International ASChemistryEdexcelExam Questions1. Structure, Bonding & Introduction to Organic ChemistryThe Periodic Table

The Periodic Table (Edexcel International AS Chemistry): Exam Questions

Exam code: XCH11

54 mins21 questions

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The Periodic Table

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1
1 mark

The Period 2 element with the highest melting temperature is

  • aluminium

  • boron

  • carbon

  • silicon

Choose your answer

2
1 mark

The trends in three physical properties of the Period 3 elements sodium to sulfur are shown in the graphs.

Line graph with no scale on the vertical axis and the elements Na, Mg, Al, Si, P and S along the horizontal axis. The value rises from Na to Mg, stays almost level at Al, rises steeply to a sharp maximum at Si, falls steeply to a low value at P and rises slightly at S.
Line graph with no scale on the vertical axis and the elements Na, Mg, Al, Si, P and S along the horizontal axis. The value rises from Na to Mg, dips at Al, rises through Si to a maximum at P and falls slightly at S.
Line graph with no scale on the vertical axis and the elements Na, Mg, Al, Si, P and S along the horizontal axis. The value falls from a maximum at Na to a minimum at S, falling most steeply from Na to Al.

Which of these properties is not shown?

  • atomic radius

  • electrical conductivity

  • first ionisation energy

  • melting temperature

Choose your answer

3
1 mark

Which Period 3 element has the highest melting temperature?

  • aluminium

  • silicon

  • sulfur

  • argon

Choose your answer

4
1 mark

Which statement does not explain the increase in first ionisation energy across a period?

  • Atomic radius decreases

  • Nuclear charge increases

  • The number of electrons increases

  • Shielding stays approximately the same

Choose your answer

5
1 mark

Which of these metals has the highest melting temperature?

  • sodium

  • magnesium

  • aluminium

  • potassium

Choose your answer

1
1 mark

In which series are the elements in order of increasing melting temperature?

  • I2  <  Br2  <  Cl2  <  F2

  • Li  <  Be  <  B  <  C

  • Li  <  Na  <  K  <  Rb

  • Si  <  P  <  S  <  Cl

Choose your answer

2a
1 mark

The graph shows the first ionisation energies of the elements in Period 3, labelled A to H in order of increasing atomic number.

Bar chart showing first ionisation energies of Period 3 elements. Energy increases from A (Na) to H (Ar), peaking at H (Ar) with 1,500 kJ/mol.

Element X has the electronic configuration [Ne] 3s2 3p2.

Which letter on the graph labels element X?

  • C

  • D

  • E

  • F

Choose your answer

2b
1 mark

The first ionisation energy of element C is lower than that of element B. What is the reason for this?

  • Element C's outermost electron is paired

  • Element C has fewer protons than element B

  • Element C has more outer-shell electrons than element B, increasing electron–electron repulsion

  • Element C's outermost electron occupies a 3p sub-shell, which is at a higher energy and more shielded than the 3s sub-shell holding element B's outermost electron

Choose your answer

2c
1 mark

The first ionisation energy of element F is lower than that of element E. What is the reason for this?

  • Element F has more shielding than element E

  • Element F has a larger atomic radius than element E

  • Element F's outermost electron is in a higher-energy sub-shell than element E's

  • Element F has 3p4 with one paired orbital — the spin-pair repulsion makes one of the paired electrons easier to remove than an electron from element E's 3p3

Choose your answer

3
1 mark

Which of these lists the first ionisation energies, in kJ mol−1, of sulfur, chlorine, argon and potassium, in that order?

  • 419, 1000, 1251, 1521

  • 1000, 1251, 1521, 419

  • 1000, 1251, 1521, 1700

  • 1521, 1251, 1000, 419

Choose your answer

4
1 mark

Which statement best explains why nitrogen has a greater first ionisation energy than oxygen?

  • N atoms have a greater nuclear charge than O atoms

  • N atoms lose a 2s electron, but O atoms lose a 2p electron

  • N atoms have an odd number of electrons and O atoms have an even number

  • N atoms have no paired 2p electrons, but O atoms have a pair of electrons in one 2p orbital that repel each other

Choose your answer

5
1 mark

The first ionisation energy of beryllium is greater than that of boron.

Which statement explains this?

  • Boron has a full outer shell

  • Boron atoms are larger than beryllium atoms

  • Beryllium has a greater nuclear charge than boron

  • The outer electron of boron is in a 2p sub-shell, which is at a higher energy than the 2s sub-shell

Choose your answer

6
1 mark

Which of these trends is correct?

  • First ionisation energy decreases from lithium to caesium

  • First ionisation energy increases from nitrogen to oxygen

  • Melting temperature decreases from lithium to carbon

  • Melting temperature increases from silicon to phosphorus

Choose your answer

7
1 mark

The graph shows the logarithm of the first ionisation energy plotted against atomic number for the elements with atomic numbers 1 to 36. Four of the elements are labelled A to D.

Line graph of log (first ionisation energy / kJ mol−1) against atomic number from 1 to 36. The values climb in a jagged pattern to peaks at atomic numbers 2, 10 and 18, each followed by a sharp fall. A, B and C are at the lowest points just after those falls, at atomic numbers 3, 11 and 19. D is the last point, at atomic number 36.

Which labelled element is in Group 1 and Period 4?

    Choose your answer

    8
    1 mark

    In which pair does the second element have a greater first ionisation energy than the first element?

    First element

    Second element

    A

    Mg

    Al

    B

    N

    O

    C

    Ne

    Na

    D

    K

    Na

      Choose your answer

      9
      1 mark

      The table shows the first ionisation energies and melting temperatures of five consecutive elements in Period 2, in order of increasing atomic number. The letters are not the symbols of the elements.

      Element

      V

      W

      X

      Y

      Z

      First ionisation energy / kJ mol−1

      520

      900

      801

      1086

      1402

      Melting temperature / K

      454

      1560

      2350

      3820

      63

      Which statement is correct?

      • Y has the highest melting temperature because it has the strongest metallic bonding of the five elements

      • V has the lowest first ionisation energy of the five elements because its outer electron is in a 2p sub-shell

      • X has a lower first ionisation energy than W because the outer electron of X is in a higher-energy 2p sub-shell

      • Z has a low melting temperature because little energy is needed to break the covalent bonds within its molecules

      Choose your answer

      1
      1 mark

      X, Y and Z are consecutive elements in Period 3, in that order.

      Of these three elements, Y has the highest first ionisation energy and the lowest melting temperature.

      Which of these could be X, Y and Z?

      • aluminium, silicon, phosphorus

      • magnesium, aluminium, silicon

      • silicon, phosphorus, sulfur

      • sodium, magnesium, aluminium

      Choose your answer

      2
      1 mark

      Element J has a lower first ionisation energy and a higher melting temperature than the element before it in the Periodic Table.

      The ion formed by J has the same electronic configuration as argon.

      What is element J?

      • sodium

      • aluminium

      • phosphorus

      • sulfur

      Choose your answer

      3
      1 mark

      The graph shows the first ionisation energies of four consecutive elements, labelled A to D.

      Graph of first ionisation energy in kJ per mol against atomic number for four consecutive elements, labelled A to D. B is higher than A. The value then falls steeply to C, the lowest of the four, and rises slightly to D.

      One of these elements, X, reacts with hydrogen to form a covalent compound with the formula HX.

      Which element could be X?

        Choose your answer

        4
        1 mark

        In which row is the first ionisation energy of element Y greater than that of element X?

        Element X

        Element Y

        A

        1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2

        1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p1

        B

        1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p3

        1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p4

        C

        1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p5

        1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6

        D

        1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6

        1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s1

          Choose your answer