Organisation of the periodic tableIB MYP Chemistry: Subtopic test

1. 1
   A teacher is explaining to her class how the elements are organised in the periodic table. The elements are laid out in rows and columns, and she wants the students to understand what decides where each element goes.

   (a)

   The elements in the periodic table are arranged in order of increasing what?

   [1 mark]

   • ARelative atomic mass
   • BNumber of neutrons
   • CAtomic number
   • DDensity

   (b)

   What is the name for a vertical column of elements in the periodic table?

   [1 mark]

   • AGroup
   • BPeriod
   • CBlock
   • DSeries

   (c)

   Explain why elements in the same group have similar chemical properties.

   [2 marks]

   Total for question 1: 4 marks

2. 2
   A technician has four unlabelled samples to sort. Sample W is a shiny solid that conducts electricity well and can be hammered into thin sheets. Sample X is a dull yellow solid that is brittle and does not conduct electricity. Sample Y is a shiny solid that is brittle and conducts electricity only poorly. Sample Z is a colourless gas at room temperature.

   (a)

   Which sample is a metal?

   [1 mark]

   • AX
   • BW
   • CZ
   • DY

   (b)

   Which sample is most likely to be a metalloid?

   [1 mark]

   • AW
   • BX
   • CZ
   • DY

   (c)

   Explain, using the information given, why sample X is classified as a non-metal.

   [2 marks]

   Total for question 2: 4 marks

3. 3
   Two unknown elements, P and Q, have the electron arrangements 2,8,5 and 2,8,8,2 respectively. Students are given a periodic table and asked to work out the position of each element from its electron arrangement.

   (a)

   State the atomic number, the group and the period of element P.

   [3 marks]

   (b)

   State the atomic number, group and period of element Q, and explain whether Q is a metal or a non-metal.

   [4 marks]

   Total for question 3: 7 marks

4. 4
   A school science club is making a periodic table display for a corridor. The elements are placed in order of atomic number in rows (periods) and columns (groups). A zig-zag line separates the metals on the left from the non-metals on the right, and the elements next to the line are metalloids. The club also wants to show how elements are used. One example is silicon, a metalloid in Group 4 and period 3, which is used to make computer chips and solar panels. Silicon is a semiconductor, so it conducts electricity better than a non-metal but worse than a metal, and its conductivity can be controlled. It is made by heating sand with carbon at very high temperatures, which needs a lot of energy.

   (a)

   Explain how the electron arrangements of sodium (2,8,1) and chlorine (2,8,7) decide their positions in the periodic table and whether each is a metal or a non-metal.

   [6 marks]

   (b)

   Discuss and evaluate the use of silicon in computer chips and solar panels.

   [6 marks]

   Total for question 4: 12 marks

End of questions