Deck 2: The Chemical Context of Life

Question 1

Can the atomic mass of an element vary?

A) No, it is fixed; otherwise a new element will be formed.
B) Yes. Adding or losing electrons will substantially change the atomic mass.
C) Yes. Adding or losing protons will change the atomic mass without forming a different element.
D) Yes. Adding or losing neutrons will change the atomic mass without forming a different element.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which pair of elements would likely have similar valency and thus similar chemical behaviour?

A) nitrogen and phosphorus
B) carbon and nitrogen
C) sodium and chlorine
D) hydrogen and helium

Answer 2

A

Question 3

An ion with six protons, seven neutrons and a charge of 2+ has an atomic number of ________.

A) four
B) five
C) six
D) seven

Answer 3

C

Question 4

About 25 of the 92 natural elements are known to be essential to life. Which four of these 25 elements make up approximately 96 percent of living matter?

A) carbon, sodium, hydrogen, nitrogen
B) carbon, oxygen, phosphorus, hydrogen
C) oxygen, hydrogen, calcium, nitrogen
D) carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen

Question 5

Atoms have no electric charge because they have ________.

A) uncharged neutrons in their nuclei
B) an equal number of protons and neutrons
C) an equal number of protons and electrons
D) an equal number of charged and uncharged subatomic particles

Question 6

The atomic number of nitrogen is 7. Nitrogen-15 has a greater mass number than nitrogen-14 because the atomic nucleus of nitrogen-15 contains ________.

A) 7 neutrons
B) 8 neutrons
C) 8 protons
D) 15 protons

Question 7

Elements 72Zn, 75As, and 74Ge have the ________.

A) same number of protons
B) same number of protons and electrons
C) same number of neutrons
D) same number of neutrons and electrons

Question 8

Carbon-14 has the same ________.

A) atomic number and atomic mass as carbon-12
B) atomic number and thus number of neutrons as carbon-13
C) atomic mass as both carbon-12 and carbon-13
D) number of protons but more neutrons than carbon-12

Question 9

The left to right order of elements in the periodic table is based on their ________.

A) atomic mass
B) atomic number
C) electric charge of the atom
D) the number of neutrons

Question 10

Oxygen has an atomic number of 8 and, most commonly, a mass number of 16. Thus, what is the atomic mass of an oxygen atom?

A) approximately 8 grams
B) approximately 8 daltons
C) approximately 16 grams
D) approximately 16 daltons

Question 11

A neutral atom has two, eight, eight electrons in its first, second and third energy levels. This information ________.

A) does not tell us about the atomic number of the element
B) does not tell us about the chemical properties of the element
C) does not tell us about the atomic mass of the element
D) does not tell us about the size of the element

Question 12

How many electrons are present in a Phosphorus 3+ atom?

A) 16
B) 12
C) 19
D) 34

Question 13

Molybdenum has an atomic number of 42. Several common isotopes exist, with mass numbers from 92-100. Which of the following can be true?

A) Molybdenum atoms can have between 50 and 58 neutrons.
B) Molybdenum atoms can have between 50 and 58 protons.
C) Molybdenum atoms can have between 50 and 58 electrons.
D) Isotopes of molybdenum have different numbers of electrons.

Question 14

Trace elements are those required by an organism in only minute quantities. Which of the following is a trace element that is required by humans and other vertebrates, but not by other organisms such as bacteria or plants?

A) calcium
B) iodine
C) sodium
D) phosphorus

Question 15

A(n) ________ has charge but negligible mass, whereas a(n) ________ has mass but no charge.

A) proton; neutron
B) neutron; proton
C) neutron; electron
D) electron; neutron

Question 16

In a chemical reaction, the element 13Al will most preferably ________.

A) lose three electrons and become positively charged
B) gain five electrons and become negatively charged
C) lose five electrons and become positively charged
D) gain three electrons and become positively charged

Question 17

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A) Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and calcium are the most abundant elements of living matter.
B) Some naturally occurring elements are toxic to organisms.
C) All life requires the same essential elements.
D) A patient suffering from a goiter should not consume seafood.

Question 18

What element does not prefer to react with other elements?

A) hydrogen
B) helium
C) beryllium
D) both hydrogen and beryllium

Question 19

How many electrons will a single atom of sulphur with no charge and no bonds have in its valence shell?

A) 6
B) 8
C) 16
D) 32

Question 20

Which of the following are compounds?

A) H₂O, O₂ and CH₄
B) H₂O and O₂
C) O₂ and CH₄
D) H₂O and CH₄, but not O₂

Question 21

Which one of the atoms shown would be most likely to form a cation with a charge of +1?

A)

B)

C)

D)

Question 22

Bonds between two atoms that are equally electronegative are ________.

A) hydrogen bonds
B) polar covalent bonds
C) nonpolar covalent bonds
D) ionic bonds

Question 23

Nitrogen (N) is more electronegative than hydrogen (H). Which of the following is a correct statement about the atoms in ammonia (NH3)?

A) Each hydrogen atom has a partial positive charge; the nitrogen atom has a partial negative charge.
B) Ammonia has an overall positive charge.
C) Ammonia has an overall negative charge.
D) The nitrogen atom has a partial positive charge; each hydrogen atom has a partial negative charge.

Question 24

Which one of the atoms shown would be most likely to form an anion with a charge of -1?

A)

B)

C)

D)

Question 25

What is the maximum number of hydrogen atoms that can be covalently bonded in a molecule containing two carbon atoms?

A) two
B) four
C) six
D) eight

Question 26

Van der Waals interactions may result when ________.

A) electrons are not symmetrically distributed in a molecule
B) molecules held by ionic bonds react with water
C) two polar covalent bonds react
D) a hydrogen atom loses an electron

Question 27

Which of the following is broken when water evaporates?

A) nonpolar covalent bonds
B) ionic bonds
C) hydrogen bonds
D) polar covalent bonds

Question 28

The atomic number of chlorine is 17. The atomic number of magnesium is 12. What is the formula for magnesium chloride?

A) MgCl
B) MgCl2
C) Mg2Cl
D) MgCl3

Question 29

A covalent bond is likely to be polar when ________.

A) one of the atoms sharing electrons is more electronegative than the other atom
B) the two atoms sharing electrons are equally electronegative
C) carbon is one of the two atoms sharing electrons
D) the two atoms sharing electrons are of the same elements

Question 30

What is the maximum number of covalent bonds that an oxygen atom with atomic number 8 can make with hydrogen?

A) 1
B) 2
C) 4
D) 6

Question 31

How many electron pairs are shared between carbon atoms in a molecule that has the formula C2H4?

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

Question 32

A covalent chemical bond is one in which ________.

A) electrons are removed from one atom and transferred to another atom so that the two atoms become oppositely charged
B) protons and neutrons are shared by two atoms so as to satisfy the requirements of both atoms
C) outer-shell electrons of two atoms are shared so as to satisfactorily fill their respective orbitals
D) outer-shell electrons of one atom are transferred to fill the inner electron shell of another atom

Question 33

A salamander relies on hydrogen bonding to stick to various surfaces. Therefore, a salamander would have the greatest difficulty clinging to a ________.

A) slightly damp surface
B) surface of hydrocarbons
C) surface of mostly carbon-oxygen bonds
D) surface of mostly carbon-nitrogen bonds

Question 34

Which of the following is the best description of an atom's physical structure?

A) An atom is a solid mass of material.
B) The particles that form an atom are equidistant from each other.
C) Atoms are little bubbles of space with mass concentrated at the centre of the bubble.
D) Atoms are little bubbles of space with mass concentrated on the outside surface of the bubble.

Question 35

In the following structure where A and B represent two different elements, the valency of A is ________ and B is ________.

A) one; three
B) one; five
C) three; five
D) eight; eight

Question 36

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 37

What is the difference between covalent bonds and ionic bonds?

A) Covalent bonds involve the sharing of pairs of electrons between atoms; ionic bonds involve the sharing of single electrons between atoms.
B) Covalent bonds involve the sharing of electrons between atoms; ionic bonds involve the electrical attraction between charged atoms.
C) Covalent bonds involve the sharing of electrons between atoms; ionic bonds involve the sharing of protons between charged atoms.
D) Covalent bonds involve the transfer of electrons between charged atoms; ionic bonds involve the sharing of electrons between atoms.

Question 38

What results from the chemical reaction in the illustration? The reactants have no charge.

A) a cation with a net charge of +1 and an anion with a net charge of +1
B) a cation with a net charge of -1 and an anion with a net charge of -1
C) a cation with a net charge of -1 and an anion with a net charge of +1
D) a cation with a net charge of +1 and an anion with a net charge of -1

Question 39

What is the atomic number of the cation formed in the reaction in the illustration?

A) 8
B) 10
C) 11
D) 16

Question 40

Which bond or interaction would be difficult to disrupt when compounds are put into water?

A) covalent bonds between carbon atoms
B) hydrogen bonds
C) ionic bonds
D) ionic and hydrogen bonds

Question 41

Which of the following statements correctly describes any chemical reaction that has reached equilibrium?

A) The concentrations of products and reactants are equal.
B) The reaction is now irreversible.
C) Both forward and reverse reactions have halted.
D) The rates of the forward and reverse reactions are equal.

Question 42

We can represent atoms by listing the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons-for example, 2p+, 2n0, 2e- for helium. Which of the following represents the 18O isotope of oxygen?

A) 7p+, 2n0, 9e-
B) 8p+, 10n0, 8e-
C) 9p+, 9n0, 9e-
D) 10p+, 8n0, 9e-

Question 43

Elements found on the left side of the periodic table contain outer shells that are ________; these elements tend to form ________ in solution.

A) almost empty; cations
B) almost empty; anions
C) almost full; cations
D) almost full; anions

Question 44

Compared with 31P, the radioactive isotope 32P has

A) a different atomic number.
B) one more proton.
C) one more electron.
D) one more neutron.

Question 45

Which of the following is true for the reaction?

A) The reaction is now irreversible.
B) Hydrogen and nitrogen are the reactants of the reverse reaction.
C) Ammonia is being formed and decomposed simultaneously.
D) Only the forward or reverse reactions can occur at one time.

Question 46

Which of the following factors will increase the rate of reaction in the forward direction?

A) addition of nitrogen
B) addition of ammonia
C) addition of hydrogen
D) addition of both nitrogen and hydrogen

Question 47

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 48

Which statement is true of all atoms that are anions?

A) The atom has more electrons than protons.
B) The atom has more protons than electrons.
C) The atom has fewer protons than does a neutral atom of the same element.
D) The atom has more neutrons than protons.

Question 49

The atomic number of sulphur is 16. Sulphur combines with hydrogen by covalent bonding to form a compound, hydrogen sulphide. Based on the number of valence electrons in a sulphur atom, predict the molecular formula of the compound.

A) HS
B) HS₂
C) H₂S
D) H₄S

Question 50

Based on electron configuration, which of the elements in the figure would exhibit a chemical behaviour most like that of oxygen?

A) carbon
B) nitrogen
C) sulphur
D) phosphorus

Question 51

How many electrons are involved in a triple covalent bond?

A) 3
B) 6
C) 9
D) 12

Question 52

The reactivity of an atom arises from

A) the average distance of the outermost electron shell from the nucleus.
B) the existence of unpaired electrons in the valence shell.
C) the sum of the potential energies of all the electron shells.
D) the potential energy of the valence shell.

Question 53

You are asked to indicate the type and number of atoms in a molecule. Which representation would work best?

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

Question 54

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 does protons.
D) It has one more proton than it does electrons.

Question 55

In the term trace element, the adjective trace means that

A) the element is required in very small amounts.
B) the element can be used as a label to trace atoms through an organism's metabolism.
C) the element is very rare on Earth.
D) the element enhances health but is not essential for the organism's long-term survival.

Question 56

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) single bonds only
D) double bonds only

Question 57

How is a single covalent bond formed?

A) Two atoms share two pairs of electrons.
B) Two atoms share two electrons.
C) Two atoms share one electron.
D) One atom loses a pair of electrons to the other.

Question 58

Nitrogen (N) normally forms three covalent bonds with a valence of five. However, ammonium has four covalent bonds, each to a different hydrogen (H) atom (H has a valence of one). What do you predict to be the charge on ammonium?

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

Question 59

Which of the following correctly describes chemical equilibrium?

A) Forward and reverse reactions continue with no net effect on the concentrations of the reactants and products.
B) Concentrations of products are higher than the concentrations of the reactants.
C) There are equal concentrations of products and reactants while forward and reverse reactions continue.
D) There are equal concentrations of reactants and products, and the reactions have stopped.

Question 60

What causes the shape of the molecule shown?

A) the shape of the two p orbitals in the carbon atom
B) the shape of the one s orbital in the carbon atom
C) the shape of the sp3 hybrid orbitals of the electrons shared between the carbon and hydrogen atoms
D) hydrogen bonding configurations between the carbon and hydrogen atoms

Question 61

What coefficients must be placed in the following blanks so that all atoms are accounted for in the products?
C₆H₁₂O₆ → ________ C₂H₆O + ________ CO₂

A) 2; 1
B) 3; 1
C) 1; 3
D) 2; 2