UNIVERSITY OF DUBLIN

TRINITY COLLEGE
Faculty of Engineering, Mathematics & Science
School of Chemistry

Sample exam paper

CH1E05: Chemistry
Dr. Bridge and Dr. Colavita

The exam will consist of a two hour paper. There will be four questions on the
paper and each question will contain multiple sections. In order to get full marks
for the question you will need to answer a subset of the sections as indicated in
the instructions. A separate answer book should be used for each question.
This sample paper is designed to illustrate the various formats possible for
questions, and to indicate the approximate level of questions. It is NOT
intended to suggest that the material covered in the exam will be included in a
question of the same type as in the current document; NOR that particular
questions will have the same format.

Page 1 of 9

Question 1
Answer three of the following :
(a)

An organic compound with a molar mass close to 60 contains 40.00% C,

6.67% H and 53.33% O. What is the molecular formula?

(b)

Which of the compounds CdS, CdSe, ZnS and ZnSe (which can all have
the ZnS (zinc blende) crystal structure) will have the largest and which
the smallest lattice energy?

(c)

Distinguish clearly between atomic number and mass number.

(d)

Why are alloys frequently harder, more brittle and less malleable than the
pure metals from which they are formed?

(e)

What is meant by the term atomic orbital? How many quantum numbers
define an atomic orbital?

Page 2 of 9

Question 2
Answer either part A or part B
Part A
Use the VSEPR model to predict the structures of the following compounds,
explaining the principles of the method.

Which of the compounds will have a

permanent dipole moment?

BF3 ; CF4; SF6; SF4; XeO4
Part B
Answer both (a) and (b)
(a)

Use the bond energy values in the table to estimate the enthalpy
change (H) for the reaction:
C6H12 + 9O2 6CO2 + 6H2O
Bond
Bond energy (kJ mol-1)
C-C
348
C-H
412
C=O
531
O=O
497
O-H
463
Briefly explain why your answer is an approximation rather than a precise
value.

(b)

Explain briefly what is meant by the terms (i) rate constant, (ii) order
of reaction and (iii) rate constant in chemical kinetics.
In a study of the reaction:
2 N2O 2 N2 + O2
it was found that the reaction was first order in N2O with a half life of
0.91 s at 750 K and 0.80 s at 790 K. Estimate the activation energy for
this reaction

Question 3

Page 3 of 9

Answer two of the following three parts:

(a)

A solution of hexane in octane behaves as an ideal solution. At 25 C the

vapor pressures of hexane and octane are 0.144 bar and 0.015 bar
respectively.
(i)

What is the vapor pressure of a liquid in which of the molecules

are hexane and are octane at 25 C?

(ii)

Sketch the Vapour pressure vs. Composition diagram at 25 C for

mixtures of hexane and octane over the entire composition range.

(b)

Laboratory experiments in the temperature range 0 - 60 C show that the

equilibrium constant, K, for the reaction above varies with temperature
according to the following expression:
ln K = 1.3 + 722 T

where the temperature is expressed in Kelvin.

(i)

Is the reaction exothermic or endothermic? Explain your conclusions.

(ii)

Estimate the standard enthalpy of reaction (in J/mol).

(c) The phase diagram for the hexane/octane mixture is displayed below.

T2
Temperature

III

II
I
B

T1

xoctane
Page 4 of 9

i) If the diagram above were used to carry out a fractional distillation, what
liquid would be collected at the bottom and at the top of the column? Justify
your answer.
iii) Sketch the two heating curves of Temperature vs. Supplied Heat that would
be observed if the liquid mixture were heated from T 1 to T2 starting from
compositions A and B.

Page 5 of 9

Question 4
Complete both part (a) and part (b):
a) Using the ethanol-water binary liquid-solid diagram shown below (p = 1
atm), answer two of the following four questions:

i)

Indicate what phases are present in the four regions labeled A, B, C

and D in the diagram. Determine the variance in each of the four
regions and at the eutectic point for the ethanol water system at

ii)

constant pressure.
Common freezers keep food at a temperature of -20 oC. Estimate what
would be the minimum ethanol concentration in spirits in order for
them to stay liquid in a freezer. Sketch your answer on the diagram

iii)

and provide an approximate value as your answer.

Freeze distillation is a process used to increase the alcohol content of
apple cider, which has 5% weight-percent ethanol concentration.
Estimate to what temperature cider must be cooled in order to collect
a liquid with 40% weight-percent concentration. Sketch your answer

iv)

on the diagram and provide an approximate value as your answer.

Sketch cooling curves of T vs. removed heat for a mixture having the
eutectic composition and a mixture having 80% weight-percent
concentration.

Page 6 of 9

b) Consider the following reaction carried out in a closed container (Ind. Eng.
Chem., Prod. Res. Dev., 14(4), 1975, p.264):

SO2(g) + 2CO(g)

1/2S2(s) + 2CO2(g)

H0 = -274.0 kJ/mol at 298.15 K

Using Le Chateliers principle determine the effect that the change in the first
column has on the quantity on the second column. Indicate the effect with: i =
increase; d = decrease; nc = no change.

Change

Quantity

Raise temperature

Keq

Add SO2

Moles of CO2

Add S2

Moles of CO

Add CO2

Moles of S2

Remove CO

Moles of SO2

Add CO and CO2 at 1:1 pressure ratio

Moles of S2

Page 7 of 9

Effect

School of Chemistry
Use the following values for fundamental constants, conversion factors, relative
atomic masses and other data for examination purposes:
Constants
Gas Constant

R = 8.314 J K1 mol1

Boltzmanns Constant
Plancks Constant

kB = 1.381 1023 J K1
h = 6.626 1034 J s
= h/2 = 1.055 1034 J s
c = 2.998 108 m s1
e = 1.602 1019 C
me = 9.109 1031 kg
mp = 1.673 1027 kg
1 u = 1.66054 1027 kg
o = 8.854 1012 J1 C2 m1
o = 4 107 J s2 C2 m1
= 9.274 1024 J T1
n = 5.051 1027 J T1
R= 2.178 1018 J = 1.097 105 cm1
NA = 6.022 1023 mol1
F = NAe = 9.648 104 C mol1
ao = 5.292 1011 m
Mv = 22.414 dm3 mol1

Velocity of light
Charge of electron
Rest mass of electron
Rest mass of proton
Atomic Mass Unit
Vacuum permittivity
Vacuum permeability
Bohr magneton
Nuclear magneton
Rydberg constant
Avogadros constant
Faraday constant
Bohr radius
Molar volume at S.T.P.
Conversion factors etc.

1 eV = 1.602 1019 J = 9.648 104 J mol1

1 cm1 = 1.986 1023 J = 11.96 J mol1 = 1.240 104 eV
1 = 0.1 nm = 1010 m
1 standard atmosphere = 1.013 105 N m2 (Pa) = 760 torr = 1013 mbar
1 L = 1 dm3 = 103 m3
1 Debye (D) = 3.336 1030 C m
1 calorie = 4.184 J
1 L atm = 101.34 J
8.314 J K1 mol1 = R = 8.206 102 L atm K1 mol1

Page 8 of 9

XCH1E41

The Periodic Table of the Elements

18

13

14

15

16

17

1.0079

Li

Be

6.941

9.01218

11

( ) mass numbers of most stable

isotope

12

Na
22.98977

19

He
4.0026

Mg

10

11

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

C
12.011

12
30

10.81

13

24.305 3d, 4d, 5d

20

14

10

14.0067 15.9994 18.9984

15

16

17

Ne
20.179

18

Al

Si

Cl

Ar

26.9815

28.0855

30.9738

32.06

35.453

39.948

31

32

33

34

35

36

Ca

Sc

Ti

Cr

Mn

Fe

Co

Ni

Cu

Zn

Ga

Ge

As

Se

Br

Kr

39.0983

40.08

44.9559

47.88

50.9415

51.996

54.938

55.847

58.9332

58.69

63.546

65.38

69.72

72.59

74.9216

78.96

79.904

83.80

37

28

29

40

41

42

43

Rb

Sr

Zr

Nb

Mo

Tc

85.4678

87.62

88.9059

91.22

92.9064

95.94

(97.9)

55

56

Cs

Ba

132.9054

137.33

87

Fr
(223)

88

Ra

57

72

73

74

75

44

Ru

45

46

Rh

101.07 102.9055

76

77

47

48

49

50

51

Pd

Ag

Cd

In

Sn

Sb

106.42

107.868

112.41

114.82

118.69

121.75

78

79

80

81

82

83

52

53

Te

54

127.60 126.9045

84

85

Xe
131.29

86

La

Hf

Ta

Re

Os

Ir

Pt

Au

Hg

Tl

Pb

Bi

Po

At

Rn

138.9055

178.49

180.9479

183.85

186.207

190.2

192.22

195.08

196.9665

200.59

204.383

207.2

208.9804

(209)

(210)

(222)

89

*Ac

226.025 227.0278
4

# LANTHANUM SERIES
58

59

60

61

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

Ce

Pr

Nd

Pm

Sm

Eu

Gd

Tb

Dy

Ho

Er

Tm

Yb

Lu

140.12

140.9077

144.24

(145)

150.36

151.96

157.25

158.9254

162.50

164.9304

167.26

168.9342

173.04

174.967

* ACTINIUM SERIES
90

Th

91

Pa

92

93

Np

232.0381 231.0359 238.0389 237.0482

94

95

96

97

98

99

100

101

102

103

Pu

Am

Cm

Bk

Cf

Es

Fm

Md

No

Lr

(244)

(243)

(247)

(247)

(242.1)

(254)

(257)

(258.1)

(259.1)

(260)

Page 9 of 9