Deck 2: Water and Carbon: the Chemical Basis of Life

Question 1

The difference between a polar covalent bond and an ionic bond is that electrons are shared unequally in a polar covalent bond,but are completely transferred (i.e.,not shared)in an ionic bond.

A)true
B)false

Answer 1

A

Question 2

If an atom has a charge of -2,which of the following must be true?

A)It has two more electrons than protons.
B)It has two more protons than electrons.
C)It has two more protons than neutrons.
D)It has two more neutrons than electrons.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

How can you determine the approximate mass of an atom in atomic mass units?

A)Add up the number of protons,electrons,and neutrons.
B)Add up the number of protons and neutrons.
C)Add up the number of protons and electrons.
D)Take the number of protons minus the number of electrons.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Nitrogen (N)normally forms only three covalent bonds because it has a valence of five.However,ammonium has four covalent bonds,each to a different hydrogen (H)atom (H has a valence of one).Make a sketch of this molecule.Count the number of electrons in your sketch.Compare this number to the number of valence electrons in one N and four H's.What is the charge on this molecule most likely to be?

A)+1
B)-1
C)+2
D)-2

Question 5

Why is water capable of forming hydrogen bonds?

A)The hydrogen atoms carry partial positive charges.
B)The oxygen atom carries a partial negative charge.
C)It is highly polar.
D)All of the above apply.

Question 6

How many electrons are involved in a single covalent bond?

A)one
B)two
C)three
D)four

Question 7

What holds electrons in a covalent bond?

A)It is the fact that two electrons are paired in the same orbital.
B)The electron sharing that occurs makes the atoms involved smaller and more compact.
C)An increase in potential energy,caused by electrical repulsion of the electrons in the bond,holds the electrons.
D)The negative charges on the electrons are attracted by the positive charges on both nuclei.

Question 8

An atom has four electrons in its valence shell.What types of covalent bonds is it capable of forming?

A)single,double,or triple
B)single and double only
C)four single bonds only
D)two double bonds only

Question 9

The structural formula for a certain molecule includes a group symbolized -O.The dash next to the oxygen atom means that a single bond exists to another atom,such as a carbon.Based on the valence of oxygen and the number of bonds it normally forms,what is the charge on the oxygen atom in this case?

A)+1
B)-1
C)+2
D)-2

Question 10

How many electrons are involved in a double covalent bond?

A)one
B)two
C)three
D)four

Question 11

If an atom has a charge of +1,which of the following must be true?

A)It has two more protons than neutrons.
B)It has the same number of protons as electrons.
C)It has one more electron than it has protons.
D)It has one more proton than it has electrons.

Question 12

There are four elements that make up 95% of all matter found in organisms.Which of the following is not one of these?

A)nitrogen
B)calcium
C)hydrogen
D)oxygen

Question 13

If an atom is electrically neutral,which of the following must be true?

A)It has the same number of protons as neutrons.
B)It has the same number of protons as electrons.
C)It has the same number of neutrons as electrons.
D)It has at least one more electron than it has protons.

Question 14

How many electrons are involved in a triple covalent bond?

A)two
B)three
C)six
D)nine

Question 15

When are atoms most stable?

A)when they have the fewest possible valence electrons
B)when they have the maximum number of unpaired electrons
C)when all of the electron orbitals in the valence shell are filled
D)when all electrons are paired

Question 16

When the atoms involved in a covalent bond have the same electronegativity,what type of bond results?

A)an ionic bond
B)a hydrogen bond
C)a nonpolar covalent bond
D)a polar covalent bond

Question 17

An atom has six electrons in its valence shell.How many single covalent bonds would you expect it to form in most circumstances?

A)one
B)two
C)three
D)six

Question 18

You need to write down information about a molecule that gives the most accurate picture of the relative sizes of the atoms involved and their relationship in space.Which representation would work best?

A)molecular formula
B)structural formula
C)ball-and-stick model
D)space-filling model

Question 19

When one of the atoms involved in a covalent bond has a much higher electronegativity than the other atom,what type of bond results?

A)a double bond
B)a hydrogen bond
C)a nonpolar covalent bond
D)a polar covalent bond

Question 20

You need to write down information about a molecule,but need to indicate only which atoms it contains and how many of each.Which representation would work best?

A)molecular formula
B)structural formula
C)ball-and-stick model
D)space-filling model

Question 21

Why is water such a good solvent?

A)Most polar and charged substances dissolve in it.
B)It is highly polar.
C)It can participate in hydrogen bonds.
D)All of the above apply.

Question 22

Which of the following is not a property of liquid water?

A)Its density is greater than ice.
B)Its specific heat is higher than that of most other substances.
C)Its heat of vaporization is lower than that of most other substances.
D)It is polar.

Question 23

What does it mean to say a system has a ∆G equal to zero?

A)The system does not release or absorb heat.
B)The system is perfectly ordered (no entropy).
C)The total amount of potential energy in the system is zero.
D)The system is at equilibrium.

Question 24

A pH of 7 is neutral due to the dissociation of water molecules in pure water.How many molecules of water have broken down into a hydroxide ion and a hydronium ion at pH 7?

A)1 in 1 million
B)1 in 10 million
C)1 in 100 million
D)1 in 1 billion

Question 25

A solution with a pH of 5 has how many more protons in it than a solution with a pH of 7?

A)5 times
B)10 times
C)100 times
D)1,000 times

Question 26

Ice melts spontaneously at room temperature,even though the process is endothermic.How is this possible?

A)ΔH is small,so melting still obeys the second law of thermodynamics.
B)The Gibbs free-energy relationship does not apply to phase changes such as melting.
C)Water has a very high specific heat.
D)There is a large increase in entropy.

Question 27

Which statement best summarizes the essence of chemical evolution?

A)Energy in the form of sunlight or heat was transformed into chemical energy.
B)Instead of being radiated back to space,energy in the form of sunlight or heat was retained in the oceans and atmosphere because of water's high specific heat.
C)Entropy increased.
D)An increasing number of exothermic reactions occurred.

Question 28

Which of the following true statements can be attributed to water's high specific heat?

A)Oil and water do not mix well.
B)Our body temperature takes a long time to change because it is composed mostly of water.
C)Ice floats on water.
D)Sugar dissolves in hot tea faster than in iced tea.

Question 29

In the Gibbs free-energy relationship,why is the T term necessary?

A)The free-energy change caused by a change in entropy is a function of temperature.
B)The free-energy change caused by a change in potential energy is a function of temperature.
C)The free-energy change caused by a change in electrical charge is a function of temperature.

Question 30

Which of the following is a violation of the first law of thermodynamics?

A)The amount of energy stored in a plant's cell as sugars after undergoing photosynthesis is less than the amount of sunlight it absorbed.
B)A hydrogen bomb can destroy a large city with only a few pounds of explosive material.
C)All of the energy in the universe today was present when the Big Bang occurred.
D)The universe will eventually die,and it will have no energy left in it.

Question 31

Which reaction is most spontaneous?

A)a reaction that is slightly exothermic and leads to a slight increase in entropy
B)a reaction that is slightly endothermic and leads to a huge decrease in entropy
C)a reaction that is highly exothermic and leads to a huge decrease in entropy
D)a reaction that is slightly exothermic and leads to a huge increase in entropy

Question 32

The cities of Portland,Oregon,and Minneapolis,Minnesota,are at about the same latitude,but Minneapolis has much hotter summers and much colder winters than Portland.Why? (Portland is near the Pacific Ocean;Minneapolis is near a number of large lakes.)

A)They are not at exactly the same latitude.
B)The ocean is so large that it has a highly moderating influence on temperature.
C)Freshwater is more likely to freeze than saltwater.
D)Minneapolis is much windier,due to its location in the middle of a continent.

Question 33

Why do chemical reactions tend to speed up when the reactants are heated?

A)The reactants move faster.
B)The reactants collide more often.
C)The reactants have greater energy.
D)All of the above apply.

Question 34

Doctors used to recommend that parents sponge feverish children with rubbing alcohol to lower their body temperature.Rubbing alcohol has a lower heat of vaporization than water does.Which of the following is true?

A)Rubbing alcohol will evaporate faster than water.
B)Rubbing alcohol will evaporate at the same rate as water.
C)Rubbing alcohol will evaporate more slowly than water.

Question 35

To act as an effective coolant in a car's radiator,a substance has to be a liquid at the temperatures found in your car's engine and have the capacity to absorb a great deal of heat.You have a reference book with tables listing the physical properties of many liquids.In choosing a coolant for your car,which table would you check first?

A)pH
B)density at room temperature
C)heat of vaporization
D)specific heat

Question 36

While water has many exceptional and useful properties,which is the rarest property among compounds?

A)Water is a solvent.
B)Solid water is less dense than liquid water.
C)Water has a high heat capacity.
D)Water has surface tension.

Question 37

Why are some reactions exothermic?

A)The products have lower potential energy than the reactants.
B)They are spontaneous.
C)They are nonspontaneous.
D)The products have higher entropy (are more disordered)than the reactants.

Question 38

The ability to sweat or pant is considered an adaptation.Why?

A)It allows a body to release excess water.
B)It allows a body to absorb heat,due to water's high specific heat.
C)It cools a body off,due to water's high heat of vaporization.
D)It is an important signal to others that an individual is too hot.

Question 39

Consider the following reaction at equilibrium: CO₂ + H₂O ↔ H₂CO₃.What would be the effect of adding additional H₂CO₃?

A)It would drive the equilibrium dynamics to the right.
B)It would drive the equilibrium dynamics to the left.
C)Nothing would happen,because the reactants and products are in equilibrium.
D)The amounts of CO₂ and H₂O would decrease.

Question 40

Why do chemical reactions tend to speed up when the concentration of the reactants is increased?

A)The reactants move faster.
B)The reactants collide more often.
C)The reactants have greater energy.
D)All of the above apply.

Question 41

Chemical evolution refers to which of the following?

A)Large molecules tended to break apart because of the intense sunlight and heat from volcanoes.
B)Water condensed to form the first oceans.
C)Small molecules reacted to form larger,more complex molecules.
D)Earth's crust solidified,even as massive bombardment from outer space continued.

Question 42

Why would the spontaneous formation of formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide not take place on Earth today as much as on the prebiotic Earth?

A)Microorganisms break these down immediately.
B)The sun has changed its output.
C)Atmospheric conditions on Earth,such as the presence of oxygen,have changed.

Question 43

Which of the following tends to make chemical reactions spontaneous?

A)The reactants have lower potential energy than the products.
B)The reactants are more ordered than the products.
C)The temperature is low.
D)The pressure is low.

Question 44

The first chemicals that provided potential energy on Earth may have been formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide.While these were produced by sunlight-driven reactions,they also occur around deep-sea vents.If the first organisms on Earth evolved around these vents,the first life on Earth was

A)photosynthetic and obtained energy from the sun.
B)chemosynthetic and obtained energy from chemicals.
C)herbivorous and obtained energy from plants.
D)carnivorous and obtained energy from animals.

Question 45

Why is carbon so important in biology?

A)It is a common element on Earth.
B)It has very little electronegativity,making it a good electron donor.
C)It bonds to only a few other elements.
D)It forms up to four covalent bonds.

Question 46

Many scientific probes sent to other parts of the solar system are looking for signs of something so far known to exist only on Earth,namely

A)carbon.
B)gold.
C)nitrogen.
D)life.

Question 47

Carbon is an important element for biology because

A)of the variety of carbon skeletons and functional groups that can be built on them.
B)it has very high electronegativity and forms highly stable bonds.
C)carbon is so rare,organisms conserve it highly.
D)it has the ability to form six covalent bonds.

Question 48

During chemical evolution,which of the following occurred in the molecules involved?

A)Entropy decreased while potential energy increased.
B)Entropy increased while potential energy increased.
C)Entropy stayed constant while potential energy increased.

Question 49

The Q10 rule states that,within their survivable range,the rates of biochemical processes of many ectothermic organisms approximately double with every 10-degree (C)rise in temperature.Why would this be true?

A)Warmer molecules interact faster.
B)There are more vibrational harmonics with greater temperature.
C)Organisms move faster when they are warmer.
D)Sunlight warms all organisms.

Question 50

How many times can humans be sure the switch from nonlife to life has happened in the universe?

A)once
B)twice
C)four times
D)forty-two times

Question 51

You've been asked to analyze a reaction that took place at 300°K.∆H was -150 and ∆S was +0.4.Is the reaction endothermic or exothermic?

A)endothermic
B)exothermic
C)You cannot tell unless you know the potential energy of the reactants and products.
D)You cannot tell unless you know the amount of disorder in the reactants and products.