Practice Exam 1
VCE Chemistry | Atomic Structure, Periodic Table, Chemical Bonding & Naming
✎ Complete ALL questions on paper before opening the Model Answers lesson. No notes. Aim for 1 minute per mark.
SHORT ANSWER
Question 1 (4 marks)
Write the full electron configuration of iron (Fe, Z=26) and identify which subshell is incompletely filled.
✎ Write your answer on paper
Question 2 (4 marks)
Draw the Lewis structure of SO₂ and explain its shape using VSEPR theory.
✎ Write your answer on paper
Question 3 (4 marks)
Explain why the boiling point of HF (19.5°C) is much higher than HCl (-85°C) despite HCl having higher molar mass.
✎ Write your answer on paper
Question 4 (4 marks)
Name the following compounds: (i) FeCl₃ (ii) N₂O₅ (iii) Ca(OH)₂ (iv) HNO₃
✎ Write your answer on paper
Question 5 (4 marks)
The first ionisation energies (kJ/mol) of elements across Period 3 are: Na 496, Mg 738, Al 577, Si 786, P 1012, S 1000, Cl 1251, Ar 1521.
Explain the general trend and account for the anomaly at Al and S.
✎ Write your answer on paper
Question 6 (4 marks)
Calculate the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in ⁸⁰Br⁻.
✎ Write your answer on paper
Question 7 (4 marks)
Classify each bond as ionic, polar covalent, or non-polar covalent and explain: (i) Cl–Cl (ii) Na–Cl (iii) O–H (iv) C–H
✎ Write your answer on paper
Question 8 (4 marks)
Write structural formulas and IUPAC names for the three structural isomers with molecular formula C₃H₈O that are alcohols.
✎ Write your answer on paper
EXTENDED RESPONSE
Extended Response 1: Periodic Trends & Electron Configuration
Question 9 (3 marks)
Extended Response 1: Periodic Trends & Electron Configuration (a)
Explain the trend in atomic radius across Period 3 (Na to Ar) and down Group 1 (Li to Cs).
✎ Write your answer on paper
Extended Response 1: Periodic Trends & Electron Configuration
Question 10 (3 marks)
Extended Response 1: Periodic Trends & Electron Configuration (b)
Explain why the second ionisation energy of Na is much greater than its first, but the increase from 1st to 2nd IE for Mg is less dramatic.
✎ Write your answer on paper
Extended Response 1: Periodic Trends & Electron Configuration
Question 11 (3 marks)
Extended Response 1: Periodic Trends & Electron Configuration (c)
Arrange the following in order of increasing ionic radius and justify: Na⁺, Mg²⁺, Al³⁺, O²⁻, F⁻.
✎ Write your answer on paper
Extended Response 2: Bonding & Properties
Question 12 (4 marks)
Extended Response 2: Bonding & Properties (a)
Compare the melting points of NaCl (801°C), SiO₂ (1710°C), Cl₂ (-101°C) and Na (98°C). Explain each in terms of bonding and structure.
✎ Write your answer on paper
Extended Response 2: Bonding & Properties
Question 13 (3 marks)
Extended Response 2: Bonding & Properties (b)
Explain why CO₂ is a gas at room temperature but SiO₂ is a solid, despite both being oxides of Group 14 elements.
✎ Write your answer on paper
✓ Finished? Open the next lesson – Model Answers – to mark your work.
