Russia 2019 Winter Camp

52 International Chemistry Olympiad

Russian Training Olympiad

Theoretical tour

Department of Chemistry, Moscow State University Lomonosov

November 23, 2019

60 Points total
5 hours

2019 Camp Page

http://www.chem.msu.ru/rus/olimpiad/intl-winter-2019/
Original questions (in Russian) can be found at the following link:
http://www.chem.msu.ru/rus/olimpiad/intl-winter-2019/theor-olymp.pdf
Solutions can be found at the following link:
http://www.chem.msu.ru/rus/olimpiad/intl-winter-2019/theor-olymp-resh.pdf
Results of the theoretical exam can be found at the following link:
http://www.chem.msu.ru/rus/olimpiad/intl-winter-2019/rezultat.pdf
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Task 1. Synthesis of a terpenoid (10 points)

Question 1 2 3 Amount
Total 17 1 2 20
Earned

Shown below is the total synthesis of one fragment of a terpenoid, carried out in 2006 by a group
of Swiss scientists.

(Im = imidazole, Py = pyridine)

1. Identify unknown substances A – Q, if it is known that the Hantszch ester in the third step
reduces the Knoenvagel condensation product.

2. In the N→O step, a rather specific reducing agent is used. Why can’t more common
borohydride reducing agents (i.e. NaBH4, NaBH3CN, NaBH(OAc)3) be used instead?

3. Propose a mechanism for D→E.

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Answer Form
Write structural formulas below
A B C

D E F

G H I

J K L

M N O

P Q
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2. Reason for using NaBH(OCH(CF3)2)3

3. Mechanism for D → E
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Task 2. Uranium hydride (8 points)

Question 1 2 3 Amount
Total 3 1 4 8
Earned

Uranium forms the stoichiometric hydride UH3, which decomposes on heating into its elements.
The temperature dependence of the equilibrium pressure of hydrogen over a mixture of solid
uranium and UH3 has the following form:

where pressure is expressed in pascals and temperature in kelvins.

1. Calculate ΔG°, ΔH°, ΔS° of the reaction 2UH3(s) ⇌ 2U(s) + 3H2(g) at 500 K.

2. Calculate the heat capacity of uranium hydride at the same temperature.

Reference information: Сp(U(s)) = 27.67 J/(mol·K), Сp (Н2 (g)) = 29.26 J/(mol·K).
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It turned out that uranium deuteride (UD3) has slightly different thermodynamic characteristics,
which makes it possible to use uranium to separate and enrich mixtures of hydrogen and
deuterium. The separation coefficient for UD3 is:

where nD and nH are the number of deuterium and hydrogen atoms in the corresponding phase.

3. Hydrogen gas containing equal amounts of protium and deuterium atoms was introduced into
an evacuated 30 ml vessel containing solid uranium such that the final pressure was 1 atm at 298
K. After heating to 600 K and establishing equilibrium, the solid phase was a mixture of U and
UH1.64D1.36, and the gas was an equilibrium mixture of H2, HD, and D2. The equilibrium constant
of the reaction H2 + D2 ⇌ 2HD at 600 K is 3.73. Calculate the molar fractions of protium and
deuterium atoms and the amounts of H2, HD, and D2 in the gas phase.
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Task 3. Phase diagram of gallium (5 points)

Question 1 Amount
Total 5 5
Earned

At moderate temperatures, gallium can exist in the form of four condensed phases: liquid and
three solid, indicated as Ga-I, Ga-II and Ga-III in the phase diagram. In the vicinity of the triple
point g - Ga-I - Ga-II (with coordinates 277 K and 1.24 GPa), the pressure (in GPa) of the
equilibrium phase transition on temperature (in K) has the form:

Calculate ΔH of the Ga-I → Ga-II phase transition. The gallium melting enthalpy at normal
pressure is 5.59 kJ / mol.
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Problem 4. Kinetics of Ester Hydrolysis (8 points)

Question 1 2 3 4 5 6 Amount
Total 1 2 1 1.5 1 1.5 8
Earned

Esters are hydrolyzed in an aqueous medium, and this process is catalyzed by both acids and
bases.
1. Write down the equations for the hydrolysis of R1COOR2 ester in the presence of acid and
base.

The table shows the dependence of the concentration of methyl acetate in water on time. The
initial solution was obtained by mixing ~ 20 ml of ester (𝜌𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟 = 0.933 kg/L), 980 ml of water
and a catalytic amount of sulfuric acid (pH ~ 2, maintained constant, neglect the volume of acid).

Time (min) 10 150 400 720 1010

[MeCOOMe], M 0.269 0.246 0.211 0.173 0.144

2. Determine the reaction order in ester and calculate the effective rate constant (with units)
Note: calculate kobs for each point, and then average.

Order in Ester = ______

kobs = _______________
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When methyl acetate is replaced by methyl butyrate (C4H7O2CH3) 25 ml of ether, (𝜌𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟 = 0.90
kg /L), 975 ml of water and acid), the situation changes qualitatively: in the first 14.5 hours, the
concentration of ester in water was found to be 0.157 M and does not change, and then
decreases.

3. Briefly explain why this occurs

4. Calculate the rate constant of hydrolysis of methyl butyrate, as well as its concentration a day
after the start of the experiment.

If the pH of the solution is ~ 1.5, the concentration of methyl butyrate remains constant for 4.5
hours.

5. How does the observed rate constant depend on the acidity of the medium?

kobs([H+]) =
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Upon hydrolysis of methyl acetate in the presence of a base (50% excess), the following data
were obtained:

Time, min 0 0.5 1 1.75

[MeCOOMe] 0.500 0.338 0.246 0.165
r, M/s 7.39·10-3 3.91·10-3 2.4·10-3 1.35·10-3

6. Find the reaction order of ester in this case and calculate the rate constant (with units)

Order in Ester = ______

kobs = _______________
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Problem 5. Structures of Oligosaccharides (8 points)

Question 1 2 3 4 5 Amount
Total 3 6 6 3 8 26
Earned

In the chemistry of carbohydrates, various approaches have been developed to establish the
structure of oligosaccharides, mainly using the size of the rings in monosaccharide residues and
the positions through which they are connected to each other. One method is exhaustive
methylation followed by hydrolysis of all glycosidic bonds.

1.What position should the monosaccharide residue be in the oligosaccharide if, as a result of
complete methylation and subsequent hydrolysis, a methyl derivative of the monosaccharide is
formed in which:

A) there is not a single non-methylated alcohol group (not counting the hemiacetal hydroxyl)
B) one unmethylated alcohol group
C) two unmethylated alcohol groups?

A) ___________________________________________________________________

B) ___________________________________________________________________

C) ___________________________________________________________________

Trisaccharide X consists of sequentially (from left to right) connected units A, B and C.

Complete methylation of X and its subsequent hydrolysis lead to 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-methyl-D-
glucose, 3,4,6-tri- O-methyl-D-glucose and 1,2,3,6-tetra-O-methyl-D-galactose. The data
obtained do not allow an unambiguous conclusion about the structure of X.

2. Draw all possible structures of X corresponding to the set of products described above. Note
that all linkages in X are β-glycosidic bonds.
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To unambiguously determine the structure, X was previously subjected to reduction, followed by

complete methylation and hydrolysis. The result was 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-methyl-D-glucose, 3,4,6-tri-
O-methyl-D-glucose and 1,2,3,5,6-penta-O-methyl-D-galactitol (galactitol is a product of
galactose reduction).

3. Draw 1,2,3,5,6-penta-O-methyl-D-galactitol and the final established structure X

1,2,3,5,6-penta-O-methyl-D-
galactitol X

The α-galactosidase enzyme, which cleaves terminal α-galactosyl residues from

oligosaccharides, is practically absent in the gastrointestinal tract of most animals and humans
which complicates the digestion of compounds such as oligosaccharide Y. After treatment of Y
with α-galactosidase, two products E and F (which are now easily absorbed by the body) are
formed in a 2:1 molar ratio.

F does not react with the Tollens reagent, and with moderate heating in a weakly acidic medium
the products G and H form in an equimolar ratio, with G being the main unit of the
polysaccharide forming the cell wall of plants. H can be formed from G in the presence of a
dilute base through an enol intermediate. Oxidation of E (which belongs to the hexose family)
with concentrated nitric acid leads to an optically inactive dicarboxylic acid.

4. Write the equation for the formation of G and H from F (use structural formulas)
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5. Draw the structures of E and Y

E Y
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Problem 6. Cations of hydrides of noble gases (7 points)

Question 1 2 3 4 5 6 Amount
Total 1 2 4 2 3 1 13
Earned

Noble gas hydride cations (such as HeH+, NeH+ and ArH+) are of great interest in astrophysics
and astrochemistry. It is believed that one of these hydride cations was one of the first diatomic
particles that formed after the Big Bang.

1. Which of these cations is being referred to above? Why was it one of the first to form? What
particles could be formed simultaneously with it?

More recently, lines corresponding to the vibrational and rotational transitions of the 36Ar1H+
isotope have been discovered in the Crab nebula.

2. Suggest mechanisms for the formation and destruction of this particle. Note that the nebula is
predominantly composed of atoms of noble gases, H2 molecules, as well as atoms of some light
elements, such as O and C.
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It was determined that the vibrational transition energy from the zero to first state for 36Ar1H+ is
𝐸01 = 2592.7 cm–1, and from the first to the second is 𝐸12 = 2473.5 cm–1.

3. Calculate the wave number 𝜔𝑒 and the anharmonicity constant 𝜔𝑒𝑥𝑒 for the 36Ar1H+ particle.
Give your answer in cm–1.

𝜔𝑒 = 𝜔𝑒𝑥𝑒 =

4. Calculate the energies of the transition from the second to the third vibrational state, 𝐸23, and
from the third to the fourth, 𝐸34. Give your answer in cm–1.

E23 = E34 =

The dissociation energy of 36Ar1H+ in the zero vibrational state is 𝐷0 = 31,309 cm–1. Compute the
dissociation energy if the cation is in the first (𝐷1) or in the second vibrational state (𝐷2). What is
the wavelength of light that can cause a particle to dissociate in the first or second vibrational
state? Give your answers in cm–1 and nm respectively.

D1 = D2 =

𝜆1 = 𝜆2 =

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5. Argon has three stable isotopes: 36Ar, 38Ar, 40Ar. The table shows the transition energies from
the zero to first vibrational states for various isotopomers of ArH+. Determine which isotopes of
argon and hydrogen correspond to each of the energies.
E01, cm-1 Ar Isotope H Isotope
2589.3
1880.9
1883.5
2590.9
1878.6

Anharmonic Oscillator Energy

𝐸𝑛 = 𝜔𝑒 (𝑛 + ½ ) - 𝜔𝑒𝑥𝑒 (𝑛 + ½ )2, where 𝑛 is the number of the vibrational level (n = 0, 1, ...)
𝜔𝑒 (cm–1) is the wave number, 𝜔𝑒𝑥𝑒 (cm-1) is the anharmonicity constant.

The wave number 𝜔𝑒 is inversely proportional to the root of the reduced mass of the molecule,
and the anharmonicity constant 𝜔𝑒𝑥𝑒 is inversely proportional to the reduced mass 𝜇:

Reference Information
m(1H) = 1.008 amu
m(2D) = 2.014 amu
m(36Ar) = 35.968 amu
m(38Ar) = 37.963 amu
m(40Ar) = 39.962 amu
h = 6.626·10-34 J·s
c = 2.998·108 m/s
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Task 7. About zinc and iron (8 points)

Question A.1 A.2 A.3 A.4 A.5 A.6 B.1 B.2 B.3 B.4 Amount
Total 12 10 16 10 12 2 4 4 26 4 100
Earned

A. Zinc Hydroxide

The solubility product of zinc hydroxide is KSP = 1.80·10–17.

A.1. Calculate the molar solubility of zinc hydroxide in water.

A.2. Calculate the pH of a saturated zinc hydroxide solution, without considering the possible
formation of complexes.

The standard potentials of the following reactions are given:

[Zn(OH)42-] + 2e- ⇌ Zn(s) + 4OH- E˚ = -1.285 V
Zn + 2e ⇌ Zn(s)
2+ - E˚ = -0.762 V

A.3. Calculate the formation constant of tetrahydroxozincate

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A.4. Calculate the molar solubility of zinc hydroxide at pH = 9.58, not taking into account the
possible formation of tetrahydroxozincate.

A.5. Now calculate the molar solubility of zinc hydroxide at pH = 9.58, taking into account the
possible formation of tetrahydroxozincate.

A.6. Briefly compare the results from A.4 and A.5

B. Determination of Iron
For the quantitative determination of Fe2+, the formation of its complex with 2,2´-bipyridine
(bipy) is often used.
Fe2+ + 3 bipy ⇌ [Fe(bipy)3]2+ β = 1017.58

The complex absorbs at λmax = 520 nm and its molar absorption coefficient is ε = 8.377‧103
L‧mol–1‧cm–1.

For spectrophotometric determination, a cuvette with a thickness of 1.00 cm which was accurate
for absorbances between 0.12 and 1.2 was used. The initial concentrations in the solution for
measurement until equilibrium were reached were: c(Fe2+) = 1.000‧10–4 mol / L and c(bipy) =
2.667‧10–4 mol / L.
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B.1. Ignoring the absorbance of uncomplexed Fe2+, will the selected concentrations produce
results within the accurate range of the spectrophotometer? Justify with calculation.

B.2. Using the data given, roughly approximate the concentration of the complex without doing
any equilibrium calculations.

B.3. Write down the expression for the stability constant, denoting the unknown concentration of
the complex as x. The solution to the resulting expression is possible by approximation:
a) Isolate one of the x terms on the left hand side of your expression (write as x = … )
b) Compute the value of x using an estimated value for x on all terms on the right-hand side and
thus produce a new approximate value which you can use to repeat this step until x converges
Follow the two steps of iteration and thereby try to calculate the concentration of the colored
complex with the highest possible accuracy.

B.4. Now calculate the absorbance using the result of part B.3.
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Task 8. Lithium fluoride (6 points)

Question 1 2 3 4 Amount
Total 4 1 2 5 12
Earned

1. Using the data below (T = 298 K), calculate Eo (Li+ (aq) / Li (s)).
DHf°(LiF(s)) = –612.1 kJ/mol E°(F2(g)/F-(aq)) = 2.87 V
–3
Ksp(LiF) = 1.7·10 DSr°(Li(s)+ ½ F2(g) ⇌ LiF(s)) = –94 kJ/K
The change in enthalpy when diluting the solution is neglected.

2. Which of the following unit cells (1-4) could be LiF? Explain your answer.
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3. State the coordination numbers and polyhedra of the cation and anion in the LiF unit cell

The interaction of a lithium fluoride melt with barium titanate produces (among other products) a
colorless gas b, a binary crystalline substance B with a fluorite structure and crystalline
substance A with a spinel structure. The reflection spectrum of substance A contains a band at
430 nm. Dissolving 0.87 g of substance A in one liter of water produces a solution with pH
approximately 12.

4. Determine the formulas of the unknown substances A,B, and b (justify with calculations) and
write the equations of both reactions.