Sample of CHEM1331 Milestone Questions

Question 1

  • The neutron has a mass than the proton, and a charge 
  • The electron has a mass than the proton, and a charge

Question 2

Consider two charges of the the same sign at a short distance (+)----(+) (diagram "e")


  • Their potential energy is always and the force among them always
  • The farther away they are to each other, their potential energy becomes , therefore, the system becomes
  • In the plot above, knowing that each charge diagram (a to h) correspond to one point in the graph, the potential energy of the two discussed charges is represented by point

Question 3

There are different areas of the electromagnetic spectrum. In alphabetical order they are:

  • Gamma rays
  • Infrared
  • Microwaves
  • Radiowaves
  • Ultraviolet
  • Visible light
  • X rays

If we were to rank a photon in decreasing order of energy, 1 being the most energetic photon and 7 the least energetic photon, a microwave photon would be in position number .

If we were to rank a photon in decreasing wavelength, 1 being the longest wavelength and 7 the shortest one, an ultraviolet photon would be in position number 

If we were to rank a photon in decreasing frequency, 1 being the highest frequency and 7 the lowest, an infrared photon would be in position number 

Question 4

The isotope 41K(-) has protons,  neutrons, and  electrons. According to the periodic table, the most common neutral isotope of potassium has  protons, neutrons, and electrons.

Question 5

We analyze with mass spectrometry the isotopic abundance of a sample containing one single element. The sample may contain the natural abundance of isotopes found on earth, or a slightly different combination of those same isotopes.
Here the "relative abundance vs mass" is represented.


  • The most common isotope in this sample has neutrons (write an integer without spaces)
  • The sample measured contains a natural abundance of isotopes
    (or at least it is consistent with the molar mass shown in the periodic table)
  • The symbol of this element is (write the symbol of the element with proper Uppercase-Lowercase without spaces: H, He, Li, B, )

Question 6

Match the following electron configurations to the correct atoms or ions. Possible choices are: Br, Ca, Cl-, Mg2+, Mn, and Ti3+.
1s22s22p6
1s22s22p63s23p6
1s22s22p63s23p64s2
1s22s22p63s23p64s23d104p5

Question 7

  • One mole is defined as
  • The molar mass is defined as


Choose the closest value for the following sentences:
  • Ten atoms of carbon have an approximate mass of the order of grams
  • Ten moles of carbon have an approximate mass of the order of grams
  • Ten grams of carbon have an approximate number of carbon atoms of the order atoms.

Question 8

Comparing the atoms Bromine Br and Iodine I

  • The atom Br has protons than I
  • The atom Br has electrons than I
  • The effective nuclear charge (Zeff) is the positive charge that the valence electrons feel taking into account the electron shielding. In this sense, Zeff for valence electrons in Br will be than I.
  • The principal quantum number "n" that determines that size of the orbital of the valence electrons for Br is than "n" for the valence electrons of I.

  • For all the above, we should expect the valence electrons of Br to be attracted to its nucleus than the valence electrons of I, the ionization energy of Br should be , and its radius should be  than I's.

Question 9

Consider the electronic orbitals of the atom of iodine

  • The orbital 6s has a energy than the orbital 5p
  • When an electron transfers from 5p to 5d a photon will be
  • The frequency of the photon involved in the 5p -> 6p transition will be than the frequency of the photon for the 5p -> 5d transition.
  • The wavelength of the photon involved in the 5d -> 5p transition will be   than the wavelength of the photon for the 6p-> 5p transition.

Question 10

Suppose the three waves below are electromagnetic radiation waves from the visible range, one blue light, one red, and one green.
Note: in a real representation the three waves would be more similar, here, for clarity reasons, are made more distinctive.


  • The most intense (brightest) light is
  • The highest frequency light is
  • The longest wavelength is
  • The fastest wave is 


Question 11

All the atoms in a conjugated system are . The fewer electrons involved in the conjugated system, the energy gap between HOMO and LUMO will be and therefore the wavelength of the photon involved in the absorption process will be . Being the energy of the HOMO than LUMO's, the process of absorption will take place when an electron goes from .


Considering the molecule on the left, there are carbon atoms forming a conjugated system. The picture on the right a resonance form of the picture on the left.

Question 12

  • The central atom of phosphorus trihydride has a hybridization of . The angle between the central atom and its surrounding atoms is approximately because it has a geometry. This compound have a molecular dipole.
  • The central atom of boron trifluoride has a hybridization of . The angle between the central atom and its surrounding atoms is approximately because it has a geometry. This compound have a molecular dipole.
  • The central atom of carbon dioxide has a hybridization of . The angle between the central atom and its surrounding atoms is approximately because it has a geometry. This compound have a molecular dipole.

Question 13

  • In the Lewis structure of phosphorus trihydride, the phosphorus has a formal charge of with lone pairs, and it forms a bond with hydrogen.
  • In the Lewis structure of carbon monoxide, the carbon has a formal charge of with lone pairs, and it forms a bond with oxygen.
  • The vibrational frequency of the carbon-oxygen in carbon monoxide will be than the vibrational frequency of the carbon-oxygen bond in H2CO.
  • Question 14

     

    The compound on the left has:
    hydrogens, sp3 carbons, and  sp2 carbons.
    A total of groups of non-equivalent hydrogens (or number of signals on 1H-NMR)
    A total of groups of non-equivalent carbons (or number of signals on 13C-NMR)

    The compound on the right has: 

    hydrogens, sp3 carbons, and  sp2 carbons.
    A total of groups of non-equivalent hydrogens (or number of signals on 1H-NMR)
    A total of groups of non-equivalent carbons (or number of signals on 13C-NMR)

    Question 15

    • Carbon diamond solid is a solid, and when it melts the forces that need to break are . This is why at room temperature this compound will most likely be a .
    • Nitrogen trifluoride solid is a solid, and when it melts the forces that need to break are . This is why at room temperature this compound will most likely be a .
    • Calcium fluoride solid is a solid, and when it melts the forces that need to break are . This is why at room temperature this compound will most likely be a .

    Question 16

    • Fructose and Glucose are they have chiral center(s).
    • Fructose has a functional group. When it cycles it typically forms a member ring.
    • Glucose has functional group. When it cycles it typically forms a member ring.
    • A peptide is a sequence of . A peptide will have chiral center(s), and it will be characterized by the functional group.
    • A triacyl glyceride is a type of and is characterized by the  functional group.
    • A ribose is a type of and it is an essential component of  and it has  chiral center(s).

    Question 17

    Pair the structures with their names
















    Question 18

    Identify the strongest intermolecular forces that two molecules with the functional group presents

    Alcohol

    Alkane

    Alkene

    Ketone

    Aldehyde

    Primary Amine

    Carboxylic acid

    Ester

    Primary Amide

    Question 19

    Different factors may affect the boiling point of a substance.

    I) A chemical bond (ionic, metallic, or covalent) is much stronger than intermolecular forces
    II) Hydrogen bonds are stronger than dipole-dipole
    III) Hydrogen bonds are stronger than London forces
    IV) Dipole-dipole interactions are stronger than London forces
    V) The heavier a compound is, the higher the boiling point
    VI) The less branched/more linear a compound is the higher the intermolecular interaction.

    However, only one factor will be the most important one. You are already given what compound has a higher boiling point, based on this information you must identify the most important factor in each case.

    • Propanoic acid has a higher boiling point than tetrafluoromethane because 
    • ethyl amine has a higher boiling point than butane because
    • Calcium fluoride has a higher boiling point than fluoromethane because 

    Question 20

    Solid substances may present different types of interactions:

    I) Ionic bond             II) Covalent bond     III) Metallic bond
    IV) Hydrogen bond   V) Dipole-dipole      VI) London Dispersion

    Identify the strongest type of interaction that breaks when the following substances melt. Write I-VI.

    • When pentanal melts the strongest force breaking is .  It a solid at room T.
    • When Carbon graphite melts the strongest force breaking is .  It a solid at room T.
    • When Lithium chloride melts the strongest force breaking is .  It a solid at room T.

    Question 21

    Consider an ideal gas in a container:

    • Compressing the walls of a container will result in the volume to decrease and therefore the pressure will
    • When cooling down the gas in a rigid container its temperature will decrease and its pressure will
    • When cooling down the gas of a balloon the temperature will decrease and the volume will
    • After blowing air into a party balloon, the number of moles will increase, the volume will   and that is because the pressure will .

    Question 22

    • The heat capacity of a substance describes
    • We mix 10 moles of diethyl ether at T=20 oC with 10 moles of propanol T=10oC. The final temperature will be
    • If we consider propanol our system, the process of mixing will be

    Question 23

    The heating curve for equal moles of solid substance A and B are shown below


    • The y-axis represents and the x-axis represents
    • The molar heat capacity of the solid A is than the molar heat capacity of solid B.
    • The melting point of A is than the melting point of B.
    • The molar enthalpy of freezing of A is a value, and it is, in absolute value, than the molar enthalpy of melting of B.

    Question 24

    For each of the substances below, write the products of a balanced dissociation in water. Write first the cation then the anion, add one space between the plus sign, and no (aq) phases. If the substance is not ionic (even if it's acid/base) write the word none. For example: for sodium carbonate you would write as answer: 2Na^+ + CO3^2- (pay attention to spaces and the sequence of characters)

    • The products of dissociation of one mole of calcium iodide are
    • The products of dissociation of one mole of copper(I) sulfide are
    • The products of dissociation of one mole of iron(III) nitrate are  

    Question 25

    Consider the following solutes to be dissolved in water. Being 1 the most soluble and 6 the least soluble, rank them accordingly.

    propyl amine

    butyl amine

    propene

    butane

    ethanoate

    propanoate

    Question 26

    The four qualitative vapor pressure vs T curves for the liquids CH3CH2CH3, CH3CH2CH2Cl, CH3CH2CH2CH3, and CH3CH(CH3)CH3

    • At a given T, the compound A has the vapor pressure and it is most likely
    • At a given T, the compound D has the enthalpy of vaporization and it is most likely 
    • The second lowest boiling point corresponds to the curve and it is most likely the compound

    Xavier Prat-Resina (pratr001@r.umn.edu), 2018, University of Minnesota Rochester