Nanyang Junior College

H2/H1 Chemistry

JC1 2014

Section B: Discussion Questions

Questions in Section B are slightly more challenging as they incorporate multiple concepts. Do not panic if you
are uncertain about certain questions as your tutor will be discussing them in class.

In which of the following pairs does the first substance have a higher melting point than the
second?

A
B
C
D

First
CH3CH2OCH3
(CH3)3CH
RbCl

Second
CH3CH2NHCH3
CH3CH2CH2CH3
KCl

OH

OH
HO

OH

The concepts of bond energy, bond length and bond polarity are useful when comparing
the behaviour of similar molecules.
Compared with the HCl molecule, the bond __X__ of the HI molecule is __Y__.
Which pairs of words correctly complete the above sentence?

1
2
3

X
energy
length
polarity

Y
greater
greater
less

In which of the following reactions is the bond angle in the product greater than that in the
reactant?
1
2
3

H2O (l) + H+ (aq)
H3O+ (aq)

C2H4 (g) + H2 (g)
C2H6 (g)
CO2 (g) + OH- (aq)
HCO3- (aq)

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Nanyang Junior College

H2/H1 Chemistry

JC1 2014

Carbon forms double bonds with each of the Group VI elements oxygen, sulfur and
selenium. In each case, the double bond is polar.
In the molecules CO2, COS and COSe, the polarities of these double bonds do not
necessarily cancel.
Overall polarity of molecule
CO2

COS

0.71

COSe

0.73

Which factors could account for these observations?

1
2
3

The C=S bond is more polar than the C=Se bond.

The C=O bond is more polar than the C=S bond.
The C=Se bond is more polar than the C=O bond.

PS : What is the trend in

electronegativities as we go
down the group? How will this
affect the overall polarity of the
molecule?

In 1985, a molecular form of carbon, C60, called buckerministerfullerene, was discovered in

the products formed when graphite was vapourised. The structure proposed for the
molecule is a roughly spherical collection of atoms in the shape of hexagons and
pentagons, very much like a soccer ball.

Which of the following properties is expected of buckerministerfullerene?

1
2
3

It dissolves in various organic solvents.

It has a high melting and boiling point.
It can conduct electricity.

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PS : Do not be scared off by a

novel molecule. Study the
structure carefully. How many
bonds does each C atom form?
What are the conditions for
solubility, high mp/bp or
electrical conductivity?

Nanyang Junior College

H2/H1 Chemistry

JC1 2014

When magnesium is burnt in air, a mixture of the ionic solids magnesium oxide, MgO,
and magnesium nitride, Mg3N2, is formed.
a)

Explain why magnesium metal is deformed by an applied force, whereas magnesium

oxide is shattered.
3

PS : Structure, bonding, particles?

Mg has a giant metallic lattice with strong metallic
bonds between cations and the sea of delocalised electrons. MgO has a giant ionic
lattice of cations and anions with strong ionic bonds between ions.

When a force is applied to Mg, the cation layers slide past one another, but the sea
of delocalised electrons move to prevent repulsion between the cations. Hence, the
metal is deformed.
When a force is applied to MgO, the lattice is displaced slightly and the ions with
similar charge come together and repel. Hence, the lattice breaks apart and shatters.

b)

Use a dot-and-cross diagram to describe the bonding in Mg3N2.

c)

State the factors that affect the magnitude of the lattice energy of an ionic
compound.

Lattice energy |

q+ q
|
r+ + r

(proportional to product of the ionic charge and inversely proportional to the sum of
the ionic radii)
q+ and q- represent the charges on the cation and anion, and r+ and r- the ionic
radius of the cation and anion.

d)

How would you expect the magnitudes of the lattice energies of the oxides of the
Group II elements to vary down the group?
Down group II, the ionic radius of the group II cations increases due to increasing
number of filled electron shells.
The sum of the ionic radii increases and the magnitude of the lattice energy
decreases.

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Nanyang Junior College

e)

H2/H1 Chemistry

JC1 2014

Suggest how the magnitude of the lattice energy of Mg3N2 might compare to that of
MgO. Explain your answer.
The magnitude of the lattice energy will increase as N3- is triply charged and the
product of the ionic charge will increase. (Charge is a more important factor than
ionic radius.)

Antimony, Sb, is in Group V of the Periodic Table. It forms a series of salts which contain
the SbF5n anion, the structure of which is a square-based pyramid.
Deduce the total number of electrons around the antimony atom, the value of n and the
oxidation number of Sb in this ion. [2]
PS3: To obtain a square
pyramidal structure (you might
want to draw it out), how
many electrons must there be
around the central atom?
From there, how can you work
out the number of dative
bonds present?

Total number of electrons around Sb = 12.

(1 lone pair and 5 bond pairs ard Sb since the shape is square pyramidal.)
n = 2, Oxidation number of Sb = +3

Hydrogen cyanide, HCN, is a weak acid that is extremely poisonous and volatile. A
hydrogen cyanide concentration of 300 mg/m3 in air will kill a human within 1060 minutes.
a) Draw the dot and cross diagram for HCN and predict its shape.
PS3: Will the central atom be H, C,
or N? Why?

linear about C

b) Draw the structural formula of the cyanide anion formed upon dissociation of HCN in
water. Do you notice anything unusual about it?
PS3: What are the particles
formed on dissociation of a weak
acid?

The negative charge is on the less electronegative C.

(Explain that the cyanide ion is a special case.)

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Nanyang Junior College

H2/H1 Chemistry

JC1 2014

c) Explain why HCN is so volatile.

HCN has a simple molecular structure with pd-pd interactions between molecules.
These interactions are weak and require little energy to overcome, so low bp, high
volatility.

d) HCN, N2 and CO are isoelectronic. The bond energy of the nitrogen-nitrogen bond in
the nitrogen molecule is 944kJ mol1, whereas the bond energy of the carbon-oxygen
bond in the carbon monoxide molecule is 1074 kJ mol1. Explain this observation.
The NN bond is non polar but the CO bond is polar.
There is extra attraction due to partial charges in the
bond.

PS3: What are the

affecting bond strength?

a) Draw structures and state the bond angles for the following particles.
(ii) NO3
(iii) N2O5
(i) NO2+

factors

PS : How will NO2

and NO3 combine to
form N2O5?

180

120

120 about N and 105 about O

b) NO2 has a bond angle of 134 and NO2 has a bond angle of 115, although VSEPR
theory predicts that both bond angles should be 120.
Explain.
3

PS : Why is the bond angle

smaller than expected for NO2but larger than expected for
NO2? What does VSEPR theory
state?

(Both 2 bp, 1 lp.)

When there are have 3 electron pairs around the central atom, the shape should be
trigonal planar, bond angle 1200.
For NO2-, lp lp repulsion is greater than that of bp bp repulsion. The bond pairs are
forced to go closer to each other, causing the angle to be smaller than 120o.
There is only 1 lone electron on N in NO2 (instead of a lp). 1 lone electron will not exert
as large a repulsion on the bond pairs as compared to a bond pair. Hence, the angle is
smaller than 120o.

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Nanyang Junior College

H2/H1 Chemistry

JC1 2014

10 It is known that AlCl3 and NH3 react readily.

a) Draw the dot-and-cross diagram of the product of this reaction. Predict the likely shape
of the product.
3

PS : What is the property of AlCl3

that makes it reactive?

tetrahedral about Al and N

b) Explain why these two molecules form a product when they react in a molar ratio of
1:1.
NH3 has a lone pair available for donation. AlCl3 is electron deficient and has an
empty, energetically accessible orbital to accept electrons.

c) Similar products may be obtained when the following compounds are reacted together.
Suggest the structures and shapes of their products.
3

(i)

PS : How is BeCl2 different from

AlCl3?

BeCl2 and NH3

tetrahedral about Be and N

(ii)

PS3: What is the structure of

NaF? What is the type of
compound that will be formed
after reaction?

BF3 and NaF

tetrahedral about B

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Nanyang Junior College

H2/H1 Chemistry

JC1 2014

11 In 1886, Henri Moissan succeeded in obtaining fluorine by the electrolysis of molten

potassium difluoride, KHF2, which is an ionic compound containing one cation and one
anion.
a) Write the formulae of the ions present in KHF2.
K+, HF2

PS3: What is the most likely

cation?

b) Suggest a structure for the anion and state what types of bonding occur within it.
PS3: This is a very special
case. Think about the
particles that make up the
anion.

c) Explain why KHF2 has a melting point of 239 C, but that of KF and HF are 858 C and
84 C respectively.
KHF2 and KF have giant ionic lattice structure with strong ionic bonds between ions.
HF has a simple molecular structure with hydrogen bonds between molecules.
A lot more energy is required to overcome strong ionic bonds compared to hydrogen
bonds. So HF has the lowest boiling point.

Lattice energy |

q+ q
|,
r+ + r

The size of the HF2 ion is larger (polyatomic ion) than F ion so the magnitude of the
lattice energy of KHF2 is smaller than that of KF.
The ionic bonds between K+ and HF2 ions are weaker than that between K+ and F
ions. Less energy is required to overcome them, so KHF2 has a lower melting point.

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