CHAPTER 3 QUESTIONS

Multiple-Choice Questions
Use the PES spectra below to answer questions 1-4.

Relative Number of Electrons

4.98

1.76
104 6.84 2.29

100 10 5
Binding Energy (MJ/mol)

1. What element does this spectra represent?

(A) Boron
(B) Nitrogen
(C) Aluminum
(D) Phosphorus

2. Which peak represents the 2s subshell?

(A) The peak at 104 MJ/mol
(B) The peak at 6.84 MJ/mol
(C) The peak at 2.29 MJ/mol
(D) The peak at 1.76 MJ/mol

3. An electron from which peak would have the greatest velocity after ejection?
(A) The peak at 104 MJ/mol
(B) The peak at 6.84 MJ/mol
(C) The peak at 4.98 MJ/mol
(D) The peak at 1.76 MJ/mol

4. How many valence electrons does this atom have?

(A) 2
(B) 3
(C) 4
(D) 5

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 5. Why does an ion of phosphorus, P3–, have a larger radius than a neutral atom of
phosphorus?
(A) There is a greater Coulombic attraction between the nucleus and the electrons in
P3–.
(B) The core electrons in P3– exert a weaker shielding force than those of a neutral
atom.
(C) The nuclear charge is weaker in P3– than it is in P.
(D) The electrons in P3– have a greater Coulombic repulsion than those in the neutral
atom.

6. Which neutral atom of the following elements would have the most unpaired
electrons?
(A) Titanium
(B) Manganese
(C) Nickel
(D) Zinc

7. The diagram below shows the relative atomic sizes of three different elements from
the same period. Which of the following statements must be true?

X Y Z

(A) The effective nuclear charge will be the greatest in element X.

(B) The first ionization energy will be greatest in element X.
(C) The electron shielding effect will be greatest in element Z.
(D) The electronegativity value will be greatest in element Z.

8. The first ionization energy for a neutral atom of chlorine is 1.25 MJ/mol and the first
ionization energy for a neutral atom of argon is 1.52 MJ/mol. How would the first
ionization energy value for a neutral atom of potassium compare to those values?
(A) It would be greater than both because potassium carries a greater nuclear charge
then either chlorine or argon.
(B) It would be greater than both because the size of a potassium atom is smaller than
an atom of either chlorine or argon.
(C) It would be less than both because there are more electrons in potassium, meaning
they repel each other more effectively and less energy is needed to remove one.
(D) It would be less than both because a valence electron of potassium is farther from
the nucleus than one of either chlorine or argon.

9. Which of the following isoelectric species has the smallest radius?

(A) S2–
(B) Cl–
(C) Ar
(D) K+

10. What is the most likely electron configuration for a sodium ion?
(A) 1s22s22p5
(B) 1s22s22p6
(C) 1s22s22p63s1
(D) 1s22s22p53s2

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 11. Which of the following statements is true regarding sodium and chlorine?
(A) Sodium has greater electronegativity and a larger first ionization energy.
(B) Sodium has a larger first ionization energy and a larger atomic radius.
(C) Chlorine has a larger atomic radius and a greater electronegativity.
(D) Chlorine has greater electronegativity and a larger first ionization energy.

12. An atom of silicon in its ground state is subjected to a frequency of light that is high
enough to cause electron ejection. An electron from which subshell of silicon would
have the highest kinetic energy after ejection?
(A) 1s
(B) 2p
(C) 3p
(D) 4s

13. The wavelength range for infrared radiation is 10–5 m, while that of ultraviolet
radiation is 10–8 m. Which type of radiation has more energy, and why?
(A) Ultraviolet has more energy because it has a higher frequency.
(B) Ultraviolet has more energy because it has a longer wavelength.
(C) Infrared has more energy because it has a lower frequency.
(D) Infrared has more energy because it has a shorter wavelength.

14. Which of the following nuclei has 3 more neutrons than protons? (Remember: The
number before the symbol indicates atomic mass.)
(A) 11
B
(B) 37
Cl
(C) 24
Mg
(D) 70
Ga

15. Examining data obtained from mass spectrometry supports which of the following?
(A) The common oxidation states of elements
(B) Atomic size trends within the periodic table
(C) Ionization energy trends within the periodic table
(D) The existence of isotopes

16. In general, do metals or nonmetals from the same period have higher ionization
energies? Why?
(A) Metals have higher ionization energies because they usually have more protons
than nonmetals.
(B) Nonmetals have higher ionization energies because they are larger than metals and
harder to ionize.
(C) Metals have higher ionization energies because there is less electron shielding than
there is in nonmetals.
(D) Nonmetals have higher ionization energies because they are closer to having filled
a complete energy level.

17. The ionization energies for an element are listed in the table below.
First Second Third Fourth Fifth
8 eV 15 eV 80 eV 109 eV 141 eV

Based on the ionization energy table, the element is most likely to be

(A) Sodium
(B) Magnesium
(C) Aluminum
(D) Silicon
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Use the following information to answer questions 18-20.

 The outermost electron of an atom has a binding energy of 2.5 eV. The atom is
exposed to light of a high enough frequency to cause exactly one electron to be
ejected. The ejected electron is found to have a KE of 2.0 eV.

18. How much energy did photons of the incoming light contain?
(A) 0.50 eV
(B) 0.80 eV
(C) 4.5 eV
(D) 5.0 eV

19. If the wavelength of the light were to be shortened, how would that effect the kinetic
energy of the ejected electron?
(A) A shorter wavelength would increase the kinetic energy.
(B) A shorter wavelength would decrease the kinetic energy.
(C) A shorter wavelength would stop all electron emissions completely.
(D) A shorter wavelength would have no effect on the kinetic energy of the ejected
electrons.

20. If the intensity of the light were to be decreased (that is, if the light is made dimmer),
how would that affect the kinetic energy of the ejected electron?
(A) The decreased intensity would increase the kinetic energy.
(B) The decreased intensity would decrease the kinetic energy.
(C) The decreased intensity would stop all electron emissions completely.
(D) The decreased intensity would have no effect.

21. Which type of radiation would be most useful in examining the dimensionality of
molecules?
(A) Ultraviolet
(B) Visible
(C) Infrared
(D) Microwave

22. Which of the following ions would have the most unpaired electrons?
(A) Mn2+
(B) Ni3+
(C) Ti2+
(D) Cr6+

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 23. Two alloys are shown in the diagrams below—bronze and steel. Which of the
following correctly describes the malleability of both alloys compared to their primary
metals?

Bronze Steel
= Cu = Fe
= Sn =C
(A) Bronze’s malleability would be comparable to that of copper, but steel’s
malleability would be significantly lower than that of iron.
(B) Bronze’s malleability would be significantly higher than that of copper, but
steel's malleability would be comparable to that of iron.
(C) Both bronze and steel would have malleability values similar to those of their
primary metals.
(D) Both bronze and steel would have malleability values lower than those of their
primary metals.

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Free-Response Questions
1. Explain each of the following in terms of atomic and molecular structures and/or
forces.
(a) The first ionization energy for magnesium is greater than the first ionization energy
for calcium.
(b) The first and second ionization energies for calcium are comparable, but the third
ionization energy is much greater.
(c) There are three peaks of equal height in the PES of carbon, but on the PES of
oxygen the last peak has a height twice as high as all the others.
(d) The first ionization energy for aluminum is lower than the first ionization energy
for magnesium.

51

Relative
abundance

53

40 45 50 55
2. The above mess spectra is for the hypochlorite
m z ion, ClO–. Oxygen has only one stable
isotope, which has a mass of 16 amu.
(a) How many neutrons does the most common isotope of chlorine have?
(b) Using the spectra, calculate the average mass of a hypochlorite ion.
(c) Does the negative charge on the ion affect the spectra? Justify your answer.
(d) The negative charge in the ion is located around the oxygen atom. Speculate as to
why.

Big Idea #1: Atoms, Elements, and the Building Blocks of Matter | 91
 3. The table below gives data on four different elements, in no particular order:

Carbon, Oxygen, Phosphorus, and Chlorine

Atomic radius First Ionization Energy

(pm) (kJ/mol–1)
Element 1 170 1086.5
Element 2 180 1011.8
Element 3 175 1251.2
Element 4 152 1313.9

(a) Which element is number 3? Justify your answer using both properties.
(b) What is the outermost energy level that has electrons in element 2? How many
valence electrons does element 2 have?
(c) Which element would you expect to have the highest electronegativity? Why?
(d) How many peaks would the PES for element 4 have and what would the relative
heights of those peaks be to each other?
Relative Number of Electrons

20.2
1.25

273 26.8 2.44

Binding Energy (MJ/mol)

4. The above PES belongs to a neutral chlorine atom.

(a) What wavelength of light would be required to eject a 3s electron from
chlorine?
(b) For the PES of a chloride ion, how would the following variables compare to the
peaks on the PES above? Justify your answers.
(i) Number of peaks
(ii) Height of the peaks

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5. The photoelectron spectrum of an element is given below:

Relative Number
of Electrons

Potential Energy

(a) Identify the element this spectra most likely belongs to and write out its full
electron configuration.
(b) Using your knowledge of atomic structure, explain the following:
(i) The reason for the three discrete areas of ionization energies
(ii) The justification for there being a total of five peaks
(iii) The relative heights of the peaks when compared to each other

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