour of transition emements are silvery-white except copper which is _____________ .

(f) A buffer solution resists the change of ___________ .

(g) When carboxylic acid are mixed with saturated NaHCO3 solution, the evolution of __________
is observed.

(h) The common name of ethyl ethanoate is __________ .

(i) ____________ is a polymer that contains only one kind of monomer.

(j) The system of reaction in which no reactants leaves the reaction mixture is termed as __________
3. Choose the best answer for each questions given in the following. (10 marks)

(a) ___________ enters the atmosphere largely in the exhaust fumes from internal combustion engines.

A .Mercury B. Lead C. Cadmium D. Arsenic

(b) A ___________ bond is formed by sharing two pairs of electrons between two atoms.

A. single B. double C. triple D. multiple

(c) A polypeptide chain may contain ___________ amino acids.

A. 10 to 2000 B. 30 to 3000 C. 20 to 2000 D. 50 to 2000

(d) When the energy needed to break bond is ___________ the energy needed to form bonds,
the reaction is exothermic .

A. equal to B. greater than C. less than D. constant

(e) Reacting particles with sufficient energy must collide to form the ___________ .

A .product B. activated complex C. transition state D.activation energy

(f) A strong acid has a weak ___________.

A. conjugate acid B. conjugate base C. acid D. base

(g) Formalin is the 40% aqueous solution of ___________ .

A. ethanol B. methanol C.ethanal D. methanal

(h) ___________ can be used to date the antique materials in archaeology.

A. Caesium-137 B. Carbon-14 C. Uranium-235 D. Plutonium-239

(i) Due to the high concentration of reactants, the rate of the forward reaction is ___________ .

A. slow B. fast C. moderate D. stopped

(j) All ___________ molecules containing polar covalent bonds are polar molecules.

A. monoatomic B diatomic C.triatomic D. polyatomic

SECTION (B)

4. Answer ALL questions. (25 marks)

(a) Three elements: 13X, 9Y, and 17Z are given. (electronegativities: X = 1.5, Y = 4.0, Z = 3.0)
(i) What type of compound is formed between the given pairs: 13X and 9Y, and 13X and 17Z?
(ii) Give a Lewis dot structure for each compound.
(iii) Give the possible formula of each of the unknown compounds.
(iv) Predict the molecular shape of a covalent molecule.

(b) (i) Identify Bronsted-Lowry acid, its conjugate base, the Bronsted-Lowry base and its conjugate
acid in the following equation.
H2SO4 (aq) + Cl- (aq) HCl (aq) + HSO4- (aq)
(ii) Acid rain is a matter of serious concern because most fish species die in waters with a pH less
than 4.5. Calculate the [H+] in a lake having a pH of 4.5.
(c) (i) What is the difference between Kp and Kc?
(ii) The first stage of the Contact Process catalysed with V2O5 is an exothermic reaction.
2SO2 (g) + O2 (g) 2SO3 (g)
(i) Use Le Chatelier’s principle to explain why the percentage yield of sulphur trioxide increases
with a decrease in the overall temperature at a given pressure.
(ii) Does V2O5 affect the overall percentage yield of sulphur trioxide?

(d) (i) State the common name of the following compounds:

(a) dimethyl ketone (b) ethoxymethane
(ii) Draw the Lewis structures and predict the molecular shapes of AlF3 and SO2.

(e) (i) What are the 7 R’s of the green environment?

(ii) What is radioactivity?
(iii) Which rays can cause severe damage to the cell?
(iv) Give a well-known use of carbon-14.
OR
(e) (i) Which of the monomers form addition polymers and which form condensation polymers?
Give reasons for your choice.
H2NCH(CH3) COOH, H2C = CHCOOH, H2NCH2COOH, F2C = CF2
(ii) CH3- CH = CH2 monomer is a reactant in a polymerisation reaction.
(i) Give the structural formula of the polymer that is formed in this polymerisation reaction.
(ii) Is the reaction an addition or a condensation reaction?

5.Answer ALL Questions. (15 marks)

(a) (i) Why is titanium used in surgical instruments?
(ii) Copper (29Cu ) and zinc (30Zn) are diamagnetic: why?
(iii) Write down the essential electronic configuration of 21Sc and Zn2+.

(b) Qualatative chemical tests are carried out on the organic compound. The results are shown below.
Test 2,4-DNP Fehling's reagent
Observation Orange precipitate No observable change

Determine the type of organic compound. Explain your reasoning. (No chemical equation is required.)

(c) (i) Write down the autoionisation reaction of water.

(ii) A buffer solution is made by adding 2.2 g of sodium ethanoate into 0.1 dm3 of 0.4 mol dm-3
ethanoic acid. What is its pH? (Ka = 1.8 x 10-5 for ethanoic acid)(Na = 23, C = 12, H = 1, O = 16)
OR
(c) Hydrogen and bromine reversibly react as H2 (g) + Br2 (g) 2HBr (g)
(a) Which of the following will favour the formation of more hydrogen bromide?
(i) more hydrogen is added (ii) bromine is removed
(iii) hydrogen bromide is removed as it forms.
(b) Explain why changing the pressure does not affect the amount of product produced in this
equilibrium.

6. Answer ALL questions. (15 marks)

(a) (i) List any five factors that affect the rate of reactions.
(ii) In the Ostwald process for manufacturing nitric acid, ammonia oxidation occurs slowly as the
following reaction.

NH3 (g) + O2 (g) 

Pt-Rh
800 CoNO (g) + H2O (g)
 (i) Write down the balanced chemical equation for the reaction.
(ii) Which factors affect the speed of this reaction?
(iii) What type of catalyst is Pt-Rh in this reaction?
OR
(a) Identify unknown substances Q, R, S and T in the following reactions:
(a) Q + magnesium  magnesium methanoate + R (gas)
(b) S + sodium hydroxide  sodium ethanoate + water
(c) ethanoic acid + T H2SO4 methyl ethanoate + water
Heat
(b) (i) Give any two applications for each of the following elements:
(i) chromium (ii) nickel
(ii) Predict the most stable oxidation state in each of the following pairs. Give reasons.
(i) Ti2+ and Ti3+ (ii) Co3+ and Co4+

(c) (i) Is this reaction exothermic or endothermic?

2H2 (g) +O2 (g)  2H2O (l)
Given: energy required to break 1 mol of O = O bonds = 496 kJ
energy required to break 1 mol of H-H bonds = 436 kJ
energy required to form 1 mol of O-H bonds = 465 kJ
(ii) The energy from burning 0.45 g of propane was transferred to 100 cm3 of water to raise its
temperature by 20°C. Calculate the enthalpy change (in kJ). (Assume that 1cm3 of water has a
mass of 1 g, the specific heat capacity of water is 4.18 Jg-1°C-1.)

7. Answer ALL questions. (15 marks)

(a) (i) Explain the formation of hydronium ion using Lewis structure.
(ii) You are given the covalent molecules; O2, HBr, and SO2.
(electronegativities: H = 2.1, O = 3.5, S = 2.5, Br = 2.8)
(i) Which molecule(s) can have dipole moment? Which molecule(s) cannot have?
(ii) Which molecule(s) is (are) polar? Which molecule(s) is (are) non-polar?
OR
(a) Magnesium nitride, Mg3N2, is produced when nitrogen gas is passed over red-hot magnesium
metal.
(i) Identify the type of the compound. Give a reason for your answer.
(ii) Describe the formation of the compound using the Lewis symbols and Lewis structure.
(iii) Does the compound have a high or low melting point? Give a reason for your answer.

(b) Draw the enthalpy cycle to calculate ΔHrθ for the reaction;
Al2O3 (s) + 3Mg (s)  3MgO (s) + 2Al (s)
Calculate the ΔHrθ using the following data:
ΔHθf [Al2O3 (s)] = -1676 kJ mol-1 , ΔHθf [MgO (s)] = -602 kJ mol-1
(c) (i) Draw the structure of terylene showing two repeat units. Name the linkage in terylene.
(ii) A mixture of ethanoic acid and methanol is warmed in the presence of concentrated sulphuric
acid.
(i) Using structural formulae, give a balanced equation for the reaction which take place.
(ii) What is the IUPAC name of the organic compound formed in this reaction?