Groups in the Periodic TableEdexcel GCSE Chemistry: Topic test

20 questions, 54 marks

Edexcel GCSE Chemistry

Groups in the Periodic Table topic test

Total 54 marks

Name

Class

Date

1
A technician compares the physical properties of three Group 1 metals stored under oil in a school prep room. She records their melting points: lithium 180 degrees Celsius, sodium 98 degrees Celsius and potassium 63 degrees Celsius. All three can be cut with a knife to reveal a shiny surface, which quickly turns dull.
(a)
Which statement about the trend in melting point down Group 1, shown by lithium, sodium and potassium, is correct?
[1 mark]
AMelting point decreases going down Group 1
BMelting point increases going down Group 1
CMelting point stays exactly the same for every Group 1 metal
DMelting point varies down Group 1 with no relation to atomic structure
(b)
The freshly cut, shiny surface of each metal quickly turns dull. Which explanation best accounts for this?
[1 mark]
AThe freshly cut, reactive metal surface reacts quickly with oxygen (and moisture) in the air, forming a dull layer of metal oxide/hydroxide
BThe metal surface reacts with nitrogen in the air to form a shiny nitride layer that only looks dull
CCutting the metal cools it rapidly, and this drop in temperature alone causes the surface to darken
DThe metal surface absorbs carbon dioxide directly to form pure carbon, which is black
(c)
State and explain the general trend in reactivity of Group 1 metals with water as you go down the group, in terms of electronic configuration.
[2 marks]
Total for question 1: 4 marks
2
A stockroom technician updates an inventory of sealed glass tubes of halogens: one contains a pale green gas, one contains a red-brown liquid that gives off an orange vapour, and one contains a grey-black solid that gives off a purple vapour when gently warmed.
(a)
Which row correctly identifies the three halogens described?
[1 mark]
AChlorine = red-brown liquid, bromine = pale green gas, iodine = grey-black solid
BIodine = pale green gas, bromine = grey-black solid, chlorine = red-brown liquid
CChlorine = pale green gas, bromine = red-brown liquid, iodine = grey-black solid
DChlorine = grey-black solid, bromine = pale green gas, iodine = red-brown liquid
(b)
Which statement correctly describes the trend in state and colour intensity of the halogens as you go down Group 7, from chlorine to iodine?
[1 mark]
AColours get lighter down the group, and the state changes from solid to liquid to gas
BThere is no consistent trend in colour or state down Group 7
CMelting and boiling points decrease going down Group 7
DColours get darker going down the group, the state changes from gas to liquid to solid, and melting/boiling points increase down the group
(c)
Explain, using the pattern seen in chlorine, bromine and iodine, why astatine (the halogen below iodine in Group 7) would be expected to be a solid at room temperature.
[2 marks]
Total for question 2: 4 marks
3
A diving equipment company is developing a breathing gas mixture for deep-sea divers, replacing the nitrogen normally present in air with helium, because nitrogen can cause a dangerous narcotic effect on divers at high pressure, whereas helium does not have this effect on the body.
(a)
Explain, in terms of electronic configuration, why helium and other noble gases are so unreactive that they do not react with substances in the diver's body, even at high pressure.
[3 marks]
(b)
Explain why helium (rather than argon, another noble gas) is a particularly good choice for the divers' breathing mixture, and explain one other property of noble gases that makes them suitable for use in situations where safety is important.
[4 marks]
Total for question 3: 7 marks
4
A revision guide summarises two patterns seen in the periodic table: the reactivity of Group 1 metals increases going down the group, while the reactivity of Group 7 non-metals decreases going down the group. A student is asked to explain both trends using ideas about electronic configuration, and to compare them.
(a)
Explain why the reactivity of Group 1 metals increases going down the group, referring to electronic configuration, atomic size, shielding and the ease of electron loss.
[6 marks]
(b)
Explain why the reactivity of Group 7 non-metals decreases going down the group, referring to electronic configuration, atomic size, shielding and the ease of electron gain, and compare this trend with the Group 1 trend explained in part (a).
[6 marks]
Total for question 4: 12 marks
5
A technician burns small pieces of lithium, sodium and potassium separately in gas jars of oxygen. Each metal burns to form a solid metal oxide: lithium oxide, sodium oxide and potassium oxide. She notes that potassium burns the most vigorously of the three, and lithium burns the least vigorously.
(a)
What is the correct formula for sodium oxide, given that sodium forms a 1+ ion (Na+) and the oxide ion is O2-?
[1 mark]
ANaO2
BNaO
CNa2O2
DNa2O
(b)
Which explanation best accounts for potassium burning more vigorously than lithium in oxygen?
[1 mark]
APotassium has a smaller atomic radius than lithium, allowing faster contact with oxygen
BPotassium has fewer electron shells than lithium, making it more reactive
CPotassium's outer electron is further from the nucleus and more shielded than lithium's, so it is lost more easily, making potassium more reactive
DPotassium is classified as a non-metal, while lithium is classified as a metal
(c)
State the general trend in how vigorously Group 1 metals react with oxygen as you go down the group, and use this trend to predict, with a reason, how vigorously rubidium (the alkali metal below potassium) would react with oxygen compared with potassium.
[2 marks]
Total for question 5: 4 marks
6
A technician bubbles hydrogen chloride gas into a beaker of water in a fume cupboard, then tests the resulting solution with universal indicator paper, which turns red. She repeats this with hydrogen bromide gas and hydrogen iodide gas, obtaining the same red colour each time.
(a)
What does the red colour of the universal indicator paper show about the solutions formed?
[1 mark]
AThe solutions are strongly alkaline
BThe solutions are strongly acidic (a low pH)
CThe solutions are neutral, with a pH of 7
DThe solutions contain no dissolved ions at all
(b)
Which statement correctly explains why hydrogen chloride, hydrogen bromide and hydrogen iodide all form acidic solutions when dissolved in water?
[1 mark]
AAll three gases are hydrogen halides, formed from a halogen and hydrogen; being members of the same family of compounds, they react with water in the same way, forming acidic solutions
BOnly hydrogen chloride forms an acidic solution; hydrogen bromide and hydrogen iodide actually form alkaline solutions
CThe gases react with water to form only neutral salts, which have no effect on pH
DThe acidity of the solutions is caused entirely by the water itself and is unrelated to which gas was dissolved in it
(c)
State the general term used for compounds formed between a halogen and hydrogen, and explain why astatine (below iodine in Group 7) would also be expected to form an acidic solution when its hydrogen compound is dissolved in water.
[2 marks]
Total for question 6: 4 marks
7
A window manufacturer fills the gap between two panes of glass with argon gas in standard double-glazed windows, and with krypton gas in more expensive premium triple-glazed windows, to improve thermal insulation.
(a)
Explain why argon (and other noble gases) are suitable for use as an insulating gas layer between window panes, referring to their chemical reactivity and their density compared with air.
[3 marks]
(b)
Krypton gas is used in premium windows instead of argon, even though it is more expensive. Suggest, using the pattern in physical properties of the noble gases, why krypton might provide better thermal insulation than argon, and evaluate whether the extra cost of using krypton is likely to be worthwhile for the manufacturer's customers.
[4 marks]
Total for question 7: 7 marks
8
A hospital uses liquid helium to cool the superconducting magnets in its MRI scanners, while its water treatment plant uses chlorine gas to disinfect drinking water by killing bacteria.
(a)
Explain why helium is suitable for cooling the MRI magnets, referring to its chemical reactivity, its non-flammability, and its boiling point, and explain why different noble gases are used in different specific applications despite all being chemically inert.
[6 marks]
(b)
Explain why chlorine gas is effective at disinfecting the hospital's drinking water, and describe a simple chemical test the water treatment plant could use to confirm that chlorine gas, rather than another gas, is present in a sample.
[6 marks]
Total for question 8: 12 marks

End of questions