4 Acids and redox

OCR Chemistry A Exam-style questions

1 Lead(IV) oxide is made when lead reacts with oxygen according to the reaction shown in
Equation 1.1.
Pb(s)  O2(g) → PbO2(s) Equation 1.1
a i Identify, using oxidation numbers, the element which has been reduced.

(1 mark)

ii Explain, in terms of electrons what is meant by reduction.

(1 mark)

b Lead(IV) oxide reacts with ice cold hydrochloric acid to produce lead(IV)
chloride and water.
i Construct an equation for this reaction.

(1 mark)

ii If the reaction is done at higher temperatures, the lead(IV) chloride

decomposes to give lead(II) chloride and chlorine. Write an equation for
the decomposition of lead(IV) chloride.

(1 mark)

2 Two students are working together to prepare a 250 cm3 standard solution of sodium carbonate.
The method states:
 Using a balance accurate to two decimal places, weigh out approximately
1.3 g of anhydrous sodium carbonate accurately.
 Transfer to a small beaker and dissolve the powder in approximately 100 cm3
of distilled water. Transfer this solution to a 250 cm3 volumetric flask using a
funnel
 Make up to the mark using distilled water.
The students weighed the powder and recorded the mass as 1.4 g.
a i Define the term anhydrous.

(1 mark)

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 4 Acids and redox
OCR Chemistry A Exam-style questions

ii Identify the error that the students made in the weighing of the anhydrous
sodium carbonate powder.

(1 mark)

iii One of the students suggested dissolving the powder in 250 cm3 of
distilled water and then transferring this solution to the volumetric flask.
He thought this modified method would save time. Identify the error within
this modified method.

(1 mark)

iv Suggest an improvement to the original method that would ensure that all
of the powder weighed was transferred to the volumetric flask.

(1 mark)

b Determine the mass, in grams, of sodium carbonate in 250 cm3 of a 0.0520

mol dm−3 solution of sodium carbonate,

Mass of sodium carbonate  g (2 marks)

3 Hydrogen peroxide, H2O2, is thermodynamically unstable and decomposes into water and
oxygen.
a i Construct an equation for this reaction.

(1 mark)

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 4 Acids and redox
OCR Chemistry A Exam-style questions

ii Deduce, by use of oxidation numbers, which element is reduced and

oxidised in this reaction.

(3 marks)

b Hydrogen peroxide, diluted with water, is used as a bleach. The concentration

of the bleach can easily be determined by adding a suitable catalyst. The
catalyst causes the hydrogen peroxide to quickly and completely decompose,
and the volume of oxygen gas liberated is measured.

i One suitable catalyst is potassium manganate(VII). Deduce the chemical

formula of potassium manganate(VII).

(1 mark)

ii 5.00 cm3 of hydrogen peroxide bleach released 74.4 cm3 of oxygen gas,
measured under standard conditions. Calculate how many moles of
oxygen gas were released?

(1 mark)

iii Using your answers to (a)(i) and (b)(ii), determine how many moles of
hydrogen peroxide were in the 5.00 cm3 sample of bleach.

(1 mark)

iv Determine the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the bleach in mol

dm-3.

(1 mark)

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 4 Acids and redox
OCR Chemistry A Exam-style questions

v According to the CLEAPSS safety information, hydrogen peroxide solutions that

are over 1.5 mol dm-3 but less than 2.3 mol dm-3 are classified as irritants. Using your answer to part (iv),
determine whether this solution of bleach needs labelling as an irritant.

(1 mark)

4 20 cm3 of a 0.05 mol dm–3 solution of HxA reacts completely with 75 cm3 of a 0.04 mol dm−3
solution of sodium hydroxide. The equation for the reaction is as follows:
HxA  xNaOH → NaxA  xH2O
a Calculate the value of x in HxA.

Value of x  (2 marks)
b What mass of solid sodium hydroxide is required to make 250 cm3 of a 0.04
mol dm−3 solution of sodium hydroxide?

Mass of sodium hydroxide  g (2 marks)

c Standard solutions of sodium hydroxide must be made up fresh when
required. This is because carbon dioxide, from the air, dissolves in water and
makes hydrogen carbonate, H2CO3, also known as carbonic acid.
i Explain, with an equation, how hydrogen carbonate affects the
concentration of sodium hydroxide in solution.

(2 marks)

ii Construct the ionic equation for this reaction. Include state symbols.

(1 mark)

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 4 Acids and redox
OCR Chemistry A Exam-style questions

5 7.71 g of calcium carbonate was added to 40 cm3 of 2 mol dm−3 hydrochloric acid.
a i Construct an equation for this reaction.

(1 mark)

ii State whether this reaction is a redox reaction. Explain your answer in

terms of oxidation states.

(1 mark)

iii Calculate the number of moles of each reactant to identify which reactant
is in excess.

Reactant in excess  (3 marks)

b 0.5 dm3 of concentrated hydrochloric acid (10.0 mol dm−3) was spilt on the
laboratory floor. Calculate the minimum mass of calcium carbonate which
must be added to neutralise the spillage.

Mass of calcium carbonate  g (2 marks)

6 Vinegar is a solution of ethanoic acid, CH3COOH. The concentration of ethanoic acid in the
vinegar was determined by titrating it against a standard solution of sodium hydroxide.
25.0 cm3 of vinegar was first transferred to a 250 cm3 volumetric flask and made
up to the mark with distilled water.
Then 25.0 cm3 volumes of this diluted solution were titrated against 0.100 mol
dm−3 sodium hydroxide.
The results are shown in table 6.
Table 6 Results of a titration between ethanoic acid and sodium hydroxide

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 4 Acids and redox
OCR Chemistry A Exam-style questions

Titration Rough 1 2 3
Final burette reading / cm3 28.85 28.60 28.80 38.65
Initial burette reading / cm3 0.05 0.10 0.05 10.05
Titre / cm3 28.80 28.50 28.75 28.60
a i Select appropriate results and calculate the average titre. Explain why
you chose these results.

(2 marks)

ii Determine the number of moles of ethanoic acid in the 250 cm3 volumetric
flask. You can assume a 1:1 ratio of moles of ethanoic acid:sodium
hydroxide.

Moles of ethanoic acid  (2 marks)

iii Use your answer to ii to determine the concentration of ethanoic acid in
the original bottle of vinegar.

Concentration of ethanoic acid  (1 mark)

b The titration was repeated by another student who used a conical flask
beneath her burette which was clean, but wet on the inside with distilled
water used to rinse the flask. Explain what effect, if any, using a wet rather
than dry conical flask will have on her titre value.

(1 mark)

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 4 Acids and redox
OCR Chemistry A Exam-style questions

c A supermarket-own brand of vinegar gave the concentration of ethanoic acid

as 8.5  10−2 mol dm–3. Express this concentration in g dm−3.

(2 marks)

d Ethanoic acid is a weak acid. Define what is meant by a weak acid?

(1 mark)

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