2015 U. S.

NATIONAL
CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD
NATIONAL EXAM PART III
Prepared by the American Chemical Society Laboratory Practical Task Force

OLYMPIAD LABORATORY PRACTICAL TASK FORCE

Lawrence Wilkinson, ExxonMobil, Baton Rouge, LA.
Alexsandra DaSilva, SUNY, Binghamton, NY
Kimberly Gardner, United States Air Force Academy, CO
Myra Halpin, North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Durham, NC
Nicolas Hamel, Clackamas Community College, Oregon City, OR

DIRECTIONS TO THE EXAMINER–PART III

The laboratory practical part of the National Olympiad Examination is designed to test skills related to the
laboratory. Because the format of this part of the test is quite different from the first two parts, there is a separate,
detailed set of instructions for the examiner. This gives explicit directions for setting up and administering the
laboratory practical.
There are two laboratory tasks to be completed during the 90 minutes allotted to this part of the test. Students may
carry out the two tasks in any order they wish and move directly from one to the other within the allotted time. Each
procedure must be approved for safety by the examiner before the student begins that procedure.
Part III 2 lab questions laboratory practical 1 hour, 30 minutes
A periodic table and other useful information are provided on page 7 for student reference.
Students should be permitted to use non-programmable calculators. The use of a programmable calculator,
cell phone, or any other device that can access the internet or make copies or photographs during the exam is
grounds for disqualification.

DIRECTIONS TO THE EXAMINEE–PART III

DO NOT TURN THE PAGE UNTIL DIRECTED TO DO SO. WHEN DIRECTED, TURN TO PAGE 2
AND READ THE INTRODUCTION AND SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU
PROCEED.
There are two laboratory-related tasks for you to complete during the next 90 minutes. There is no need to stop
between tasks or to do them in the given order. Simply proceed at your own pace from one to the other, using your
time productively. You are required to have a procedure for each problem approved for safety by an examiner
before you carry out any experimentation on that problem. You are permitted to use a non-programmable calculator.
At the end of the 90 minutes, all answer sheets should be turned in. Be sure that you have filled in all the required
information at the top of each answer sheet. Carefully follow all directions from your examiner for safety
procedures and the proper disposal of chemicals at your examination site.

Property of ACS USNCO – Not for use as USNCO National Exam after April 20, 2015
Distributed by the American Chemical Society, 1155 16 th Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20036
All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.
 2015 UNITED STATES NATIONAL CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD
PART III — LABORATORY PRACTICAL

Student Instructions
Introduction
These problems test your ability to design and carry out laboratory experiments and to draw conclusions from your
experimental work. You will be graded on your experimental design, on your skills in data collection, and on the
accuracy and precision of your results. Clarity of thinking and communication are also components of successful
solutions to these problems, so make your written responses as clear and concise as possible.

Safety Considerations
You are required to wear approved eye protection and disposable, non-latex rubber gloves at all times during
this laboratory practical. You also must follow all directions given by your examiner for dealing with spills and
with disposal of wastes.

Lab Problem 1

Devise and carry out an experimental procedure to determine the concentration (in mass %) of the hydrogen
peroxide solution with which you have been provided.

Lab Problem 2

Consider the reaction:

[Cu(H2O)4]2+(aq) + 4 Cl‒(aq) [CuCl4]2‒(aq) + 4 H2O(l) ΔH = ____

Prepare an initial [Cu(H2O) 4] 2+ / [CuCl4]2‒ equilibrium mixture by dissolving sodium chloride in 0.3 M copper(II)
nitrate solution until you observe a color change.

Devise and carry out experimental procedures to

1) determine the sign of ΔH for this reaction, and
2) identify Solution A and Solution B as containing either KCl or AgNO3 based on their effect on this
equilibrium system.

Page 2 Property of ACS USNCO – Not for use as USNCO National Exam after April 20, 2015
 Answer Sheet for Laboratory Practical Problem 1

Student's Name: _______________________________________________________________________ ________

Student's School:____________________________________________ Date: _____________________________
Proctor's Name: _______________________________________________________________________________
ACS Local Section Name: ________________________________ Student's USNCO ID #:__________________

1. Give a brief description of your experimental plan.

2. Record your data/observations.

Before beginning your experiment, you must get Examiner’s Initials:

approval (for safety reasons) from the examiner

Property of ACS USNCO – Not for use as USNCO National Exam after April 20, 2015 Page 3
 3. Show all calculations

4. The concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution provided = _______mass %.

5. List as many sources of error as you can think of for your procedure and indicate whether each would yield a
result lower than or higher than the actual concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution.

Page 4 Property of ACS USNCO – Not for use as USNCO National Exam after April 20, 2015
 Answer Sheet for Laboratory Practical Problem 2

Student's Name: ________________________________________________________________________________

Student's School:____________________________________________ Date: _____________________________
Proctor's Name: _______________________________________________________________________________
ACS Local Section Name: ________________________________ Student's USNCO ID #:__________________

1. Give a brief description of your experimental plan.

2. Record your data and observations. Explain each change in color that you observed, in terms of a shift in the
equilibrium position of this system.

Before beginning your experiment, you must get Examiner’s Initials:

approval (for safety reasons) from the examiner

Property of ACS USNCO – Not for use as USNCO National Exam after April 20, 2015 Page 5
 3. What is the color of each species in this equilibrium system?

4. The sign of ΔH for this reaction is _____.

5. a) Solution A contains ___________________________.

b) Solution B contains ___________________________.

Page 6 Property of ACS USNCO – Not for use as USNCO National Exam after April 20, 2015
 ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS CONSTANTS
amount of substance n Faraday constant F molar mass M – –1
ampere A free energy G mole mol R = 8.314 J•mol 1•K
– –1
atmosphere atm frequency  Planck’s constant h R = 0.0821 L•atm•mol 1•K
atomic mass unit u gas constant R pressure P –1
1 F = 96,500 C•mol
Avogadro constant NA gram g rate constant k –1
Celsius temperature °C hour h reaction quotient Q 1 F = 96,500 J•V–1•mol
–
centi– prefix c joule J second s NA = 6.022 × 1023 mol 1
coulomb C kelvin K speed of light c h = 6.626 × 10–34 J•s
density d kilo– prefix k temperature, K T
electromotive force E liter L time t c = 2.998 × 108 m•s–1
energy of activation Ea measure of pressure mm Hg vapor pressure VP 0 °C = 273.15 K
enthalpy H milli– prefix m volt V 1 atm = 760 mm Hg
entropy S molal m volume V
Specific heat capacity of H2O =
equilibrium constant K molar M
4.184 J•g–1•K–1

EQUATIONS

RT  H o 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 89 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118
Fr Ra Ac Rf Db Sg Bh Hs Mt Ds Rg Cn (Uut) Fl (Uup) Lv (Uus) (Uuo)
(223) (226) (227) (261) (262) (271) (270) (277) (276) (281) (280) (285) (284) (289) (288) (293) (294) (294)

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)

Property of ACS USNCO – Not for use as USNCO National Exam after April 20, 2015 Page 7
AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad
 2015 U. S. NATIONAL
CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD
NATIONAL EXAM PART III — EXAMINER’S INSTRUCTIONS
Prepared by the American Chemical Society Chemistry Olympiad Laboratory Practical Task Force

Directions to the Examiner:

Thank you for administering the 2015 USNCO laboratory practical on behalf of your Local Section. It is essential
that you follow the instructions provided, in order to ensure consistency of results nationwide. There may be
considerable temptation to assist the students after they begin the lab exercise. It is extremely important that you do
not lend any assistance or hints whatsoever to the students once they begin work. As in international competition,
the students are not allowed to speak to anyone until the activity is complete.
The equipment needed for each student for both lab exercises should be available at his/her lab station or table when
the students enter the room. The equipment should be initially placed so that the materials used for Lab Problem 1
are separate from those used for Lab Problem 2.
It is your responsibility to ensure that all students wear safety goggles and non-latex rubber gloves during the
lab practical. A lab coat or apron for each student is desirable but not mandatory. You will also need to give
students explicit directions for handling spills and for disposing of waste materials, following approved safety
practices for your examination site. Please check and follow procedures appropriate for your site.
After the students have settled, read the following instructions to the students.
Hello, my name is ________. Welcome to the lab practical portion of the U.S. National Chemistry
Olympiad Examination. In this part of the exam, we will be assessing your lab skills and your ability to reason
through a laboratory problem and communicate its results. Do not touch any of the equipment in front of you until
you are instructed to do so.
You will be asked to complete two laboratory problems. All the materials and equipment you may want to
use to solve each problem has been set out for you and is grouped by the number of the problem. You may use
equipment from one problem to work on the other problem, but the suggested ideal equipment and chemicals to be
used for each problem has been grouped for you. You will have one hour and thirty minutes to complete the two
problems. You may choose to start with either problem. You are required to have a procedure for each problem
approved for safety by an examiner. (Remember that approval does not mean that your procedure will be successful
– it is a safety approval.) When you are ready for an examiner to come to your station for each safety approval,
please raise your hand.
Safety is an important consideration during the lab practical. You must wear goggles and non-latex
rubber gloves at all times. Please wash off any chemicals spilled on your skin or clothing with large amounts of
tap water.
The appropriate procedures for disposing of solutions at the end of this lab practical are:
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________

We are about to begin the lab practical. Please do not turn the page until directed to do so, but read the
directions on the front page. Are they any questions before we begin?

Property of ACS USNCO – 2015 USNCO National Exam Part III Examiner’s Instructions Page 1
Distribute Part III booklets and again remind students not to turn the page until the instruction is given. Part III
contains student instructions and answer sheets for both laboratory problems. There is a periodic table on the last
page of the booklet. Allow students enough time to read the brief cover directions.
Do not turn to page 2 until directed to do so. When you start to work, be sure to fill out all of the
information at the top of the answer sheets. Are they any additional questions?
If there are no further questions, the students should be ready to start Part III.
You may begin.
After one hour and thirty minutes, give the following directions.
This is the end of the lab practical. Please stop and bring me your answer sheets. Thank you for your
cooperation during this portion of the exam.
Collect all the lab materials. Make sure that the student has filled in his or her name and other required information
on the answer sheets. At this point, you might wish to take a few minutes to discuss the lab practical with the
students. They can learn about possible observations and interpretations and you can acquire feedback as to what
they actually did and how they reacted to the problems. After this discussion, please take a few minutes to complete
the Post-Exam Questionnaire; this information will be extremely useful to the USNCO subcommittee as they
prepare for next year’s exam.
Please remember to return the post-exam Questionnaire, the answer sheets from Part III, the Scantron sheets
from Part I, and the ‘Blue Books” from Part II in the UPS Next Day return envelope you were provided to
this address:
American Chemical Society
U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad
1155 16th Street, NW – Room 811
Washington, DC 20036
The label on the UPS Express Pak envelope should have this address and your return address already. The cost of
the shipping is billed to ACS USNCO. You can keep a copy of the tracking number to allow you to track your
shipment.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015, is the absolute deadline for receipt of the exam material. Materials received after
this deadline CANNOT be graded. Be sure to have your envelope sent no later than Monday, April 20, 2015 for
it to arrive on time.

THERE WIL BE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS DEADLINE DUE TO THE TIGHT SCHEDULE FOR
GRADING THIS EXAMINATION.

NOTE THAT THE EXAMINER WILL NEED TO INITIAL EACH STUDENT’S EXPERIMENTAL PLAN.
PLEASE DO NOT COMMENT ON THE PLAN OTHER THAN LOOKING FOR ANY POTENTIAL
UNSAFE PRACTICES.

Property of ACS USNCO – 2015 USNCO National Exam Part III Examiner’s Instructions Page 2
Lab Problem #1: Materials and Equipment

Each student should have available the following equipment and materials:

Materials:

3 – 250 mL Erlenmeyer flasks (Pyrex, Kimax or equivalent)

3 – watch glasses, large enough in diameter to cover the mouths of the Erlenmeyer flasks
1 – spatula (a Scoopula® is fine)
2 – Beral pipets
disposable, non-latex rubber gloves
access to electronic balance, capable of determining mass to at least two decimal places, and with a
capacity of at least 250 g
access to paper towels and a sink with running water

Chemicals:

100 mL – Hydrogen Peroxide Solution - 6 mass % (see Note 1), in a bottle labeled only as “Hydrogen
Peroxide Solution” (DO NOT provide the concentration on the label)
1 g – Manganese(IV) Oxide (see Note 2), in a small vial labeled “Manganese(IV) Oxide”

Notes:

1) This solution is best prepared within a few days of the administration of the lab practical. Prepare the 6%
by mass hydrogen peroxide solution by appropriate dilution of 30% hydrogen peroxide (e.g., Fisher brand
H325-500 Hydrogen Peroxide, 30%, or 27% hydrogen peroxide available at swimming pool stores have
been found to be suitable). From the Certificate of Analysis of the lot of hydrogen peroxide used, obtain
the actual concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution, as determined by assay. Use distilled or
deionized water (do not use tap water). Store the solution in amber bottles (4 ounce or 125 mL narrow
mouth bottles are fine).
2) It was brought to the attention of the USNCO Subcommittee that the MnO2 should be checked to ensure
that it hasn’t somehow become deactivated. A small amount of MnO2 should facilitate a fairly rapid and
exothermic decomposition of 25 mL of 6% hydrogen peroxide.
3) Avery Label Template (Template 5160) provided for your convenience.

Property of ACS USNCO – 2015 USNCO National Exam Part III Examiner’s Instructions Page 3
 These materials are in addition to and separate from lab problem #1.

Lab Problem #2: Materials and Equipment

Each student should have available the following equipment and materials:

Materials:

3 – 50 mL beakers (Pyrex, Kimax or equivalent)

1 – stirring rod
1 pair – beaker tongs
1 – 10 mL graduated cylinder
1 – Spatula (a Scoopula® is fine)
disposable, non-latex rubber gloves
access to a hotplate (can be shared with up to 3 other students)
access to an ice bath (shallow, but large enough to accommodate up to four 50 mL beakers; can be shared
with up to 3 other students)
access to paper towels and a sink with running water

Chemicals:

5 g – Sodium Chloride, in a small vial labeled “Sodium Chloride”

50 mL – 0.3 M copper(II) nitrate solution, in a bottle labeled “Copper(II) Nitrate Solution, 0.3 M”
Solution A: 3 mL of 0.1M silver nitrate solution in a Beral pipet labeled only as “Solution A”
Solution B: 3 mL of 2M potassium chloride solution in a Beral pipet labeled only as “Solution B”

Notes:

1) The type of Beral pipets for Solution A and Solution B (5 mL capacity is sufficient):

2) Cut off the excess stem to yield about a 2 cm tip:

3) Avery Label Template (Template 5160) provided for your convenience.

Safety Instructions for Lab Problem #1 and #2:

It is your responsibility to ensure that all students wear safety goggles and non-latex rubber gloves during the lab
practical. A lab coat or apron for each student is desirable but not mandatory. You will also need to give students
explicit directions for handling spills and for disposing of waste materials, following approved safety practices for
your examination site. Please check and follow procedures appropriate for your site.

If you have any questions regarding Part III, please contact USNCO office immediately at USNCO@acs.org.

Property of ACS USNCO – 2015 USNCO National Exam Part III Examiner’s Instructions Page 4
Lab Problem #1: [25 points]

Devise and carry out an experimental procedure to determine the concentration (in
mass %) of the hydrogen peroxide solution with which you have been provided.

Answer sheet questions:

1. Give a brief description of your experimental plan. [3 pts]

2. Record your data/observations.

a) Data (example; student may tare flask and/or watch glass rather than determine and
report their masses, determine the mass of the flask, watch glass and MnO2,or other:
i) Mass of flask + watch glass = 120.432
ii) Mass of flask + watch glass + MnO2 = 120.638 g
iii) Mass of flask + watch glass + MnO2 + H2O2 = 140.693 g
iv) Mass of iii above, after reaction = 140.118 g

NOTES: Students should at least have iii and iv above, (or the necessary data to
determine them).
Students should have data from at least TWO trials. [6 pts (3 each)]

b) Observations – (Student responses may vary; best response would include at least
3 observations)
Upon addition of the MnO2 to the H2O2: [3 pts]
i) the resulting mixture is black (gray-black) and opaque (“murky”)
ii) evolution of a colorless gas is evident
iii) heat is produced
iv) condensation forms on the upper walls of the flask and the bottom of the
watch glass
v) gas evolution eventually subsides

3. Show all calculations - Example (set up and solution may vary) [6 pts total]
a) Balanced equation: 2H2O2(aq)  2H2O(l) + O2(g) [2 pts]
b) Mass of H2O2 solution used = 140.693 g – 120.638 g = 20.055 g [1 pt]
c) Mass of oxygen gas evolved = mass of system before reaction – mass of system after
= 140.693 g – 140.118 g
= 0.575 g [1 pt]

d) 0.575 g O2 x 1 mol O2 x 2 mol H2O2 x 34.01 g H2O2 = 1.22 g H2O2 [2 pts]

32.0 g O2 1 mol O2 1 mol H2O2
 e) Mass % H2O2 = 1.22 g H2O2 x 100 = 6.08 % (m/m) [see #4]
20.055 g soln

4. The concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution provided = _6.08_ mass %. [2 pts; 1
of which is for correct sf]

5. List as many sources of error as you can think of for your procedure and indicate whether
each would yield a result lower than or higher than the actual concentration of the
hydrogen peroxide solution. [5 pts]
a) Inaccurate mass of unknown hydrogen peroxide solution – if mass greater than actual,
then result would be lower; if mass less than actual, then result would be higher
b) Incomplete reaction – lower result
c) Loss of liquid as vapor during the reaction – higher result
d) Student responses may vary; others may be acceptable
Lab Problem #2: [25 points]

Consider the reaction:

[Cu(H2O)4] 2+(aq) + 4 Cl-(aq)  [CuCl4]2-(aq) + 4 H2O(l) ΔH = ____

Prepare an initial [Cu(H2O)4]2+ / [CuCl4]2-equilibrium mixture by dissolving sodium

chloride in 0.3M copper(II) nitrate solution until you observe a color change.

Devise and carry out experimental procedures to

1) determine the sign of ΔH for this reaction, and
2) identify Solution A and Solution B as containing either KCl or AgNO3 based on
their effect on this equilibrium system.

Answer sheet questions:

1. Give a brief description of your experimental plan.
[3 pts]

2. Record your data and other observations. Explain each change in color that you observed,
in terms of a shift in the equilibrium position of this system. [Each = 2 + 2 pts]
a) When heated, the solution becomes greener in color, indicating a shift in the
equilibrium position of the system toward the right.
b) When Solution A is added, the system becomes bluer in color, indicating a shift in
equilibrium position toward the left.
c) When Solution B is added, the system becomes greener in color, indicating a shift in
equilibrium position toward the right.

3. What is the color of each species in this equilibrium system? [4 pts]

[Cu(H2O)4]2+(aq) + 4 Cl-(aq)  [CuCl4]2-(aq) + 4 H2O(l)

blue colorless green colorless

4. The sign of ΔH for this reaction is _+_(positive)__. [2 pts]

5. a) Solution A contains __AgNO3___. [2 pts]

b) Solution B contains ___KCl_____. [2 pts]