2000 U. S.

NATIONAL
CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD
LOCAL SECTION EXAM
Prepared by the American Chemical Society Olympiad Examinations Task Force

OLYMPIAD EXAMINATIONS TASK FORCE

Arden P. Zipp, State University of New York, Cortland
Chair
Peter E. Demmin (retired), Amherst Central High School, NY
Edward DeVillafranca (retired), Kent School, CT
Alice Johnsen, Bellaire High School, TX
John A. Krikau (retired), Lyons Township High School, IL
Patricia A. Metz, University of Georgia, GA
Jerry D. Mullins, Plano Senior High School, TX
Ronald O. Ragsdale, University of Utah, UT
Diane D. Wolff, Western Virginia Community College, VA

DIRECTIONS TO THE EXAMINER

This test is designed to be taken with an answer sheet on which the student records his or her responses. All answers are to be marked
on that sheet, not written in the booklet. Each student should be provided with an answer sheet and scratch paper, both of which must
be turned in with the test booklet at the end of the examination. Local Sections may use an answer sheet of their own choice.

The full examination consists of 60 multiple-choice questions representing a fairly wide range of difficulty. Students should be
permitted to use non-programmable calculators. A periodic table and other useful information are provided on page two of this exam
booklet for student reference.

Suggested Time: 60 questions—110 minutes

DIRECTIONS TO THE EXAMINEE

DO NOT WRITE IN THIS BOOKLET. DO NOT TURN THE PAGE UNTIL DIRECTED TO DO SO.

This is a multiple-choice examination with four choices for each question. There is only one correct or best answer to each question.
When you select your choice, blacken the corresponding space on the answer sheet with your pencil. Make a heavy full mark, but no
stray marks. If you decide to change your answer, be certain to erase your original answer completely.

Any question for which more than one response has been blackened will NOT BE COUNTED. Your score is based on the number of
questions you answer correctly. It is to your advantage to answer every question. A periodic table and other useful information are
provided on page two of this exam booklet for your reference.

Not valid for use as an ACS Olympiad Local Section Exam after April 16, 2000. STOCK CODE OL00
Distributed by the ACS DivCHED Examinations Institute, Clemson University, Clemson, SC. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.
 ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS CONSTANTS
amount of substance n equilibrium constant K milli- prefix m
ampere A Faraday constant F molal m R = 8.314 J·mol–1·K–1
atmosphere atm formula molar mass M molar M R = 0.0821 L·atm·mol –1·K–1
atomic mass unit u free energy G mole mol 1 F = 96,500 C·mol–1
atomic molar mass A frequency ν Planck’s constant h
1 F = 96,500 J·V–1·mol–1
Avogadro constant N A gas constant R pressure P
Celsius temperature °C gram g rate constant k N A = 6.022 × 1023 mol–1
centi- prefix c hour h second s h = 6.626 × 10–34 J·s
coulomb C joule J speed of light c c = 2.998 × 108 m·s–1
electromotive force E kelvin K temperature, K T
energy of activation Ea kilo- prefix k time t
enthalpy H liter L volt V
entropy S measure of pressure mmHg volume V

PERIODIC TABLE OF THE ELEMENTS

1 2
H He
1.008 4.003
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Li Be B C N O F Ne
6.941 9.012 10.81 12.01 14.01 16.00 19.00 20.18
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Na Mg Al Si P S Cl Ar
22.99 24.31 26.98 28.09 30.97 32.07 35.45 39.95
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
K Ca Sc Ti V Cr Mn Fe Co Ni Cu Zn Ga Ge As Se Br Kr
39.10 40.08 44.96 47.88 50.94 52.00 54.94 55.85 58.93 58.69 63.55 65.39 69.72 72.61 74.92 78.96 79.90 83.80
37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54
Rb Sr Y Zr Nb Mo Tc Ru Rh Pd Ag Cd In Sn Sb Te I Xe
85.47 87.62 88.91 91.22 92.91 95.94 (98) 101.1 102.9 106.4 107.9 112.4 114.8 118.7 121.8 127.6 126.9 131.3
55 56 57 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86
Cs Ba La Hf Ta W Re Os Ir Pt Au Hg Tl Pb Bi Po At Rn
132.9 137.3 138.9 178.5 181.0 183.8 186.2 190.2 192.2 195.1 197.0 200.6 204.4 207.2 209.0 (209) (210) (222)
87 88 89 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 114
Fr Ra Ac Rf Db Sg Bh Hs Mt
(223) 226.0 227.0 (261) (262) (263) (262) (265) (266) (269) (272) (277) (289)

58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71
Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu
140.1 140.9 144.2 (145) 150.4 152.0 157.3 158.9 162.5 164.9 167.3 168.9 173.0 175.0
90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103
Th Pa U Np Pu Am Cm Bk Cf Es Fm Md No Lr
232.0 231.0 238.0 237.0 (244) (243) (247) (247) (251) (252) (257) (258) (259) (260)

Page 2 Not for use as a USNCO Local Section Exam after April 16, 2000.
 DIRECTIONS
• When you have selected your answer, blacken the corresponding space on the answer sheet with a soft, black #2 pencil. Make a
heavy, full mark, but no stray marks. If you decide to change an answer, erase the unwanted mark very carefully.
• Make no marks in the test booklet. Do all calculations on scratch paper provided by your examiner.
• There is only one correct answer to each question. Any questions for which more than one response has been blackened will not be
counted.
• Your score is based solely on the number of questions you answer correctly. It is to your advantage to answer every question.
• The best strategy is to arrive at your own answer to a question before looking at the choices. Otherwise, you may be misled by
plausible, but incorrect, responses.

1. Which metal reacts most vigorously with water?

(A) Ca (B) K (C) Mg (D) Na

2. Which substance produces an acidic solution when it is

bubbled into water?
(A) CO2 (B) Ar (C) NH3 (D) CH4

3. Which substance is the least soluble in H2O?

(A) K2CO3 (B) KHCO3
8. Which separation technique is based on differences in the
(C) Ca(HCO 3)2 (D) CaCO3 volatility of the substances to be separated?
(A) filtration (B) distillation
4. What value should be reported
for the buret reading shown? 22 (C) solvent extraction (D) paper chromatography

9. If 1.50 g of H2C 2O4.2H2O were heated to drive off the

water of hydration, how much anhydrous H 2C 2O4 would
remain?
23 (A) 0.34 g (B) 0.92 g
(C) 1.07 g (D) 1.50 g

(A) 22.3 mL (B) 22.30 mL 10. How many H atoms are in 3.4 g of C12H22O11?
(C) 22.36 mL (D) 22.40 mL (A) 6.0 × 1023 (B) 1.3 × 1023
(C) 3.8 × 1022 (D) 6.0 × 1021

11. How many mL of 8.00 M HCl are needed to prepare

150. mL of a 1.60 M HCl solution?

(A) 30.0 mL (B) 24.0 mL

(C) 18.8 mL (D) 12.0 mL

12. Analysis of a compound known to contain only Mg, P,

and O gives this analysis.
21.8% Mg 27.7% P 50.3% O
What is its empirical formula?
(A) MgPO 2 (B) MgPO 3
(C) Mg2P 2O7 (D) Mg3P 2O8

Not for use as a USNCO Local Section Exam after April 16, 2000. Page 3
 13. The reaction of ethanol, C 2H5OH, with oxygen is a
popular classroom demonstration. Balance the equation
to find the number of moles of gaseous products formed
per mole of ethanol.
___C 2H5OH(g) + ___O2(g) → ___CO2(g) + ___H2O(g)
(A) 2 (B) 3 (C) 4 (D) 5

14. Ammonia is produced in accordance with this equation.

N2(g) + 3H2(g) → 2NH3(g)
In a particular experiment, 0.25 mol of NH3 is formed
when 0.5 mol of N2 is reacted with 0.5 mol of H2. What is
the percent yield?
(A) 75% (B) 50%
(C) 33% (D) 25% 23. For which of these is ∆H of not equal to zero?

(A) Br2(l) (B) Fe(s) (C) I2(s) (D) O3(g)

24. The enthalpy change for which reaction represents the

standard enthalpy of formation for hydrogen cyanide,
HCN?
(A) H(g) + C(graphite) + N(g) → HCN (g)
1 1
(B) H2(g) + C(graphite) + N2(g) → HCN (g)
2 2
1 1
(C) HCN(g) → H2(g) + C(graphite) + N2(g)
2 2
(D) H2(g) + 2C(graphite) + N2(g) → 2HCN (g)

25. What is the standard enthalpy of formation of MgO(s) if

16. Under which conditions will a gas behave most ideally? 300.9 kJ is evolved when 20.15 g of MgO(s) is formed by
the combustion of magnesium under standard conditions?
(A) low P and high T (B) low P and low T
(A) –601.8 kJ·mol–1 (B) –300.9 kJ·mol–1
(C) high P and low T (D) high P and high T
(C) +300.9 kJ·mol–1 (D) +601.8 kJ·mol–1
3
17. The mass of 560 cm of a gas at 0 ˚C and 1 atm is 1.60 g.
Which gas could it be? 26. Which combination of solutions of HCl and NaOH would
produce the largest ∆T?
(A) O2 (B) CO2 (C) SO2 (D) Cl2
(A) 50 mL of 1 M HCl with 50 mL of 1 M NaOH
18. Oxygen, which is 16 times as dense as hydrogen, diffuses
(B) 50 mL of 2 M HCl with 50 mL of 2 M NaOH
(A) 1/16 times as fast. (B) 1/4 times as fast.
(C) 100 mL of 1 M HCl with 50 mL of 2 M NaOH
(C) 4 times as fast. (D) 16 times as fast.
(D) 100 mL of 1 M HCl with 100 mL of 1 M NaOH
19. How is the vapor pressure of a liquid in a closed
27. Which change occurs with the largest increase in entropy
container affected when the quantity of liquid is doubled
at 25 ˚C?
at constant temperature?
(A) Br2(l) → Br2(g)
(A) The vapor pressure increases.
(B) C (graphite) → C(diamond)
(B) The vapor pressure decreases.
(C) H2O(s) → H2O(l)
(C) The vapor pressure stays the same.
(D) HCl (g) + H2O(l) → H3O+(aq) + Cl–(aq)
(D) The vapor pressure may increase or decrease,
depending on the liquid.

Page 4 Not for use as a USNCO Local Section Exam after April 16, 2000.
 28. What are the signs of ∆H˚ and ∆S˚ for a reaction that is 33. For a system in equilibrium, the rate constant for the
spontaneous at all temperatures? forward reaction is represented by kf and the rate constant
for the reverse reaction is represented by kr. Which
∆H˚ ∆S˚ equation represents the equilibrium constant for this
(A) + + reaction in the forward direction?
(B) + – kf
(A) Keq = k f ⋅ kr (B) Keq = kr
(C) – +
kr
(D) – – (C) Keq = kf (D) Keq = 1 k ⋅ k
f r

29. Iodide ion is oxidized by acidified dichromate ions as

shown in this equation. Questions 34 and 35 should both be answered with reference to
Cr2O72–(aq) + 9I–(aq) + 14H+(aq) → this reaction, for which ∆Ho is negative.
2Cr3+(aq) + 3I3–(aq) + 7H2O(l) 2NO(g) + O2(g) = 2NO2(g)
These data were obtained when the reaction was studied 34. Which would increase the partial pressure of NO2(g) at
at a constant pH. equilibrium?

Experiment [Cr2O72–], M [I –], M Rate, M·s–1 (A) decreasing the volume of the system
1 0.0040 0.010 0.00050 (B) adding a noble gas to increase the pressure of the
system
2 0.0080 0.010 0.0010
3 0.0120 0.020 0.0060 (C) removing some NO(g) from the system
What is the order of the reaction with respect to (D) adding an appropriate catalyst
Cr2O72–(aq) and I–(aq)?
(A) first order with respect to both Cr2O72– and I– 35. At a certain temperature the equilibrium concentrations
for this system are:
(B) second order with respect to both Cr 2O72– and I– [NO] = 0.52M; [O2] = 0.24M; [NO2] =0.18M.
(C) second order with respect to Cr2O72– and first order What is the value of KC at this temperature?
with respect to I–
(A) 0.063 (B) 0.50 (C) 1.4 (D) 2.0
(D) first order with respect to Cr 2O72– and second order
with respect to I– 36. What is the pH of a 0.025 M solution of KOH?
30. The reaction A → B is first order in A. Which plot will (A) 1.60 (B) 3.69 (C) 10.31 (D) 12.40
be linear?
(A) [A] vs. time (B) ln [A] vs. time 37. What is the [H +] of a Equilibrium Constant, Ka
0.075 M solution of the
4.8 × l0–8
2
(C) 1/[A] vs. time (D) 1/[A] vs. time acid HA? HA

(A) 6.1 × l0 M (B) 2.2 × l0 M

–4 –4
31. One of the steps in the manufacture of nitric acid is the
oxidation of ammonia shown in this equation.
(C) 6.0 × l0 M (D) 4.8 × l0 M
–5 –8

4NH3(g) + 5O2(g) → 4NO(g) + 6H2O(g)

If gaseous water appears at a rate of 0.025 mol·min –1, at 38. Which salt produces the most alkaline solution at a
what rate does ammonia disappear? concentration of 0.1 M?
(A) 0.0040 mol·min –1 (B) 0.017 mol·min –1 (A) KNO 3 (B) MgCl2
(C) 0.038 mol·min –1 (D) 0.150 mol·min –1 (C) NH4Cl (D) NaNO2

32. This reaction is first order with respect to N2O5. 39. A 0.052 M solution of Equilibrium Constant, Ka
2N2O5(g) → 4NO2(g) + O2(g) benzoic acid, C6H5COOH,
is titrated with a strong C 6H5COOH 6.3 × l0–5
If the half-life for this reaction is 19.0 minutes, what is
the rate constant, k? base. What is the [H+] of the solution one-half way to the
equivalence point?
(A) 0.0158 min –1 (B) 0.0263 min –1
(A) 6.3 × l0 M (B) 1.8 × l0 M
–5 –3

(C) 0.0365 min –1 (D) 0.0526 min –1

(C) 7.9 × l0 M (D) 2.6 × l0 M
–3 –2

Not for use as a USNCO Local Section Exam after April 16, 2000. Page 5
 40. A buffer solution made with NH3 and NH4Cl has a pH of 45. What is the correct order when the substances O2, H2O,
10.0. Which procedure(s) could be used to lower the pH? OF2, and H2O2 are arranged in order of increasing
1. adding HCl oxidation number for oxygen?
2. adding NH 3 (A) O2, H2O, OF2, H2O2 (B) H2O, H2O2, O2, OF2
3. adding NH 4Cl (C) H2O2, O2, H2O, OF2 (D) OF2, O2, H2O2, H2O
(A) 1 only (B) 2 only
46. Which element has an outer electron configuration of
(C) 1 and 3 only (D) 2 and 3 only s 2 p4 ?

41. How many moles of (A) Ca (B) Cr (C) Ge (D) Se

K sp at 25 °C
calcium fluoride, CaF2,
must be dissolved in 2.0 L CaF 2 1.6 × l0–10 47. How many unpaired electrons does a gaseous atom of
phosphorus, P, have in its ground state?
of water at 25 °C to form a saturated solution?
(A) 1 (B) 3 (C) 5 (D) 7
(A) 2.6 × l0 mol (B) 1.3 × l0 mol
–2 –3

(C) 6.8 × l0 mol (D) 3.4 × l0 mol

–4 –4
48. Which element has the lowest first ionization energy?
(A) B (B) C (C) Al (D) Si
42. Which equation represents an oxidation-reduction
reaction? 49. Which of these elements has the greatest
(A) H2SO4 + 2NH3 → (NH4)2SO4 electronegativity?
(B) H2SO4 + Na2CO3 → Na2SO4 + H2O + CO2 (A) Br (B) N (C) O (D) S
(C) 2K2CrO4 + H2SO4 → K2Cr2O7 + K2SO4 + H2O
(D) 2H2SO4 + Cu → CuSO4 + 2H2O + SO 2

Questions 43 and 44 should be answered with reference to the 51. Which set contains only covalently bonded molecules?
voltaic cell shown and these half-reactions.
Rh 3+(aq) + 3e– → Rh (s) Eo = 0.80 V (A) BCl3, SiCl4, PCl3 (B) NH4Br, N2H4, HBr
Cu (aq) + e → Cu(s)
+ –
Eo = 0.52 V (C) I2, H2S, NaI (D) Al, O3, As4
V
52. What is the total number of valence electrons in the
chlorate ion, ClO3–?
salt bridge
(A) 24 (B) 26 (C) 28 (D) 32
Rh Cu
53. The concept of resonance is used to describe molecular
structures which
Rh3+ (aq) Cu+ (aq) (A) oscillate between two structures.
(B) have mirror images.
(C) can be isolated in several isomeric forms.
43. What is the direction of electron flow in the external
circuit if the concentrations of Cu + and Rh3+ are each (D) have more than one possible Lewis structure.
1 M?
54. What is the arrangement in space of the hybrid orbitals of
(A) from the Rh anode to the Cu cathode an atom with sp2 hybridization?
(B) from the Rh cathode to the Cu anode (A) linear (B) bent
(C) from the Cu anode to the Rh cathode (C) pyramidal (D) trigonal planar
(D) from the Cu cathode to the Rh anode
55. Which species is isoelectronic with NO2+?
44. What is the voltage of this cell if the concentrations of (A) N2O (B) NO2–
Cu + and Rh3+ are each 1 M?
(C) NH2– (D) SO2
(A) 0.28 V (B) 0.76 V (C) 1.32 V (D) 2.36 V

Page 6 Not for use as a USNCO Local Section Exam after April 16, 2000.
 60. Which compound has the highest boiling point?
(A) CH3CH2CH3 (B) CH3OCH2CH3
(C) CH3 C CH3 (D) CH3CH2CH2OH
O

END OF TEST

Not for use as a USNCO Local Section Exam after April 16, 2000. Page 7
Page 8 Not for use as a USNCO Local Section Exam after April 16, 2000.
 U.S. NATIONAL CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD
2000 LOCAL SECTION EXAM — KEY

Number Answer Number Answer Number Answer

1. B 41. C
2. A 42. D
3. D 23. D 43. C
4. C 24. B 44. A
25. A 45. B
26. B 46. D
27. A 47. B
8. B 28. C 48. C
9. C 29. D 49. C
10. B 30. B
11. A 31. B 51. A
12. C 32. C 52. B
13. D 33. B 53. D
14. A 34. A 54. D
35. B 55. A
16. A 36. D
17. C 37. C
18. B 38. D
19. C 39. A
40. C 60. D

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