ATOMIC STRUTURE QUESTIONS
1. Which of the following correctly describes the properties of a proton?
A. Positive charge, mass of ~1 amu, located in the nucleus.
B. No charge, mass of ~1 amu, located in the nucleus.
C. Negative charge, negligible mass, located outside the nucleus.
D. Positive charge, negligible mass, located outside the nucleus.
Hint: Think about the three fundamental particles that make up an atom and their
respective role
2. The atomic number (Z) of an element is determined by the number of
which particle in the atom's nucleus?
A. Protons
B. Neutrons
C. Electrons
D. Protons and neutrons
3. Isotopes of a particular element are atoms that have the same number of
protons but a different number of what?
A. Protons
B. Neutrons
C. Valence shells
D. Electrons
4. If a neutral atom of fluorine (F) has 9 protons and 10 neutrons, what
happens when it gains one electron?
A. It becomes a positive ion (cation).
B. It becomes a negative ion (anion).
C. It becomes a different isotope of fluorine.
D. It becomes a neutral atom of neon.
5. Which component of an atom has the smallest mass?
A. Nucleus
B. Neutron
C. Electron
D. Proton
6. The discovery of the electron is credited to J.J. Thomson. What did his
experiments with cathode ray tubes demonstrate about these particles?
A. They were neutral particles with a mass similar to protons.
B. They were positively charged particles that made up most of the
atom's mass.
C. They had a negative charge and a much smaller mass than atoms.
D. They were a form of electromagnetic radiation, like X-rays.
7. What was the most surprising result of Rutherford's gold foil experiment
that led to the rejection of the 'plum pudding' model?
A. A small fraction of alpha particles were deflected at large angles.
B. All of the alpha particles passed straight through the foil.
C. The gold foil became positively charged after the experiment.
D. The alpha particles were absorbed by the gold foil.
8. James Chadwick's discovery of the neutron was crucial for understanding
the atom. Why was the neutron so difficult to detect compared to the
proton and electron?
A. It moves at the speed of light.
B. It is much less massive than the electron.
C. It only exists inside the nucleus and decays instantly outside of it.
D. It has no electrical charge
9. Which atomic model was the first to propose that atoms are not
indivisible and contain smaller negatively charged particles?
A. Thomson's Plum Pudding Model
B. Rutherford's Nuclear Model
C. Dalton's Solid Sphere Model
D. Bohr's Planetary Model
10. A central concept of John Dalton's original atomic theory was that all
atoms of a given element are identical. Which discovery later proved this
particular point to be incorrect?
A. The discovery of the electron
B. The discovery of chemical reactions
C. The discovery of the nucleus
D. The discovery of isotopes
11. Rutherford's model of the atom, despite its success in discovering the
nucleus, had a major theoretical flaw. What was it?
A. It suggested that the nucleus was small and dense.
B. It could not explain why the negatively charged electrons didn't spiral
into the positively charged nucleus.
C. It failed to explain the existence of isotopes.
D. It did not account for the existence of neutrons.
12. How did Niels Bohr's model of the atom improve upon Rutherford's
model?
A. It was the first model to include a dense, positive nucleus.
B. It included the presence of neutrons within the nucleus.
C. It proposed that electrons exist in specific energy levels or orbits.
D. It described electrons as being scattered randomly throughout the
atom.
13. What is the fundamental difference in how the Bohr model and the
modern Quantum Mechanical Model describe the location of an electron?
A. The Quantum model describes the probability of finding an electron in a
region of space (orbital), not a fixed path.
B. The Quantum model describes electrons as having a positive charge,
while the Bohr model describes them as negative.
C. The Bohr model accounts for neutrons, while the Quantum model
does not.
D. The Bohr model places electrons in the nucleus, while the Quantum
model places them outside.
14. Which of the following is a key principle of the modern Quantum
Mechanical Model of the atom?
A. The atom is a solid, indivisible sphere.
B. Electrons travel in fixed, circular orbits around the nucleus.
C. Electron locations are described by probability distributions called
orbitals.
D. Positive and negative charges are uniformly distributed in a 'pudding'.
15. Arrange the following atomic models in chronological order, from earliest
to latest:
A. Rutherford's Model, Bohr's Model, Thomson's Model, Dalton's Model
B. Bohr's Model, Rutherford's Model, Dalton's Model, Thomson's Model
C. Thomson's Model, Dalton's Model, Bohr's Model, Rutherford's Model
D. Dalton's Model, Thomson's Model, Rutherford's Model, Bohr's Model
CHEMICAL BONDING
Question 1: Comparing Major Bond Types
Explain the fundamental differences between ionic and covalent bonding.
In your explanation, be sure to cover the following points:
• How are the valence electrons involved in the formation of each bond
type?
• What types of elements (metals, nonmetals) are typically involved in
forming each type of bond?
• Compare the general physical properties (such as melting point, boiling
point, and electrical conductivity in the solid and molten states) of a
typical ionic compound versus a typical covalent compound. Provide a
common example for each.
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• Question 2: From Bonds to Molecular Properties
• Consider the water molecule (H₂O) and the carbon dioxide molecule
(CO₂). For each molecule, answer the following:
• Draw the Lewis structure.
• Using VSEPR (Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion) theory, predict
the molecular geometry (shape) of the molecule.
• Determine if the individual bonds are polar or nonpolar by considering
electronegativity differences.
• Based on the molecule's overall shape and bond polarity, is the molecule
as a whole polar or nonpolar? Explain your reasoning.
• What is the strongest type of intermolecular force that would be present
in a pure sample of each substance? How does this relate to their boiling
points?
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