IGCSE Pure Science

Chemistry
Question Bank

Atoms, Elements and Compounds

Book No: 7733

Name: ____________________ Homework:

Date: ____________________ Remark: ___________________

Incharge Sign: ___________________

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
 PART I

1. The letters X, Y and Z represent different atoms.

What can be deduced from the proton numbers and nucleon numbers of X, Y and Z?
A X and Y are the same element.
B X and Z are the same element.
C X has more protons than Y.
D Z has more neutrons than Y.

2. Which of the following contains the same number of electrons as an atom of neon?
A Cl-
B Li
C Li+
D O2-

3. An element X has two isotopes, 238X and 235X.

How does 238X differ from 235X?
A It has 3 more protons and 3 more electrons.
B It has 3 more protons, but same electrons.
C It has 3 more neutrons and 3 more electrons.
D It has 3 more neutrons, but same electrons.

4. The formulae of the ions of four elements are shown below.

O2 – F– Li+ Mg2+
Which statement about these ions is correct?
They all have
A the same number of electrons in their outer shells.
B the same electronic structure as a noble gas.
C the same number of protons in their nuclei.
D more electrons than protons.

1
5. The table contains information on the structure of four particles.

What are the values of W, X, Y and Z in the table above?

6. Which gas is neither an element nor a compound?

E ammonia
F chlorine
G air
H carbon monoxide

7. Which elements exist as diatomic molecules at room temperature?

A hydrogen, oxygen, helium
B nitrogen, chlorine, neon
C nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine
D oxygen, chlorine, helium

8. Two particles have the compositions shown.

Which statement about X and Y is correct?

A They are both positively charged.
B They are particles of the same element.
C They have the same mass number.
D They have the same number of nucleons.

2
9. Radium (Ra) is in the same group of the Periodic Table as magnesium.
What is the charge on a radium ion?
A 2–
B 1–
C 1+
D 2+

10. A researcher notices that atoms of an element are releasing energy.

Why are the atoms releasing energy?
A The atoms are absorbing light.
B The atoms are evaporating.
C The atoms are radioactive.
D The atoms react with argon in the air.

11. Which compound contains three elements?

A aluminium chloride
B iron(III) oxide
C potassium oxide
D sodium carbonate

12. Hydrogen can form both H+ ions and H– ions. Which one of the statements below is correct?
A An H+ ion has more protons than an H– ion.
B An H+ ion has no electrons.
C An H– ion has one more electron than an H+ ion.
D An H– ion is formed when a hydrogen atom loses an electron.

13. Fluorine and chlorine are in Group VII of the Periodic Table. Which number increases by eight from
fluorine to chlorine?
A the number of atoms in one molecule
B the number of electrons in one atom
C the number of electrons in one molecule
D the number of nucleons in one atom

14. The structure of a compound is shown.

3
 What is the formula of the compound?
A C5H11O
B C5H11O2
C C5H12O
D C5H12O2

15. Sodium nitrate contains one atom of sodium, one atom of nitrogen and three atoms of oxygen.
What is the formula of sodium nitrate?
A NaN3O
B NaNO3
C SN3O
D SNO3

16. Which list contains an element, a compound and a mixture?

A Air, Copper, Soil
B Air, Pure water, Sodium Chloride.
C Copper, Soil, Pure water.
D Tap water, Soil, Sodium chloride.

17. Which of the following statements best describe a compound?

A A compound cannot be broken down into simpler substances by chemical processes.
B A compound can be separated by physical processes.
C A compound has different properties from its constituent elements.
D A compound has a variable composition of its constituent elements.

18. The chemical formula of a compound tells us

1 The types of atoms (elements) present in the compound.
2 The ratio of the different atoms present in the compound.
3 The total molar ratio of element in compound

4
 A 1 only
B 1 and 2 only
C 1 and 3 only
D 1, 2, and 3

19. The aluminium ion, Al3+, has the same structure as an atom of which noble gas?
A Argon
B Helium
C Krypton
D Neon

20. Which statement explains why isotopes of an element have the same chemical properties?
A They have different number of neutrons.
B They have the same number of electrons as protons.
C They have the same number of electrons in the outer shell.
D They have the same number of protons in the nucleus.

21. The formula of some ions are shown.

In which row is the formula not correct?

22. Which part of an atom has a relative mass of 1 and a relative charge of zero?
A Electrom
B Neutron
C Nucleus
5
 D Proton

23. Which element does not form a stable ion with the same electronic structure as argon?
A Aluminium
B Chlorine
C Phosphorous
D Potassium

24. In which row are the substances correctly classified?

25. Element Q has 4 electrons in its outer shell and has 69 neutrons. Q conducts electricity.
What is Q?
A Carbon (C)
B Lead (Pb)
C Thulium (Tm)
D Tin (Sn)

26. Which statement describes positive ions?

A Positive ions have more electrons than neutrons.
B Positive ions have more protons than neutrons.
C Positive ions have more electrons than protons.
D Positive ions have more protons than electrons.

27. Atoms contain electrons, neutrons and protons.

What is the definition of nucleon number?
A the number of neutrons in the nucleus of an atom
B the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom
C the total number of neutrons and protons in the nucleus of an atom

6
 D the total number of particles in an atom

28. The diagram shows the atomic structure of an element X.

What is X?
A aluminium
B beryllium
C boron
D fluorine

29. An atom of the element Q contains 19 electrons, 19 protons and 20 neutrons.

What is Q?
A Calcium
B Potassium
C Strontium
D Yttrium

30. Which statement about isotopes of the same element are correct?
1 They are atoms which have the same chemical properties because they have the same number
of electrons in their outer shell.
2 They are atoms which have the same number of electrons and neutrons but different number
of protons.
3 They are atoms which have the same number of electrons and protons but different number
of neutrons.
A 1 and 2
B 1 and 3
C 2 only

7
 D 3 only

31. The table shows information about atoms of three different elements.

What are the value of W, X, Y and Z?

32. Ions are formend by elements losing or gaining electrons.

Which statement is correct?
A Metal atoms gain electrons to form positive ions.
B Non-metal atoms lose electrons to form positive ions.
C The charge on an ion is always either +1 or -1.
D Group I ions have the same electronic structure as noble gases.

33. A molecule of X contains two carbon atoms, four hydrogen atoms and two oxygen atoms.
What is the formula of X?
A CH2CO2H
B CH3COH
C CH3COOH
D C2H3COOH

34. An atom has three electron shells. There are three electrons in the outer shell.
How many protons and how many neutrons are in this atom?

8
35. Which element are in the compound BaCO3?
A Barium and cobalt
B Boron, actinium and oxygen
C Carbon, oxygen and barium
D Oxygen, calcium and boron

36. The table shows information about four different particles.

What are the values of W, X, Y and Z?

37. The diagram shows the structure of an atom.

Which diagram shows the structure of an isotope of this atom?

9
38. Q+ is an ion of element Q.
What has the highest value in the ion?
A the nucleon number
B the number of electrons
C the number of neutrons
D the proton number

39. Which statements comparing the properties of electrons, neutrons and protons are correct?

40. Which element has the atomic structure shown?

A Al
B P
C S
D Si

10
41. How many atoms of hydrogen are there in a molecule of ethanol, C2H5OH?
A 1
B 2
C 5
D 6

42. Element X has 7 protons.

Element Y has 8 more protons than X.
Which statement about element Y is correct?
A Y has more electron shells than X.
B Y has more electrons in its outer shell than X.
C Y is in a different group of the Periodic Table from X.
D Y is in the same period of the Periodic Table as X

11
 PART II

43. Calcium, proton number 20, is an element in Group II of the Periodic Table.
(a) Give the electronic configuration for calcium. [1]
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(b) Calcium has six naturally-occurring isotopes.
(i) State the meaning of the term isotopes [1]
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(ii) Complete the following table to show the number of sub-atomic particles in two of these isotopes. [2]

(c) Calcium chloride can be formed by reacting calcium carbonate with dilute hydrochloric acid.
(i) Construct an equation for this reaction. [1]

(ii) Write both the formula and the electronic configuration for the ions present in calcium chloride. [2]

44. (a) Define the term element. [1]

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(b) Choose from the following elements to answer the questions below.
aluminium
argon
bromine
gallium

12
 helium
hydrogen
magnesium
nitrogen
oxygen
sodium
Each element can be used once, more than once or not at all. Which element
(i) is in Group III and Period 4 of the Periodic Table, _________________ [1]
(ii) has atoms with 8 electrons in their outer shell, ________________ [1]
(iii) is a liquid at room temperature, ___________________ [1]
(c) Draw the electronic structure of an aluminium atom. [1]

45. The symbols of some atoms and ions including their nucleon number and proton number are shown
below.

(a) Which one of these atoms or ions has the greatest number of protons? [1]
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(b) Which two of these atoms or ions have the same number of neutrons? [1]
_____________________________________________________________________________________

(c) State the number of electrons in the ion [1]

_____________________________________________________________________________________

(d) Write the full electronic configuration of the ion [1]

_____________________________________________________________________________________

46. Match each diagram with its correct description. Diagrams will be used once. [5]

13
 (a) Pure element- only type of atom present. - _________
(b) Mixture of two elements- two types of uncombined atoms present. - _________
(c) Pure compound- only one type of compound present. - _________
(d) Mixture of two compounds- two types of compounds present. - _________
(e) Mixture of a compound and an element. - _________

47. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate answers. [9]

(a) A pure substance containing two or more kinds of _____________.

(b) The atoms in a compound are _________________ combined. Often times (but not always) they come
together to form groups of atoms called molecules.
(c) Compounds _____________________ be separated by physical means. Separating a compound
requires a ________________ reaction.
(d) A mixture is made up of two or more ______________________ or _______________ not chemically
combined.
(e) Mixtures can be uniform (also known as _____________________) and are known as solutions.
(f) Mixtures can also be non-uniform (also known as _______________).
(g) An element is a _________ substance containing only one kind of _______________.
(h) An element ______________ be separated into simpler materials (except during nuclear reactions).

48. Bromine is an element in Group VII of the Periodic Table.

(a) State the formula for a molecule of bromine. [1]
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(b) The table gives the composition of three particles.

14
 What is the evidence in the table for each of the following?
(i) Particle A is an atom. [1]
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(ii) A, B and C are all particles of the same element. [1]
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(iii) Particles A and C are isotopes of the same element. [2]
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(c) (i) What is the electronic structure of particle A? [1]
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(ii) Is element A, a metal or a non-metal? Give a reason for your choice. [1]
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

49. (a) The symbol of two isotopes of chlorine are shown.

(i) How do these two isotopes differ in their atomic structure? [1]
_____________________________________________________________________________________

(ii) Determine the number of neutrons present in one atom of the isotopes [1]
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(iii) Draw the electronic structure of a chlorine atom. Show all shells and all electrons. [2]

15
 (b) Phosphorous has one naturally occurring isotope.

(i) Determine the number of neutrons present in one atom of the isotope [1]
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(ii) How many electrons are there in the outer shell of one phosphorous atom? [1]
_____________________________________________________________________________________

(c) Two isotopes of carbon are

(i) Determine the number of neutrons present in one atom of the isotope [1]
_____________________________________________________________________________________

50. The diagram shows models of various elements.

(a) Which one of the models A to E represents a solid containing diatomic molecules? [1]
_____________________________________________________________________________________

(b) Which two of the models A to E represent gases? [1]

_____________________________________________________________________________________
(c) The electronic structures of various atoms are shown below.

16
 (i) Which one of these structures A to E represents a noble gas? [1]
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(ii) Which two of these structures represent atoms from the same Group of the Periodic Table? [1]
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(iii) Which one of these structures represents an atom with an atomic number of 8? [1]
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(iv) Which one of these structures forms a stable ion by gaining one electron? [1]
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(v) Which one of these structures is in Period 3 of the Periodic Table? [1]
_____________________________________________________________________________________

51. Iron has several isotopes.

(a) Some isotopes are radioactive. State one industrial use of radioactive isotopes. [1]
_____________________________________________________________________________________

52. (a) Complete the table which gives the names, symbols, relative masses and relative charges of the three
subatomic particles. [3]

17
Use the information in the table to explain the following.
(i) Atoms contain charged particles but they are electrically neutral because they have no overall charge.
[2]
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(ii) Atoms can form positive ions. [2]
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(iii) Atoms of the same element can have different masses. [2]
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(iv) Scientists are certain that there are no undiscovered elements missing from the Periodic Table from
hydrogen to lawrencium. [1]
_____________________________________________________________________________________

18
 ANSWERS
PART I
1. A
2. D
3. D
4. B
5. B
6. C
7. C
8. B
9. D
10. C
11. D
12. B
13. B
14. D
15. B
16. C
17. C
18. D
19. D
20. C
21. C
22. B
23. A
24. C
25. D
26. D
27. C
28. B
29. B
30. B
31. B

19
32. D
33. C
34. A
35. C
36. C
37. A
38. A
39. B
40. B
41. D
42. A

PART II

43. (a) 2, 8, 8, 2 [1]

(b) (i) atoms of same element with different number of neutrons [1]
(ii) proton column; electrons column; neutrons column [3]

(c) (i) CaCO3 + 2HCl gives CaCl2 + CO2 + H2O [1]

(ii) calcium ion = 2, 8, 8 and charge is + 2 [1] chloride ion = 2, 8, 8 and charge is –1 [1]

44. (a) (substance containing) only one type of atom / substance which cannot be broken down to any other
substance [1]
(b) (i) gallium/Ga [1]
(ii) argon/Ar [1]
(iii) bromine/Br2 [1]
(c) 2,8,3 [1]

45. (a) Ga [1] IGNORE: lack of atomic and nucleon number

(b) Ni and Mn IGNORE: lack of charge [1]

20
 (c) 23 [1]
(d) 2,8,8 ALLOW: 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 IGNORE: any charge shown [1]

46. (a) C
(b) E
(c) B
(d) A
(e) D

47. (a) atoms

(b) chemically
(c) cannot ; chemical
(d) atoms (elements), molecules (compounds)
(e) homogeneous
(f) heterogeneous
(g) pure; atom
(h) cannot

48. (a) Br2

(b) (i) number of protons = number of neutrons
(ii) same atomic number / proton no
(iii) same atomic number but different number of neutrons
(c) (i) 2, 8, 5
(ii) non-metal as number of valence electron = 5. Atom tends to gain or share electrons.

49. (a) (i) mass number

(ii) 18
(iii) 2, 8, 7
(b) (i) 16
(ii) 5
(c) (i) 8

50. (a) B
(b) A, D
21
 (c) (i) D
(ii) A, C
(iii) B
(iv) E
(v) C

51. (NOT Medical use). Examples: Nuclear energy

52. (a)

(b) (i) equal numbers of protons and electrons of positive and negative charges or charges cancel/balance
[1] or net charge = 0 [1]
(ii) lose electron(s) [1] more protons than electrons [1] NOT more + than –
(iii) different numbers of neutrons [1] same number of protons or same number of electrons [1] for just
giving- they are isotopes [1] ONLY
(iv) an element is known for each proton number [1] accept any sensible idea, for example no gaps
between z = 1 and z = 103

22