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An improper rotation axis, S, arises from which of the In symmetry terms, which of the following MUST be true for
following situations? an allowed transition?
a. A mirror plane combined with an inversion a. Both the electronic and vibrational representations
b. Two proper rotation axes combined must be symmetric.
c. Identity combined with a mirror plane b. Both the electronic and vibrational representations
d. A proper rotation axis combined with a mirror plane must be asymmetric.
e. The combination of two mirror planes c. Only the electronic representations must be
symmetric.
Question 2 d. Only the vibrational representations must be
Choose the best answer to fill in the blanks. Raman activity is symmetric.
dictated by a change in the _____________ of a molecule, e. Symmetry does not matter, as long as there is a
while IR activity is related to a change in the ____________. change in dipole or polarizability.
Question 4
Fill in the blank. The character table for a C3v molecule, such
as PCl3, lists three symmetry labels: A1, A2, and E. The A1
mode transforms z, z2, and x2 + y2. This means that the A1
mode is ________________.
a. IR active only
b. Raman active only
c. Both IR and Raman active
d. Neither IR or Raman active
e. The only spectroscopically active mode in the
molecule
Question 5
Fill in the blank. The character table for a D 3h ion, such as
CO32-, lists six symmetry labels: A1', A2', E', A1'', A2'', and E''.
The A2' mode transforms Rz. This means that the A2' mode is
_________________.
a. IR active only
b. Raman active only
c. Both IR and Raman active
d. Neither IR or Raman active
e. The only spectroscopically active mode in the
molecule
Question 8 Question 11
Using the flow chart provided, determine which point group a Hydrogen and helium both have two electrons (completely
tennis ball would belong to. filled) bonding molecular orbitals. Hydrogen exists as a
diatomic molecule; helium does not. Why?
Question 12
The bond order of a molecule is given by the equation: ½
(bonding electrons - antibonding electrons). What accounts
for the ½?
Question 13
What is the bond order for dinitrogen, N 2?
a. 5
b. 1
c. 1.5
d. 2
e. 3
a. D2d
b. Cs Question 14
c. C2h When drawing the MO diagram of a heteronuclear diatomic
d. S4 molecule, at what relative positions should the atomic
e. D4 orbitals appear?
Question 16
Which of the following minimizes nucleus-nucleus repulsion
and promotes electron-nucleus interaction?
Question 17
Which of the following must be true when atomic orbitals
combine to form molecular orbitals?
Question 18
Which of the following statements concerning sigma and pi
molecular orbitals is FALSE?
Question 24
Analysis of a high spin d6 complex reveals that it is
diamagnetic. What is the probable molecular geometry of the
complex?
a. Octahedral
b. Tetrahedral
c. Square planar a. mer-bis(cyclopentadienyl)iron(II)
d. All of the above b. fac-bis(cyclopentadienyl)iron(II)
e. Both A and C c. bis(η5-cyclopentadienyl)iron(II)
d. µ-bis(cyclopentadienyl)iron(II)
Question 25 e. (η5-cyclopentadienyl)iron(II)
Compounds with octahedral molecular geometries
sometimes elongate or compress through Jahn-Teller Question 28
distortion. In doing so, which of the following occurs? How would the complexes Λ-[Co(en)3]3+ and Δ-[Co(en)3]3+
differ?
a. They increase their ionization potential, rendering
them most useful electrochemically. a. One would be a solid at room temperature, while
5. b. They reduce degenerate molecular orbitals, the other would be a liquid.
allowing a more stable molecule to exist. b. One would be highly colored, while the other would
6. c. They undergo a strong magnetic transition, be colorless.
allowing easier detection by NMR and EPR. 9. c. One would be paramagnetic, while the other
7. d. They increase their transition state energy, would be diamagnetic.
making them useful catalysts. 10. d. One would rotate plane-polarized light clockwise,
8. e. They decrease shielding, allowing while the other would rotate it counterclockwise.
spectroscopically forbidden transitions to occur. 11. e. All of the above
Question 26
Do high spin d5 octahedral complexes experience Jahn-Teller
distortion? Why, or why not?
a. Because the stability gained from having a fully-filled a. The result is a low-spin complex, where electrons
or evenly, half-filled set of d orbitals is greater than will pair up and fill the lowest energy level.
the need to fill all lower energy orbitals first b. The result is a high-spin complex, where electrons
b. Because the 3d orbital is actually lower in energy will be promoted to the next energy level before
than the 4s, so it fills first pairing.
c. Because copper and chromium only exist as ions; c. The result is an unstable complex, where electrons
never as neutral elements can either pair or be promoted to the next energy
d. Because the atomic radii are so large that no effect is level.
felt by the nucleus d. The result is a high-spin complex, where electrons
e. None of the above will pair up and fill the lowest energy level.
e. The result is a low-spin complex, where electrons
Question 30 will be promoted to the next energy level before
Phosphines are often used as molecular bridges between two pairing.
metal centers. How should these phosphines be notated
according to IUPAC nomenclature? Question 35
Which of the following has T-shaped molecular geometry?
a. mu (µ)
b. eta (η) a. BF3
c. chi (χ) b. ClF3
d. xi (ξ) c. PF6
e. zeta (ζ) d. IF5
e. SbF5
Question 31
Transition metals exhibit all of the following general Question 36
characteristics, EXCEPT: Which of the following influences the amount of crystal field
splitting in a metal complex?
a. They are malleable and ductile.
b. They have high melting points. a. Charge of the metal ion
c. They conduct heat and electricity. b. Nature of the ligands
d. They are lustrous. c. Geometry of the complex
e. They undergo irreversible oxidation. d. Size of the ligands
e. All of the above
Question 32
Using ligand field theory, which of the following would you Question 37
predict to be the most paramagnetic? Which of the following sets of complexes represents a set of
stereoisomerism (not structural isomerism)?
a. A low spin, d5 octahedral complex
b. A high spin, d8 octahedral complex a. [PtCl(H2O)3]Br and [Pt(Br)(H2O)3]Cl
c. A low spin, d3 octahedral complex b. cis-[PtCl2(NH3)2] and trans-[PtCl2(NH3)2]
d. A d2 tetrahedral complex c. [CrCl2(H2O)4]Cl•2H2O and [CrCl3(H2O)3]•3H2O
e. A d5 square planar complex d. [Co(NH3)6] [Cr(ac)3] and [Co(ac)3] [Cr(NH3)6]
e. [Co(SCN)(NH3)5]- and [Co(NCS)(NH3)5]-
Question 33
Using the valence bond theory and the 18 electron rule, Question 38
which of the following would you predict to be the most Which of the following would have the largest ionization
stable? energy?
a. Fe(CO)5 a. Copper
12. b. Ni(CO)5 b. Iron
13. c. Mo(CO)6 c. Gold
14. d. Re(CO)6 d. Titanium
15. e. Ir(CO)5 e. Tungsten
Question 39 Question 44
You discover a new metal complex that exhibits high spin The vertical line (located at Δ/B = 2 for a d6 system) in the
characteristics. What ligand properties can you predict? Tanabe-Sugano diagram corresponds to which of the
following?
a. It is highly polarizable.
b. The ligand is relatively large.
c. The ligand exhibits π donor ability.
d. The ligand is acidic.
e. All of the above
Question 40
Which of the following would have the highest melting point?
a. Silver
b. Rhodium
c. Cadmium
d. Molybdenum
e. The melting points would be equivalent, because
they are in the same period.
Question 41
If a complex has a maximum absorption at 423 nm, what
color would the complex appear to the human eye?
a. Violet
b. Blue
c. Green
d. Yellow
e. Red
Question 42
Some tetrahedral metal complexes exhibit weak electronic
transitions even though they are symmetry forbidden. Why?
a. The ligand field stabilization energy (LFSE) is
insufficient to allow transitions to the left of the line.
a. Jahn-Teller distortion
b. The transitions to the left are symmetry allowed,
b. Mixing of the p and d orbitals
while the transitions to the right are spin allowed.
c. MLCT
c. The transitions to the left are spin allowed, while the
d. LMCT
transitions to the right are symmetry allowed.
e. All of the above
d. The transitions to the left are low-spin complexes,
while the transitions to the right are high-spin
Question 43
complexes.
The UV spectrum of metal complex A has a strong absorption
e. The transitions to the left are high-spin complexes,
at 412 nm. The UV spectrum of metal complex B has a strong
while the transitions to the right are low-spin
absorption at 654 nm. If equal quantities of the two solutions
complexes.
of metal complexes are mixed, what would the resulting UV
spectrum look like?
Question 48
Why are the hexaaqua complexes of Sc3+ and Zn2+ colorless,
while the hexaaqua complexes of Fe2+, Cr3+, Co2+, Ni2+, and
Cu2+ are intensely colored?
Question 49
Why does a high spin d5 octahedral complex exhibit a very
pale color, while a low spin d5 octahedral complex is more
highly colored?
Question 51
A 19F NMR spectrum at room temperature reveals on well
defined peak. When cooled slightly, the peak becomes
broadened. At N2(l) temperatures, two well defined peaks are
apparent. What is responsible for these observations?
a. Dynamic fluxionality
b. Spin-spin coupling interactions
c. Integer quantum spin numbers (I = 1,2,3…)
d. Fractional quantum spin numbers (I = 1/2, 3/2, 5/2)
e. Low natural abundances of the 19F nucleus
a. Dissociation and recoordination of the carbonyl
Question 52
ligands
Carbon dioxide is a linear molecule with no dipole moment.
b. Rotation of a hindered carbonyl bond
Which of the following interactions is responsible for the
c. Opening and closing of bridging carbonyls
observed IR spectrum of CO2?
d. Isomerism between trigonal bipyramidal and square
pyramidal configurations
a. The asymmetric stretch of the C-O bonds creates a
e. Monmer-dimer formation with a bridging carbonyl
dipole moment that is IR active.
b. The symmetric stretch of the C-O bonds creates a
Question 56
dipole moment that is IR active.
What molecule most likely produced this EPR spectrum?
c. The non-linear bending mode crates a net dipole,
which is IR active.
a. NO2 radical
d. All of the above
b. CH3 radical
e. A and C only
c. CH2Cl radical
d. CH2CH2 radical
Question 53
e. OH radical
In NMR spectroscopy, what happens to the chemical shift and
resonance frequency of a compound when the spectrometer
Question 57
frequency changes?
Which of the following cannot be studied by EPR?
a. The chemical shift and resonance frequency also
a. Paramagnetic transition metal complexes
change.
b. Diamagnetic transition metal complexes
b. The chemical shift changes; the resonance frequency
c. Free radicals in the solid state
remains constant.
d. Free radicals in the liquid or gas state
c. The chemical shift remains constant; the resonance
e. Complexes containing more than one unpaired
frequency changes.
electron
d. The chemical shift and resonance frequency remain
constant.
Question 58
e. There is no way to predict the effect.
Which of the following conditions does NOT result in a
nonzero quantum spin number (I)?
Question 75
What implication does overpotential have on a redox
reaction?
Question 76
What is considered the rate determining step in an outer
sphere redox reaction?
Question 77 Question 81
What is considered the rate determining step in an outer Cr2+ (d4 system) and Cu2+ (d9 system) are kinetically labile with
sphere redox reaction? respect to substitution reactions. Why?
a. Formation of the bridging ligand complex a. They experience Jahn-Teller distortion, making their
b. Fission of the successor ligand complex axial bonds longer and easier to break.
c. Electron transfer b. Their ground state structure resembles their
d. Solvent entering the coordination sphere transition state structure.
e. Both B and C c. Their electrons are distributed equally among the d-
orbitals.
Question 78 d. Their large radii can accommodate a larger
Which of the following is a properly balanced half reaction in coordination sphere.
acidic media? g. Both A and B
Question 84
What is responsible for the increased stability of formation of
a complex containing two chelating ligands as compared to
four monodentate ligands?
a. Enthalpy of reaction
b. Decreased activation energy
c. Formation of dimeric species (bridging ligands)
d. Entropy of reaction
e. Outer sphere electron transfer
a. H3PO4
Question 85 c. k = [A]2[B]
When hexaaqua complexes of cobalt react with chloride ion, d. Both A and C
they undergo a change in the coordination chemistry. Why is e. The mechanism cannot be determined from the rate
this NOT the case when they react with ammonia? law.
Question 86 a. Ammonia
Which of the following affects substitution at square planar b. Sulfur trioxide
metal centers? c. Sulfuric acid
d. Margarine
a. The entering group e. Nitric acid
b. The leaving group
c. Other ligands in the coordination sphere Question 92
d. The metal center itself What is the end product of the Contact Process?
e. All of the above
a. Ammonia
Question 87 b. Sulfur trioxide
Which of the following is about the trans influence is FALSE? c. Sulfuric acid
d. Margarine
a. It is a kinetic phenomenon. e. Nitric acid
b. It can influence M-L bond lengths.
c. It can result in changes in NMR coupling constants. Question 93
d. It can affect the vibrational frequency. What is the role of a catalyst in a reaction?
e. It is purely thermodynamic.
a. It shifts the equilibrium toward the products based
Question 88 on LeChatlier's principle.
Which of the following is true of substitutions at square b. It provides an alternate route with a lower activation
planar metal centers? energy for the reaction to proceed.
c. It donates electrons to break or form bonds as
a. They occur via an associative mechanism with a five needed until it is entirely consumed.
coordinate intermediate. d. It forms bridging complexes which align the
b. They only proceed when bond formation is the rate molecular orbitals of the reactants.
determining step. e. All of the above
c. They only proceed when bond breaking is the rate
determining step. Question 94
d. They only proceed when the transition energies of Which of the following is an example of a homogeneous
bond formation and bond breaking are similar. catalysis?
e. They occur via a dissociative mechanism with a three
coordinate intermediate. a. The hydrogenation of vegetable oil in the presence
of nickel to make margarine
Question 89 b. The use of Pt, Pd or Rh in catalytic converters
Which of the following rate laws indicates a dissociative c. The destruction of ozone in the atmosphere
mechanism? d. The use of vanadium(V)oxide in the conversion of
sulfur dioxide to sulfur trioxide
a. k = [A][B] e. All of the above
b. k = [A]
c. The organometallic complexes are less expensive to
Question 95 synthesize and cost less on the market.
The anticancer drug cisplatin is a platinum based complex, d. The effect of the inorganic salts was discovered after
which works by destroying the DNA within cancer cells. the organometallic complexes had established a
Which of the following transition metals have anticancer successful history.
applications? e. The FDA will not approve medicinal use of purely
inorganic compounds for biological applications.
a. Ru
b. Ti Question 100
c. V Which of the following is true of organometallic
d. Fe pharmaceuticals as antimicrobials?
e. All of the above
a. Metals are nontoxic to humans.
Question 96 b. Harmful stereoisomers do not exist.
What advantage does doping an LED with a transition metal c. They are soluble in water and easily administered.
have? d. They counteract drug resistance that has been built
to purely organic molecules.
a. Doping allows the LED to harvest light from triplet e. There are no current organometallic applications to
states, increasing quantum efficiency. antimicrobials.
b. Doping increases the overall number of singlet to
singlet emission pathways.
c. It reduces the overall cost of producing an LED; the
inorganic dopants are inexpensive.
d. All of the above
1. None of the above
Question 97
Which of the following describes a challenge in the
production of effective metal-based dye-sensitized solar cell?
Question 98
Which of the following is NOT an application of a secondary
cell battery?
Question 99
Why are organometallic vanadium complexes being used to
treat diabetes instead of the inorganic vanadium salts?