Name: …………………………………………………………………………………………….

ADMNO: ……………………………………………………… Class ……………………………

CHEMISTRY
2024
TIME: 2 HOURS
JULY 2024

Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (K.C.S.E.)

FORM 2 -TERM 2
INSTRUCTIONS:
 Write your name and other details on the space provided above
 Answer all the questions in the spaces provided for each question.
 All working must be clearly shown where necessary.
 Mathematical tables and silent non-programmable electronic calculators may be used.
For Examiners Use Only

Questions Total marks Student’s score

1 - 20 80

This paper consists of 11 printed pages. Students should check to ascertain that all pages are printed as indicated and
that no questions are missing.

1. Name the regions of the Bunsen burner flame in the diagram below.

1
 A Thin outer pale blue zone (½ mark)
B Blue zone (½ mark)
C Almost colourless zone (½ mark)
D Bright yellow zone (½ mark)

2. Using the table below, classify the substances as conductors or non-conductors of electricity.
(3 marks)

Substance Conductor/Non-Conductor

Copper Conductor

Rubber Non-conductor

Aluminium Conductor

3. Salts have many applications in daily life.

(a) Define a salt. (1 mark)
A compound formed when the hydrogen atom in a acid is partially or wholly replaced by a positive

ion.

(b) Give four types of salt. (2 marks)

 Normal salts

 Acid salts

 Basic salts

 Double salts

4. (a) Explain why alkali metals are more reactive than alkaline earth metals in the same period.
(2 marks)

2
Alkali metals have only one valence electron while alkaline earth metals have two valence electrons.

More energy is required to remove two valence electrons than one, hence, alkali metals more readily

lose their valence electrons.

(b) State the trend in boiling points of halogens down the group. (1 mark)
Boiling points increase down the group

5. Draw a set-up that can be used to separate water and kerosene mixture. (3 marks)

N/B: The bottom layer is water and the top layer is kerosene.
6. Complete the table below with the properties of acids and bases. (3 marks)
Properties of acids Properties of bases

1. They have a sour taste. 1. They have a bitter taste.

2. They have a pH less than 7. 2. They have a pH above 7.

3. They react with metals to form a salt and hydrogen. 3. They react with acids to form a salt and water only.

7. Magnesium reacts with dilute hydrochloric acid to produce a colourless gas Q and a colourless
solution R.
(a) Name the colourless gas Q. (1 mark)
Hydrogen gas

(b) Give the observation made when:

(i) Magnesium is added to hydrochloric acid. (1 mark)
Effervescence is seen

3
 (ii) Solution R is tested with red and blue litmus papers. (1 mark)
Red litmus paper turns blue and blue litmus paper remains blue.

24 2+.
8. An ion of an element D can be represented as D
12
a) Draw the structure of the most stable ion. (2 marks)

b) How does its ionic radius compare with its atomic radius? Explain. (1 mark)
The ionic radius is smaller than its atomic radius. This is because the ion has fewer occupied energy

levels.

9. The figure below shows a paper chromatography for mixture T, red, blue and green dyes.

(a) Given that mixture T contains red and blue dyes only, show on the diagram the chromatogram
of mixture T. (2 marks)
(b) Which dye is most adsorbent on the chromatography paper? (1 mark)

The red dye

4
 10. The grid given below represents part of the periodic table. Study it and answer the questions that
follow. (The letters do not represent the actual symbols of the elements)

C D E

(i) What name is given to the group of elements to which C and F belong? (1 mark)

Group II
(ii) Which letter represents the element that is the least reactive? (1 mark)

F
(iv) Write the formula of the compound formed when element D and oxygen gas react
(1 mark)
D 2 O3
(vi) On the grid indicate with a tick the position of element G which is in the third period of the
periodic table and forms G3- ions. (1 mark)

(v) Compare the atomic radii of elements C and E. Explain. (2 marks)

E has a smaller atomic radius than C. E has more protons hence stronger nuclear force of

attraction that pulls the electrons closer to the nucleus.

(vi) Draw the dot (.) and cross (x) diagram for the compound formed between elements F and E.
(2 marks)

11. Substances can be classified as acids or bases. You are provided with vinegar, lemon juice, sugar
solution, soap solution, lime water and potassium hydroxide.
(a) Describe an experiment that can be used to determine the pH values of the substances.
(3 marks)
Place about 2cm3 of each of the substances in separate test tubes. Add two drops of universal

indicator. Match the colour of the indicator with a pH chart. Record the pH values.

5
 (b) Give the pH values of each of the substances. (3 marks)
Vinegar – pH 4

Lemon juice pH 4

Sugar solution – pH 7

Soap solution – pH 12

Lime water – pH 8

Potassium hydroxide – pH 14

12. Figure 1 shows a set-up used by a student to prepare dry chlorine gas in the laboratory.

(a) Identify three mistakes in the set-up and give a reason for each. (3 marks)
 Wrong reagents - The reagents provided cannot produce chlorine;
 Wrong drying agent — Calcium oxide will react with the chlorine gas;
 Incorrect method of gas collection - No gas will be collected / chlorine is denser than air.

6
 13. You are provided with the following: thermometer, boiling tube, beaker, Bunsen burner, pure
substance X whose boiling point is about 80°C, water and any other apparatus that may be
required. Draw a labelled diagram of the set-up that can be used to determine the melting point of
X. (3 marks)

14. The graph in Figure 2 was obtained when a certain substance was heated and its temperature
recorded at regular intervals.

(a) Is the substance pure or impure? (1 mark)

Impure

(b) Give a reason for your answer in (a) above. (1 mark)

It does not have a sharp melting and boiling point
7
 15. Describe how the magnesium chloride can be prepared in the laboratory starting with magnesium
ribbon. (3 marks)

Add excess magnesium metal to dilute hydrochloric acid and stir until effervescence stops. Filter to

obtain magnesium chloride as the filtrate and remove excess magnesium metal as the residue. Heat

the filtrate to saturation and allow it to cool to form crystals. Pour out the mother liquor and dry the

crystals between filter papers.

16. Using reagents provided only, explain how you could prepare solid Zinc carbonate.

 Zinc powder (3 marks)

 Nitric (V) acid (dilute)
 Distilled water
 Solid sodium carbonate

Add excess zinc powder to dilute nitric (V) acid and stir until effervescence stops. Filter to remove

excess zinc and zinc nitrate as the filtrate. Add distilled water to solid sodium carbonate and stir to

form a solution. Add the zinc nitrate solution to the sodium carbonate solution to form a precipitate of

zinc carbonate. Filter to obtain the zinc carbonate as the residue. Rinse the residue with distilled water

and dry it between filter papers.

17. Letters in the table below represent certain elements. Atomic numbers of the elements are given.
(The letters are not the actual symbols of the elements.)

Element G E H F
Atomic number 9 10 11 12

(a) Select an element which is:

(i) A noble gas (1 mark)
E

(ii) An alkali metal (1 mark)

H

8
 (b) Select two elements which are in the same period. Give a reason (1 mark)
G and E or H and F.

They have same number of occupied energy levels.

(c) Select the element with the largest atomic radius. (1 mark)
H

18. The grid below shows part of the periodic table. Study it and answer the questions that follow. The
letters are not the actual symbols of the elements.

A B C D
E F J
G
H

(a) Give the name of the family to which element D belongs. (1 mark)

Noble gases

(b) Identify an element which forms a stable trivalent cation (1 mark)

(c) Give the formula of:

(i) The compound formed between A and B (1 mark)

A2B3

(ii) The sulphate of F (1 mark)

F2SO4

9
 (d) Using dot(.) and cross(x) diagram, show the bonding in a molecule of B.
(2 marks)

(e) Compare the atomic radii of elements C and J. Explain. (2 marks)

J has a larger atomic radius than C. This is because J has more occupied energy levels than C

(f) Select the element that has the lowest ionization energy. Explain. (1 mark)

H, this is because it most readily loses its valence electrons.

(g) Identify element G. (1 mark)

Bromine

(h) Compare the boiling points of elements G and E.

(2 marks)

E has a higher boiling point than G. This is because the atoms of E are held by strong metallic bonds

in metallic structure that require a lot of heat energy to break. However, the molecules of G which are

held by Weak Van der Waals forces of attraction in a simple molecular structure require less heat

energy to break.

19. Study the table below and answer the questions that follow.
(The letters are not the actual symbols of the elements)
Element B C D E F
Atomic number 18 5 3 5 20
Mass number 40 10 7 11 40

(i) Which two letters represent the same elements? Give reason. (2 marks)
C and E. They have the same atomic number.

10
 (ii) Give the number of neutrons in an atom of element D. (Show your working) (1 mark)
7–3=4

20. Study the table below and answer the questions that follow.
substance M.pt oC B.pt oC Electrical conductivity Electrical conductivity
in solid state in molten state
J 365 463 Poor Poor
K 1323 2773 Good Good
L 1046 1680 Poor Good
M 2156 2776 Poor Poor
(a) Place J, K, L and M in the appropriate categories from the following:
i. Metallic solid __K (1 mark)

ii. Giant covalent structure solid ____M (1 mark)

iii. Ionic solid ____L (1 mark)

iv. Simple molecular solid_______J (1 mark)

(b) Which substance can be used to make overhead cables? Give a reason. (1 mark)
K. It is a good conductor of electricity in solid state.

This is the last printed page

11