Preparation of Salts (Cambridge O Level Chemistry)

Topic Questions

11 mark

When solid sodium chloride is mixed with water, sodium chloride solution forms.

What name is given to the process of mixing a solid with water to form a solution?

A Crystallising
B Diluting
C Dissolving
D Melting

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21 mark

Different salts can be prepared by titrating an alkali with an aqueous acid.

Three pieces of apparatus, P, Q and R, used to measure volumes of liquid are shown below.

fig-1-q1b-1cho-1f-paper-1-nov-2021

What are the names of the three pieces of apparatus, P, Q and R?

  P Q R
 A pipette burette measuring cylinder
 B burette pipette conical flask
 C pipette volumetric flask burette
 D burette pipette measuring cylinder

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31 mark

The chemical equation for the preparation of lead(II) sulfate is written below. 

Pb(NO3)2  (___) + Na2SO4 (___) → PbSO4 (___) + 2NaNO3 (___)

What are the state symbols for each substance in this reaction? 

A aq, aq, s, aq
B aq, aq, s, s
C s, aq, aq, s
D s, aq, s, aq

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41 mark

A student making copper sulfate crystals used the method shown. 

q6

Unreacted copper carbonate was left over as it had been added in excess.

What is the reason for adding it in excess and what would step 3 be of this method?

  reason for adding in excess step 3
 A to produce a greater amount of salt crystals filtration
 B to improve the colour intensity of the crystals crystallisation
 C to ensure all the acid reacts filtration
 D to increase the rate of reaction evaporation

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51 mark

When an aqueous salt is crystallised, some water can be retained within the structure of the salt.

What is the name given to the type of salt that forms?

A anhydrous salt
B dehydrated salt
C hydrated salt
D soluble salt

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11 mark

A student is provided with solutions of dilute hydrochloric acid, dilute sulfuric acid, solid magnesium oxide, zinc carbonate and copper.

How many different salts could the student make?

  • 2

  • 3

  • 4

  • 6

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21 mark

A substance reacts with dilute H2SO4 to form a salt which is separated by filtration.

What is the substance?

  • Aqueous sodium hydroxide

  • Aqueous barium chloride

  • Copper

  • Copper(II) carbonate

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31 mark

Which statement is correct?

  • Anhydrous copper sulfate will decrease in mass on gentle warming

  • Water of crystallisation is the number of water molecules present in hydrated crystals

  • All soluble salts contain water of crystallisation 

  • Hydrated copper(II) sulfate has the formula CuSO4.2H2O

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41 mark

Which method(s) of salt preparation could be used to prepare a sample of magnesium chloride?

1   Titration

2   Reaction of an acid with excess metal

3  Reaction of an acid with excess insoluble base

  • 1 and 2 only

  • 1 and 3 only

  • 2 and 3 only

  • 1 only

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51 mark

Silver chloride can be prepared by the reaction of silver nitrate solution with potassium chloride solution.

Which statement about the preparation is correct?

  • To get the maximum yield of product you need to have excess silver nitrate

  • To get the maximum yield of product you need to have excess potassium chloride

  • Equal volumes of the two solutions should be used

  • Equal concentrations of the two solutions should be used

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11 mark

A student wanted to prepare copper(II) sulfate crystals by reacting solid copper(II) oxide to a solution of hot sulfuric acid.

An extract from the method section of the experimental handout is shown below:

Add the copper(II) oxide in small amounts to the hot acid in the reaction flask and stir until it is …..1…... When the reaction has gone to completion the copper(II) oxide will no longer …..2……, …..3….. and …..4….. the solution to obtain the copper(II) sulfate crystals.

  1 2 3 4
A in excess precipitate cool dissolve
B in excess dissolve filter cool
C reacting dissolve cool filter
D reacting precipitate filter cool

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21 mark

Which of the following methods to prepare a salt can be achieved using a burette and a pipette?

  • Nitric acid and calcium carbonate to prepare calcium nitrate.

  • Sulfuric acid and copper(II) oxide to prepare copper(II) sulfate.

  • Hydrochloric acid and zinc to prepare zinc chloride.

  • Hydrochloric acid and potassium hydroxide to prepare potassium chloride.

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31 mark

Copper(II) sulfate can be prepared by reacting solid copper(II) carbonate with hot sulfuric acid. The alkali solid is always added in excess.

Why is the solid reactant added in excess?

  • To ensure all of the acid reacts.

  • To make the reaction go faster.

  • To ensure all of the solid reactant has reacted.

  • To increase the product yield.

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41 mark

What is the correct sequence of steps for the preparation of a pure sample of lead(II) iodide from solid potassium iodide and lead(II) nitrate ?

  •  Mixing → Dissolving → Filtration → Rinsing with distilled water → Drying

  • Rinsing with distilled water → Dissolving → Mixing → Filtration → Drying

  • Dissolving → Mixing → Filtration → Rinsing with distilled water → Drying

  • Dissolving → Filtration →  Mixing → Rinsing with distilled water → Drying

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51 mark

Samples of two solids, P & Q, are separately dissolved in water and made into solutions.

Which combination of P & Q solutions, would give an insoluble product on mixing?

  P Q
A potassium chloride sodium hydroxide
B ammonium chloride potassium sulfate
C sodium nitrate magnesium sulfate
D barium chloride sodium sulfate

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61 mark

Two incomplete statements about the preparation of an insoluble salt are given.

......1...... can be used to prepare insoluble salts, such as ......2...... .

The salt is collected by ...... 3...... and it is then ......4...... .

Which words correctly complete gaps 1–4?

 

1

2

3

4

A

precipitation

barium nitrate

filtration

evaporated

B

precipitation

lead sulfate

evaporation

washed and dried

C

precipitation

lead sulfate

filtration

washed and dried

D

titration

barium nitrate

evaporation

washed and dried

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71 mark

Which pair of reagents is suitable for preparing a pure sample of copper(II) chloride crystals?

  • aqueous copper(II) nitrate and aqueous sodium chloride

  • copper and aqueous sodium chloride

  • copper and dilute hydrochloric acid

  • copper(II) oxide and dilute hydrochloric acid

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