AP®ChemistryCollege BoardExam QuestionsUnit 3: Properties of Substances & MixturesProperties of Solids, Liquids & Gases

Properties of Solids, Liquids & Gases (College Board AP® Chemistry): Exam Questions

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Properties of Solids, Liquids & Gases

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11 mark

Which of the following statements about diamond and graphite is correct?

  • The carbon atoms are joined together by three covalent bonds.

  • They both conduct electricity due to delocalized electrons in their structure.

  • The differences in their properties can be explained by their different structural arrangements.

  • They both have high melting points due to their strong intermolecular forces.

Choose your answer

21 mark

Different substances have characteristic melting and boiling points, depending on the strength of the bonds or forces holding them together.

Which explains why methane has a lower melting point than sodium chloride?

  • Covalent bonds are weaker than ionic bonds.

  • Intermolecular forces are weaker than ionic bonds.

  • Covalent bonds are stronger than ionic bonds.

  • Intermolecular forces are stronger than ionic bonds.

Choose your answer

31 mark

Which of the following best explains why liquids have a definite volume but no definite shape?

  • The particles in a liquid are in fixed positions and can only vibrate.

  • The particles in a liquid are loosely packed and can move past each other, but are still close together.

  • The particles in a liquid are spread out and move freely in all directions.

  • The particles in a liquid are tightly packed and cannot move.

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41 mark

Which of the following statements explains why gases are highly compressible compared to solids and liquids?

  • Gases are composed of particles that are in constant random motion, which prevents them from having a fixed shape.

  • The particles in a gas have very little intermolecular force, allowing them to move freely.

  • Gases are highly compressible because the particles are widely spaced, leaving large amounts of empty space between them.

  • The pressure of a gas is determined by the frequency and force with which particles strike the walls of their container.

Choose your answer

51 mark

Which of the following factors is primarily responsible for the increase in melting points observed as you move down Group 7A from fluorine to astatine?

  • Atomic mass increases.

  • Intermolecular forces become stronger.

  • The size of the molecules decreases.

  • The atomic number decreases.

Choose your answer

11 mark

Molar mass
(g mol-1)

Vapor pressure at 20 oC (mm Hg)

CBr4

331.6

0.8

CCl4

153.8

115.0

Based on the information in the table above, which of the following best explains why CCl4 has a higher vapor pressure that CBr4?

  • CCl4 has stronger dipole-dipole forces that CBr4.

  • CCl4 has weaker dipole-dipole forces that CBr4.

  • CCl4 has stronger London dispersion forces that CBr4.

  • CCl4 has weaker London dispersion forces that CBr4.

Choose your answer

21 mark

Which of the following statements about silicon dioxide is correct?

I. Silicon dioxide is a covalent network solid

II. Each silicon atom is covalently bonded to four oxygen atoms

III. Silicon dioxide is a good electrical conductor

  • I and II only

  • I and III only

  • II and III only

  • I, II and III

Choose your answer

31 mark

Which of the following could be the identity of a solid that exhibits the following properties?

  • It melts at 996 oC.

  • It does not conduct electricity as a solid.

  • It conducts electricity when dissolved in water.

  • MgBr2 (s)

  • C12H22O11 (s)

  • SiC (s)

  • Cu (s)

Choose your answer

41 mark

Which of the following metals would have the highest melting point?

  • Na

  • Mg

  • Al

  • K

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51 mark

Which of the following best describes the difference between crystalline and amorphous solids?

  • Crystalline solids are composed of molecules in fixed positions, while amorphous solids allow molecules to flow freely.

  • Crystalline solids have an orderly, repeating atomic structure, while amorphous solids have a disordered, non-repeating structure.

  • Amorphous solids are more compressible than crystalline solids due to their disordered structure.

  • Crystalline solids are typically formed when liquids cool quickly, while amorphous solids are formed when liquids cool slowly.

Choose your answer

61 mark
A fragment of the cellulose polymer

The structure of cellulose is shown above. Cellulose is a polymer that is insoluble in water, but it is made from water soluble glucose monomers.

Which of the following types of noncovalent interactions is most likely responsible for the structure and insolubility of cellulose in water?

  • Hydrogen bonding.

  • Electrostatic/Ionic interactions.

  • Hydrophobic interactions.

  • Van der Waals interactions.

Choose your answer

71 mark

Which of the following statements is true about sodium acetate, CH3COONa?

  • It contains ions held together by dispersion forces in a lattice structure.

  • It cannot dissolve in water.

  • It evaporates quickly due to weak intermolecular forces.

  • It forms an basic solution when dissolved in water.

Choose your answer

81 mark

Two molecular substances, A and B, have similar molar masses.

Substance A has hydrogen bonding between its molecules, while substance B is nonpolar with only London dispersion forces.

Which statement correctly predicts their relative boiling points?

  • A has a lower boiling point because hydrogen bonding breaks more easily than London forces.

  • B has a higher boiling point because nonpolar molecules can pack more efficiently, increasing intermolecular forces.

  • A has a higher boiling point due to stronger intermolecular forces from hydrogen bonding.

  • A and B have identical boiling points since they have similar molar masses.

Choose your answer

11 mark
An unknown solid with a regular arrangement of positive and negative ions

Which of the following best describes the solid represented in the diagram above?

  • It is a brittle, water soluble electrolyte with poor electrical and thermal conductivity as a solid.

  • It has a low melting point and high electrical and thermal conductivity as a solid.

  • It is malleable and has poor electrical and thermal conductivity as a solid.

  • It is soft and has high electrical and thermal conductivity as a solid.

Choose your answer

21 mark

A mixture contains four solids at room temperature:

  • Substance P: A nonpolar molecular solid with low melting point and negligible conductivity.

  • Substance Q: A covalent network solid composed of carbon in a 3D lattice, extremely hard with a very high melting point and no electrical conductivity.

  • Substance R: An ionic solid composed of small, similarly charged ions, with a high melting point and conductive when molten.

  • Substance S: A metallic solid with high electrical conductivity, malleability, and an intermediate melting point compared to Q and R.

When the mixture is gradually heated at normal pressure, in what order would the substances transition to the liquid or gaseous phase, and why?

  • P → S → R → Q, due to increasing strength of intermolecular/intrinsic bonding from molecular to metallic to ionic to covalent network.

  • Q → R → S → P, due to the random order of melting determined by particle density.

  • R → S → Q → P, due to ionic solids melting at the lowest temperatures followed by metallic, covalent network, and molecular solids.

  • S → P → R → Q, due to metals always melting before molecular solids and ionic solids melting at the lowest temperatures.

Choose your answer