1. Which of the following forms of radiation is negatively charged?

A) α particle
B) β particle
C) γ ray
D) X ray

2. Which of the following particles is uncharged?

A) α particle
B) proton
C) neutron
D) electron

3. Which of the following scientists experimentally determined the charge of an electron?

A) J. J. Thomson
B) R. A. Millikan
C) Ernest Rutherford
D) James Chadwick

4. What was the experimental basis for determining that the nucleus occupies a very small
fraction of the volume of an atom?
A) Neutral particles are emitted when a sheet of beryllium is bombarded with α
particles.
B) Photographic plates exposed to uranium will darken.
C) A cathode ray is attracted to a positively-charged plate.
D) A majority of α particles will pass through a thin metal sheet undeflected, while a
small percentage scatter wildly.

5. The diameter of a neutral helium atom is about 1 × 102 pm. Suppose that we could line
up helium atoms side by side in contact with one another. Approximately how many
atoms would it take to make the distance from end to end 1 cm?
A) 1 × 108 He atoms
B) 2 × 105 He atoms
C) 1 × 109 He atoms
D) 5 × 106 He atoms

Page 1
 6. Roughly speaking, the radius of an atom is about 10,000 times greater than that of its
nucleus. If an atom were magnified so that the radius of its nucleus became 2.0 cm,
about the size of a marble, what would be the radius of the atom in miles? (1 mi = 1609
m.)
A) 0.24 mi
B) 12 mi
C) 3.3 mi
D) 0.12 mi

7. Why does knowledge of atomic number enable us to deduce the number of electrons
present in an atom?
A) The number of electrons present in an atom is equal to twice the atomic number.
B) The number of electrons present in an atom is equal to the atomic weight minus the
atomic number.
C) The number of electrons present in a neutral atom is equal to the atomic number.
D) The number of electrons present in an atom is equal to the number of neutrons
present.

8. Why do all atoms of an element have the same atomic number, although they may have
different mass numbers?
A) All atoms of an element have the same number of neutrons, but may have different
numbers of protons.
B) All atoms of an element have the same number of protons, but may have different
numbers of neutrons.
C) The sum of neutrons and protons is the same for every atom of an element.
D) The sum of neutrons and electrons is the same for every atom of an element.

9. What do we call atoms of the same elements with different mass numbers?
A) α particles
B) isomers
C) isotopes
D) nuclei

10. What is the mass number of an iron atom that has 28 neutrons?
A) 54
B) 28
C) 56
D) 26

Page 2
11. Calculate the number of neutrons of 239Pu.
A) 94
B) 145
C) 120
D) 239

12. 25
Mg ?
What is the number of protons and the number of neutrons in the nucleus of 12

A) 25 protons, 12 neutrons
B) 13 protons, 12 neutrons
C) 12 protons, 25 neutrons
D) 12 protons, 13 neutrons

13. 63
Cu ?
What is the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in 29

A) 29 protons, 34 neutrons, 34 electrons

B) 29 protons, 34 neutrons, 29 electrons
C) 34 protons, 29 neutrons, 34 electrons
D) 29 protons, 63 neutrons, 29 electrons

14. What is the appropriate symbol for the isotope Z = 11, A = 23?
A) 34
23 V

B) 23
12 Mg
C) 23
11 Na
D) 23
11 V

15. What is the appropriate symbol for the isotope Z = 28, A = 64?
A) 64
28
Ni
B) 64
28 Kr
C) 64
28 Gd
D) 64
28 Ni

16. What is the appropriate symbol for the isotope Z = 74, A = 186?
A) 186
74 W

B) 186
74 Sg
C) 186
W
112

D) the element does not exist

Page 3
17. What is the appropriate symbol for the isotope Z = 80, A = 201?
A) 121
201
Hg
B) 201
80 Hg
C) 80
Sc
21

D) the element does not exist

18. Which of the following is a difference between metals and nonmetals?

A) Metals contain electrons, nonmetals do not.
B) Metals are good conductors of electricity; nonmetals are not.
C) Nonmetals are all gases while metals are all solids.
D) none of the above

19. Sodium (Na) and cesium (Cs) are members of which of the following categories?
A) alkali metals
B) alkaline earth metals
C) halogens
D) noble gases

20. Helium (He) and radon (Rn) are members of which of the following categories?
A) alkali metals
B) alkaline earth metals
C) halogens
D) noble gases

21. Elements whose names end with ium are usually metals; sodium is one example.
Identify a nonmetal whose name also ends with ium.
A) potassium
B) magnesium
C) helium
D) barium

22. The elements near the bottom of the periodic table are more likely to be members of
what category?
A) metals
B) nonmetals
C) halogens
D) noble gases

Page 4
23. Group the following elements in pairs that you would expect to show similar chemical
properties: K, F, P, Na, Cl, and N.
A) K/N; F/Na; Cl/N
B) K/Na; F/Cl; P/N
C) K/F; P/Na; Cl/N
D) K/P; F/Na; Cl/N

24. What is the difference between an atom and a molecule?

A) A molecule has more electrons than an atom.
B) An atom is charged while a molecule is not.
C) A molecule is an aggregate of atoms, while an atom, by definition, is a single
particle.
D) A molecule is bigger than an atom.

25. How are allotropes different from isotopes?

A) Allotropes are ionic, while isotopes are not.
B) Allotropes are gases, while isotopes are generally solids.
C) Allotropes are single atoms, while isotopes are aggregates of atoms.
D) Allotropes are different molecular combinations of a single element; isotopes are
atoms of the same element with different masses.

26. NH4+ is an example of which of the following?

A) a monatomic cation
B) a monatomic anion
C) a polyatomic cation
D) a polyatomic anion

27. Which of the following is an element?

A) N2
B) NH3
C) NO
D) CO

28. Which of the following is a compound?

A) N2
B) H2
C) O3
D) SO2

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29. Which of the following describes the molecule SO2?
A) A diatomic molecule containing atoms of the same element.
B) A diatomic molecule containing atoms of different elements.
C) A polyatomic molecule containing atoms of the same element.
D) A polyatomic molecule containing atoms of different elements.

30. Which of the following describes the molecule CO?

A) A diatomic molecule containing atoms of the same element.
B) A diatomic molecule containing atoms of different elements.
C) A polyatomic molecule containing atoms of the same element.
D) A polyatomic molecule containing atoms of different elements.

31. What is the number of protons and electrons in Na+?

A) 11 protons, 10 electrons
B) 11 protons, 11 electrons
C) 10 protons, 11 electrons
D) 11 protons, 12 electrons

32. What is the number of protons and electrons in S2–?

A) 16 protons, 16 electrons
B) 16 protons, 17 electrons
C) 16 protons, 14 electrons
D) 16 protons, 18 electrons

33. What is the number of protons and electrons in Mg2+?

A) 12 protons, 12 electrons
B) 12 protons, 14 electrons
C) 12 protons, 10 electrons
D) 14 protons, 12 electrons

34. What is the number of protons and electrons in Br–?

A) 35 protons, 35 electrons
B) 35 protons, 36 electrons
C) 35 protons, 37 electrons
D) 34 protons, 35 electrons

Page 6
35. Which of the following molecules contains two elements in a ratio of 2:1?
A) NO
B) NCl3
C) N2O4
D) P4O6

36. Which compound has the same empirical formula as C6H12O6?

A) C12H24O12
B) C3H3O3
C) CH2ON
D) CHO2

37. Which pair of compounds has the same empirical formula?

A) C2H6O3 and CH2O
B) NO2 and N2O4
C) C6H6and CH4
D) NO2 and NO4

38. What is the empirical formula of C6H6?

A) C6O
B) CH6
C) C3H3
D) CH

39. What is the empirical formula of P4O10?

A) P4O5
B) P2O5
C) PO
D) PO5

40. What is the empirical formula of N2O5?

A) N2O5
B) NO
C) NO5
D) N2O

Page 7
41. What is the empirical formula of Na2S2O4?
A) Na2SO2
B) NaSO
C) Na2S2O2
D) NaSO2

42. What is the molecular formula of glycine, an amino acid present in proteins? The color
codes are: black (carbon), blue (nitrogen), red (oxygen), and gray (hydrogen).

A) C2HN5O2
B) CH5NO2
C) C2H5NO2
D) C2H5O2

43. What is the molecular formula of ethanol? The color codes are: black (carbon), red
(oxygen), and gray (hydrogen).

A) C2H6O
B) CH6O2
C) C6H6O
D) C2H2O

44. Which of the following compounds is likely to be molecular?

A) PbCl2
B) LiF
C) B2H6
D) KCl

Page 8
45. Which of the following compounds is likely to be ionic?
A) CH4
B) NaBr
C) CCl4
D) NF3

46. Which of the following compounds is named potassium hydrogen phosphate?

A) KH2PO4
B) K2HPO4
C) K3PO4
D) K2Cr2O7

47. Which of the following compounds is named lithium carbonate?

A) Na2CO3
B) LiHCO3
C) LiCO
D) Li2CO3

48. What is the name of KMnO4?

A) manganese potash
B) potassium managnese tetroxide
C) potassium permanganate
D) potassium oxide

49. What is the name of KClO?

A) potassium chlorite
B) potassium chloride
C) potassium hypochlorite
D) potassium oxide

50. What is the formula for ammonium sulfate?

A) NH4SO4
B) NH4(SO4)2
C) (NH4)2SO4
D) NH4S

Page 9
51. What is the formula for calcium hydrogen phosphate?
A) Ca2HPO4
B) Ca(HPO4)2
C) Ca2H2PO4
D) CaHPO4

52. What is the formula for lead (II) carbonate?

A) PbCO3
B) Pb2CO3
C) Pb(CO3)2
D) PbC

53. What is the formula for copper (II) cyanide?

A) CuCN
B) Cu(CN)2
C) Cu2CN
D) CuNCO

54. A sample of a uranium compound is found to be losing mass gradually. What is

happening to the sample?
A) the uranium is decaying radioactively
B) the compound is subliming
C) changes in humidity are altering the mass of the sample
D) the compound is reacting with oxygen in the air

55. In which one of the following pairs do the two species resemble each other most closely
in chemical properties?
A) 11 H 1
and 1 H
+

B) 14
7N and 14
7 N
3−

C) 12 13
6 C and 6 C

D) 23
11 Na and 23
11 Na +

56. One isotope of a metallic element has mass number 65 and 35 neutrons in the nucleus.
The cation derived from the isotope has 28 electrons. What is the symbol for this cation?
A) Br–
B) Br2+
C) Tb2+
D) Zn2+

Page 10
 57. One isotope of a nonmetallic element has mass number 127 and 74 neutrons in the
nucleus. The anion derived from the isotope has 54 electrons. What is the symbol for
this anion?
A) I–
B) W–
C) Xe+
D) the element does not exist

Use the following to answer questions 58-61:

ATOM OR
ION OF ELEMENT A B C D E F G
Number of electrons 5 10 18 28 36 5 9
Number of protons 5 7 19 30 35 5 9
Number of neutrons 5 7 20 36 46 6 10

58. Which of the species are neutral?

A) C
B) A and B
C) A, F and G
D) E

59. Which of the species are negatively charged?

A) C and D
B) D, E and G
C) A and D
D) B and E

60. Which of the species are positively charged?

A) C and D
B) B and E
C) A, C and F
D) G

Page 11
61. What are the conventional symbols for species C and F?
A) 39 + 11
20 Ca , 6 C

B) 19
39
K + , 11
5 B

C) 39
20 Ca + , 11
5 B
D) 39
19 K + , 11
6 C

62. What is wrong with or ambiguous about the phrase “four molecules of NaCl”?
A) Four molecules of NaCl would require the formula to be Na4Cl4
B) NaCl molecules do not exist in aggregates of four
C) The formula for NaCl is incorrect
D) NaCl is ionic and does not exist in the form of molecules

63. Which of the following are elements? (a) SO2, (b) S8, (c) Cs, (d) N2O5, (e) O, (f) O2, (g)
O3, (h) CH4, (i) KBr, (j) S, (k) P4, (l) LiF
A) (b), (c), (e) and (j) only
B) (d) and (l)
C) (f), (g) and (k) only
D) (b), (c), (e), (f), (g), (j), and (k)

64. Which of the following are compounds but not molecules? (a) SO2, (b) S8, (c) Cs, (d)
N2O5, (e) O, (f) O2, (g) O3, (h) CH4, (i) KBr, (j) S, (k) P4, (l) LiF
A) (f) and (h)
B) (a) and (d)
C) (i) and (l)
D) (d)

65. Why is magnesium chloride (MgCl2) not called magnesium(II) chloride?

A) The magnesium in MgCl2 does not have a charge of 2+.
B) Magnesium (II) is the only common ion of magnesium.
C) Magnesium chloride is not ionic.
D) Only iron and copper use the Roman numeral convention.

66. Some compounds are better known by their common names than by their systematic
chemical names. What is the chemical formula of baking soda?
A) NaHCO3
B) Na2CO3
C) Ca(HCO3)2
D) CaCO3

Page 12
67. What is the chemical formula of slaked lime?
A) NaOH
B) Na(OH)2
C) CaOH
D) Ca(OH)2

68. Which elements are most likely to form ionic compounds?

A) halogens and noble gases
B) transition metals and metalloids
C) metals and halogens
D) metals and noble gases

69. Which metallic elements are most likely to form cations with different charges?
A) alkali metals
B) transition metals
C) alkaline earth metals
D) metalloids

70. Which of the following elements has a common ion with a 2+ charge?
A) Li
B) Mg
C) S
D) I

71. Which of the following elements has a common ion with a 2– charge?
A) Li
B) Mg
C) S
D) I

72. Which of the following symbols provides the most information about the atom?
A) 23Na
B) 11Na
C) Na
D) all symbols provide the same information

Page 13
73. Which of the following acids contains a Group 7A element?
A) HNO2
B) H2SO4
C) HBr
D) H3PO4

74. Which of the following acids contains a Group 5A element?

A) HClO4
B) H2SO4
C) HBr
D) H3PO4

75. Of the 113 elements known, which two are liquids at room temperature (25 °C)? What
are they?
A) Hg and Br
B) H and B
C) Xe and N
D) P and S

76. Which of the following elements exist as gases at room temperature?

A) P and S
B) H and N
C) Br and C
D) I and B

77. The elements in Group 8A of the periodic table are called noble gases. Can you suggest
what “noble” means in this context?
A) the noble gases were so named to honor Alfred Nobel
B) the noble gases were discovered by a member of a royal family
C) the noble gases were once used to make perfume for the wealthy of Europe
D) the noble gases do not associate with other atoms

78. The formula for calcium oxide is CaO. What are the formulas for magnesium oxide and
strontium oxide?
A) Mg2O, Sr2O
B) MgO2, SrO2
C) MgO, SrO
D) MgO, Sr3O

Page 14
79. A common mineral of barium is barytes, or barium sulfate (BaSO4). Because elements
in the same periodic group have similar chemical properties, we might expect to find
some radium sulfate (RaSO4) mixed with barytes since radium is the last member of
Group 2A. However, the only source of radium compounds in nature is in uranium
minerals. Why?
A) radium and barium repel each other
B) all radium is formed by radioactive decay of uranium
C) radium only forms compounds with uranium
D) radium is too heavy to form sulfates

80. Which of the following elements is named after a place? (Hint: See Appendix 1.)
A) sodium
B) europium
C) nobelium
D) zirconium

81. Which of the following elements is named after a person? (Hint: See Appendix 1.)
A) sodium
B) europium
C) nobelium
D) zirconium

82. Name the only country that is named after an element. (Hint: This country is in South
America.)
A) Bolivia
B) Peru
C) Uruguay
D) Argentina

83. Fluorine reacts with hydrogen (H) and deuterium (D) to form hydrogen fluoride (HF)
2
and deuterium fluoride (DF), where deuterium 1 H is an isotope of hydrogen. If a given
amount of fluorine reacts with one gram of hydrogen, with how much deuterium would
the same amount of fluorine react?
A) two grams
B) one gram
C) one half gram
D) deuterium does not react with fluorine

Page 15
84. Predict the formula of a binary compound formed from F and O.
A) F2O
B) FO
C) FO2
D) FO4

85. Predict the formula of a binary compound formed from Sr and Cl.
A) Sr2Cl
B) Sr2Cl2
C) SrCl
D) SrCl2

86. Which of the following is a halogen whose anion contains 36 electrons?

A) Se
B) Br
C) Kr
D) Rb

87. Which of the following is an alkali metal whose cation contains 36 electrons?
A) Se
B) Br
C) Kr
D) Rb

Page 16
Answer Key

1. B
2. C
3. B
4. D
5. A
6. D
7. C
8. B
9. C
10. A
11. B
12. D
13. B
14. C
15. D
16. A
17. B
18. B
19. A
20. D
21. C
22. A
23. B
24. C
25. D
26. C
27. A
28. D
29. D
30. B
31. A
32. D
33. C
34. B
35. C
36. A
37. B
38. D
39. B
40. A
41. D
42. C
43. A
44. C

Page 17
45. B
46. B
47. D
48. C
49. C
50. C
51. D
52. A
53. B
54. A
55. C
56. D
57. A
58. C
59. D
60. A
61. B
62. D
63. D
64. C
65. B
66. A
67. D
68. C
69. B
70. B
71. C
72. A
73. C
74. D
75. A
76. B
77. D
78. C
79. B
80. B
81. C
82. D
83. A
84. A
85. D
86. B
87. D

Page 18