A Level Initial Assessment

These are high demand GCSE questions based upon topics you studied in
KS4 and will need to know about in your A Level course.

16/09/2011
60 minutes
64 marks

Name: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

AS Target Grade: . . . . . . . . .

Page 1 of 20

Sodium reacts with chlorine to form the compound sodium chloride.

Q1.

2Na + Cl2 2NaCl

Describe, in terms of electron arrangement, the type of bonding in:
(i)

a molecule of chlorine;
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(3)

(ii)

the compound sodium chloride.

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(4)
(Total 7 marks)

Q2.

Fluorine is the most reactive element in group 7 of the Periodic Table.

Fluorine reacts with all the other elements in the Periodic Table except some of the noble gases.
It does not react with helium, neon and argon, but it does react with xenon. Many substances
burst into flames when exposed to fluorine.
(a)

(i)

The electronic structure of chlorine is 2.8.7. What is the electronic structure

of fluorine?
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(1)

(ii)

What is the electronic structure of the chloride ion Cl?

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(1)

Page 2 of 20

(iii)

Explain why fluorine is more reactive than chlorine.

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(4)

(b)

(i)

What does the information at the start of this question suggest about the reactivity of
the elements in group 0?
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(1)

(ii)

A chemist did an experiment to find out if fluorine reacts with xenon. The two gases
were mixed in a glass container. The only product detected was silicon fluoride.
Explain what happened.
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(2)

(iii)

The experiment was repeated many years later but the gases were mixed in a
different type of container. A white solid was obtained which was xenon fluoride.
Predict whether you think (1) krypton and (2) radon will react with fluorine. Explain the
reasons for your predictions.
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(5)
(Total 14 marks)

Page 3 of 20

Q3.



(i)

Describe the structure and bonding in metals.'UDZDGLDJUDPWRKHOSLI\RXZLVK

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(3)

(ii)

Explain why metals such as nickel and platinum are good conductors of electricity.
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(2)
(Total 13 marks)

Page 4 of 20

Q4.

At room temperature, hydrogen peroxide decomposes very slowly to form water and oxygen.
The decomposition is speeded up when a catalyst is added.
(a)

The following equation represents the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide.

The structural formulae of the chemicals involved are shown.

Use the following information about bond energies to answer this part of the question.

(i)

BOND

BOND ENERGY (kJ)

O=O

498

OO

146

HO

464

Calculate the energy needed to break all the bonds in the reactants.
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....................... kJ
(2)

(ii)

Calculate the energy released when new bonds are formed in the products.

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(iii)

Calculate the energy change for this reaction.

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....................... kJ
kJ
.......................

(iv)

(1)
(2)

Is the reaction exothermic or endothermic?

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Explain why.
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(1)

Page 5 of 20

(b)

(i)

What is meant by activation energy?

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(1)

(ii)

The energy level diagram for the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide into water and
oxygen is shown below.

Which energy change, A, B, C or D, is the activation energy? .......................

(1)

(iii)

Explain, in terms of energy, how a catalyst makes hydrogen peroxide decompose

more quickly.
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(1)
(Total 9 marks)

Uranium metal can be produced by reacting uranium hexafluoride with calcium.

Q5.

UF6 + 3Ca 3CaF2 + U

(a)

Describe how calcium and fluorine bond together to form calcium fluoride. The electron
arrangement of each atom is shown.

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Page 6 of 20

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(b)

Uranium has two main isotopes,

meant by the word isotope.

and

. Use these as examples to explain what is

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(4)

Page 7 of 20

(c)

At the start of a reaction there was 174.5 g of uranium hexafluoride, UF6.

Relative atomic masses: F 19; U 235
(i)

Calculate the relative formula mass of uranium hexafluoride, UF6.

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Relative formula mass UF6 = .................................... g
(1)

(ii)

Calculate the mass of uranium that would be produced from 134.5 g of uranium
hexafluoride.
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Mass of uranium = .................................. g
(2)
(Total 12 marks)

Q6.

The balanced symbol equation for the reaction is

H2 (g)

Cl2 (g)

2HCl(g)

Starting with 2 g of hydrogen, what mass of hydrogen chloride would be produced?

(Relative atomic masses: H = 1; Cl = 35.5)
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Mass of hydrogen chloride = ...................................... g
(Total 3 marks)

Page 8 of 20

Petrol is a mixture of hydrocarbons such as octane, C8H18

Q7.

When petrol is burned in a car engine, a large amount of carbon dioxide is produced.

This car uses 114 g of petrol to travel one mile.

Calculate the mass of carbon dioxide produced when this car travels one mile.
Assume that petrol is octane and that combustion is complete.
(Relative atomic masses: H = 1; C = 12; O = 16)
The combustion of octane can be represented by this equation.
C8H18 + 12

O28CO2 + 9H2O

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Mass of carbon dioxide = ........................ g
(Total 3 marks)

Q8.

Iron is the most commonly used metal. Iron is extracted in a blast furnace from iron oxide
using carbon monoxide.
Fe2O3
(a)

3CO

Fe

3CO2

A sample of the ore haematite contains 70% iron oxide.

Calculate the amount of iron oxide in 2000 tonnes of haematite.
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Amount of iron oxide = ......................................... tonnes
(1)

Page 9 of 20

(b)

Calculate the amount of iron that can be extracted from 2000 tonnes of haematite.
(Relative atomic masses: O = 16; Fe = 56)
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Amount of iron = .................................................... tonnes
(4)
(Total 5 marks)

Q9.

Aspirin tablets have important medical uses.

A student carried out an experiment to make aspirin. The method is given below.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Weigh 2.00 g of salicylic acid.

Add 4 cm3 of ethanoic anhydride (an excess).
Add 5 drops of concentrated sulfuric acid.
Warm the mixture for 15 minutes.
Add ice cold water to remove the excess ethanoic anhydride.
Cool the mixture until a precipitate of aspirin is formed.
Collect the precipitate and wash it with cold water.
The precipitate of aspirin is dried and weighed.

Page 10 of 20

(a)

The equation for this reaction is shown below.

C7H6O3

salicylic acid

C4H6O3

C9H8O4

aspirin

CH3COOH

Calculate the maximum mass of aspirin that could be made from 2.00 g of salicylic acid.
The relative formula mass (M r) of salicylic acid, C7H6O3, is 138
The relative formula mass (M r) of aspirin, C9H8O4, is 180
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Maximum mass of aspirin = .............................. g
(2)

(b)

The student made 1.10 g of aspirin from 2.00 g of salicylic acid.

Calculate the percentage yield of aspirin for this experiment.
(If you did not answer part (a), assume that the maximum mass of aspirin that can be
made from 2.00 g of salicylic acid is 2.50 g. This is not the correct answer to part (a).)
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Percentage yield of aspirin = .............................. %
(2)

(c)

Suggest one possible reason why this method does not give the maximum amount of
aspirin.
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(1)

(d)

Concentrated sulfuric acid is a catalyst in this reaction.

Suggest how the use of a catalyst might reduce costs in the industrial production of
aspirin.
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(1)
(Total 6 marks)

Page 11 of 20

Page 12 of 20

(i)

M1.

can be from diagram chlorine (2.8).7.

accept chlorine needs one more electron
1

can be from diagram shares a pair of electrons

1

shared pair of electrons is a covalent bond

do not accept ionic bond
1

(ii)

can be from diagram and appropriately annotated sodium (2.8). 1.

and chlorine (2.8).7
1

sodium loses one electron and chlorine gains one electron

1

Na+ and Cl formed

1

bond formed between oppositely charged ions or ionic bond is formed

do not accept covalent bond
1

[7]

(a)

M2.

(i)

2.7
1

(ii)

2.8.8
1

(iii)

gains an electron
more easily than Cl
because the higher the energy level
the less easily an electron is gained
each for 1 mark
4

(b)

(i)

very unreactive or give reactivity trend

1

(ii)

fluorine reacted with silicon from glass

each for 1 mark
2

Page 13 of 20

(iii)

Reactivity increases down the group

radon likely to react because lower in group than xenon
more reactive than xenon
Kr may or may not react
higher in group than xenon
less reactive than xenon
any 5 for 1 mark each
5

[14]

M3. (a)

(i)

giant structure/lattice/regular arrangements of atoms

any for 1 mark
of atoms/of ions (provided free electrons mentioned)
either for 1 mark
delocalised or free electrons
for 1 mark
3

(ii)

electrons free/can move

for 1 mark each
2

[13]

M4.

(a)

(i)
4 E (H-O) = 4 464 = 1856
2 E (O-O) = 2 l46 = 292
gains 1 mark each
but Total = 2148 kJ
Deduct one mark for each mistake.
Answer of 1074 kJ gains 1 mark. (Candidate has ignored
the 2 in front of the brackets.)
gains 2 marks
2

(ii)

4 E (H-O) = 4 464 = 1856

E (O=O) = 498
gains 1 mark each
but Total = 2354 kJ
Deduct one mark for each mistake.
Answer of 1426 kJ gains 1 mark. (Candidate has ignored
the 2 in front of the brackets.)
gains 2 marks
2

(iii)

2354 2148 = 206 kJ (Ignore any signs)

Answer is consequential on their answers to (i) and (ii).
for 1 mark
1

(iv)

exothermic because (more) heat is given out (than put it) / or

H is negative /answer to (iii) is negative.).
(If the candidate gives the answer endothermic because
heat /energy is taken in then look back to their answers to (i) and (ii).
If (i) is greater than (ii) then accept this answer.
for 1 mark
1

Page 14 of 20

(b)

(i)

eg minimum energy for reaction

energy needed to start a reaction
energy needed to break bonds
energy needed to make two substances react
(Energy linked to starting a reaction.)
for 1 mark
1

(ii)

B
for 1 mark
1

(iii)

lowers activation energy / needs less energy to start reaction /

less energetic route
for 1 mark
1

[9]

M5.

(a)

calcium atom loses two electrons

accept diagrams with correct labelling
1

(each) fluorine atom gains one electron

accept two electrons transfer from a calcium atom to the two
fluorine atoms for these first two marks
1

forming full (outer) shells of electrons

accept forming full (outer) energy levels or noble gas electronic
structures
do not accept stable unless qualified
1

giving the ions Ca2+ and F

1

attraction between ions of opposite charges

accept electrostatic attraction between ions
if candidate mentions sharing or pairing of electrons then no credit
if explanation is entirely correct but they state this is called
covalent bonding, the maximum mark is four
1

Page 16 of 20

(b)

atoms of the same element

1

atomic number is same

accept each contains 92 or same number of protons
1

mass numbers differ or each has a different number of neutrons

1

one has 146 neutrons the other has 143 neutrons

accept one has three more or less neutrons than the other
1

(c)

(i)

349
1

(ii)

349g UF2 produces 235g U [1]

first mark can be awarded if answer is incorrect
answer = 117.5
1

[12]

73 (seventy three)
if answer is incorrect allow 1 mark for the correct proportion that
H2:HCl is 1:2

M6.

and 1 mark for 36.5

[3]

352 g gains 3 marks

M7.

(moles C8H18 = 114 / 114 = 1 mole)

moles CO2 = 8 (1)

mass CO2 = 8 44 (1) = 352 g (1)

1 mark for each point
(ecf allowed between parts)
or
1148(1)44
(1)

114 352g
(1)

ecf allowed between parts

[3]

Page 17 of 20

(a)

M8.

1400
1

(b)

980
correct answer gains full credit
160 tonnes Fe2O3 produces 112 tonnes Fe
if incorrect allow one mark for relative formula mass iron oxide =
160
allow e.c.f.
1400 tonnes Fe2O3 will produce 1400 / 160 112 tonnes Fe
use of 2000 tonnes Fe2O3 deduct one mark only if
working out is correct
4

[5]

(a)

M9.

2.61 / range 2.5 to 2.7

correct answer with or without or with wrong working gains 2 marks
(accept answers between 2.5 and 2.7)
if answer incorrect moles of salicylic acid = 2/138 = 0.0145 moles
ie 2/138 or 0.0145 gains 1 mark
or
(180/138) 2 gains 1 mark
or
1g180/138=(1.304g)gains1 mark
(not 1.304g alone)
2

(b)

42.1 range 40.7 to 42.3

accept correct answer with or without or with wrong working for 2
marks
ecf ie (1.1 / their answer from (a)) 100 correctly calculated gains
2 marks
if answer incorrect percentage yield = 1.1 / 2.61 100 gains 1
mark
if they do not have an answer to part (a)
or
they choose not to use their answer then:

yield = (1.1 / 2.5) 100 (1)

= 44
accept 44 for 2 marks with no working
2

Page 18 of 20

(c)

any one from:

errors in weighing

some (of the aspirin) lost

do not allow lost as a gas

not all of the reactant may have been converted to product

eg reaction didnt go to completion
allow loss of some reactants

the reaction is reversible

accept other products / chemicals

side reactions
ignore waste products

reactants impure

not heated for long enough

not hot enough for reaction to take place

1

(d)

any one from:

use lower temperature

use less fuel / energy

ignore references to use of catalyst

produce product faster or speed up reaction

more product produced in a given time (owtte)

increased productivity

lowers activation energy

1

[6]

Page 19 of 20