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Chapter 3 CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS

8. Give the formula for each of these binary nonmetal

compounds.
(a) Sulfur trioxide
(b) Dinitrogen pentaoxide
(c) Phosphorous pentachloride
(d) Silicon tetrachloride
(e) Diboron trioxide (commonly called boric oxide)

Topical Questions
These questions are keyed to the major topics in the chapter.
Usually a question that is answered at the back of this book
is paired with a similar one that is not.

Molecular and Structural Formulas (Section 3.1)

9. Give the formula for each of these nonmetal compounds.
(a) Bromine trifluoride
(b) Xenon difluoride
(c) Diphosphorus tetrafluoride
(d) Pentadecane
(e) Hydrazine
10. Write structural formulas for these alkanes.
(a) Butane
(b) Nonane
(c) Hexane
(d) Octane
(e) Octadecane
11. Write the molecular, condensed, and structural formulas
for the simplest alcohols derived from butane and pentane.
12. Octane is an alkane (Table 3.4). For the sake of this problem, we will assume that gasoline, a complex mixture of
hydrocarbons, is represented by octane. If you fill the tank
of your car with 18 gal gasoline, how many grams and
how many pounds of gasoline have you put into the car?
Information you may need is (a) the density of octane,
0.692 g/cm3, and (b) the volume of 1 gal in milliliters,
3790 mL.
13. Which of these molecules contains more O atoms, and
which contains more atoms of all kinds?
(a) Sucrose, C12H22O11
(b) Glutathione, C10H17N3O6S (the major low-molecularweight sulfur-containing compound in plant or animal
cells)
14. Write the molecular formula of each of these compounds.
(a) Benzene (a liquid hydrocarbon), with six carbon
atoms and six hydrogen atoms per molecule
(b) Vitamin C, with six carbon atoms, eight hydrogen
atoms, and six oxygen atoms per molecule
15. Write the molecular formula for each molecule.
(a) A molecule of the hydrocarbon heptane, which has
seven carbon atoms and 16 hydrogen atoms
(b) A molecule of acrylonitrile (the basis of Orlon and
Acrilan fibers), which has three carbon atoms, three
hydrogen atoms, and one nitrogen atom
(c) A molecule of Fenclorac (an anti-inflammatory drug),
which has 14 carbon atoms, 16 hydrogen atoms,
two chlorine atoms, and two oxygen atoms
16. Give the total number of atoms of each element in one
formula unit of each of these compounds.
(a) CaC2O4
(b) C6H5CHCH2
(c) (NH4)2SO4
(d) Pt(NH3)2Cl2
(e) K4Fe(CN)6

17. Give the total number of atoms of each element in each of

these molecules.
(a) C6H5COOC2H5
(b) HOOCCH2CH2COOH
(c) NH2CH2CH2COOH
(d) C10H9NH2Fe
(e) C6H2CH3(NO2)3

Binary Inorganic Compounds (Section 3.2)

18. Give the correct name for each of these binary nonmetal
compounds.
(a) SO2
(b) CCl4
(c) P4S10
(d) SF4
19. Write the correct formula for each of these nonmetal
compounds.
(a) nitrogen triiodide
(b) carbon disulfide
(c) dinitrogen tetraoxide
(d) selenium hexafluoride
20. Give the correct name for each of these binary nonmetal
compounds.
(a) HBr
(b) ClF3
(c) Cl2O7
(d) BI3
21. Write the correct formula for each of these nonmetal
compounds.
(a) bromine trichloride
(b) xenon trioxide
(c) diphosphorus tetrafluoride
(d) oxygen difluoride

Hydrocarbons (Section 3.3)

22. In a noncyclic alkane other than methane, what is the
maximum number of hydrogen atoms that can be bonded
to one carbon atom?
23. In a noncyclic alkane, what is the maximum number of
carbon atoms that can be bonded to one carbon atom?
24. How many hydrogen atoms are contained in one molecule
of heptane?
25. Write the molecular formula for the molecule that results
from substituting one chlorine atom for a hydrogen atom
in butane.

Constitutional Isomers (Section 3.4)

26. Consider two molecules that are constitutional isomers.
(a) What is the same on the molecular level between
these two molecules?
(b) What is different on the molecular level between
these two molecules?
27. Draw structural formulas for the five constitutional isomers of C6H14.

Predicting Ion Charges (Section 3.5)

28. For each of these metals, write the chemical symbol for
the corresponding ion (with charge).
(a) Lithium
(b) Strontium
(c) Aluminum
(d) Calcium
(e) Zinc
29. For each of these nonmetals, write the chemical symbol
for the corresponding ion (with charge).
(a) Nitrogen
(b) Sulfur
(c) Chlorine
(d) Iodine
(e) Phosphorus

Blue-numbered questions are answered in Appendix M

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Questions for Review and Thought

30. Predict the charges of the ions in an ionic compound composed of barium and bromine.
31. Predict the charges of the ions in calcium chloride, an
ionic compound.
32. Predict the charges for ions of these elements.
(a) Magnesium
(b) Zinc
(c) Iron
(d) Gallium
33. Predict the charges for ions of these elements.
(a) Selenium
(b) Fluorine
(c) Silver
(d) Nitrogen
34. Cobalt is a transition metal and so can form ions with at
least two different charges. Write the formulas for the
compounds formed between cobalt ions and the oxide
ion.
35. Although not a transition element, lead can form two
cations: Pb2! and Pb4!. Write the formulas for the compounds of these ions with the chloride ion.
36. Which of these are the correct formulas of compounds?
For those that are not, give the correct formula.
(a) AlCl
(b) NaF2
(c) Ga2O3
(d) MgS
37. Which of these are the correct formulas of compounds?
For those that are not, give the correct formula.
(a) Ca2O
(b) SrCl2
(c) Fe2O5
(d) K2O
38. A monatomic ion X2! has 23 electrons and 27 neutrons.
Identify element X.
39. A monatomic ion X2! has 22 electrons and 28 neutrons.
Identify element X.

Polyatomic Ions (Section 3.5)

40. For each of these compounds, tell what ions are present
and how many there are per formula unit.
(a) Pb(NO3)2
(b) NiCO3
(c) (NH4)3PO4
(d) K2SO4
41. For each of these compounds, tell what ions are present
and how many there are per formula unit.
(a) Ca(CH3CO2)2
(b) Co2(SO4)3
(c) Al(OH)3
(d) (NH4)2CO3
42. Determine the chemical formulas for barium sulfate, magnesium nitrate, and sodium acetate. Each compound contains a monatomic cation and a polyatomic anion. What
are the names and electrical charges of these ions?
43. Write the chemical formula for calcium nitrate, potassium
chloride, and barium phosphate. What are the names and
charges of all the ions in these three compounds?
44. Write the chemical formulas for these compounds.
(a) Nickel(II) nitrate
(b) Sodium bicarbonate
(c) Lithium hypochlorite (d) Magnesium chlorate
(e) Calcium sulfite
45. Write the chemical formulas for these compounds.
(a) Iron(III) nitrate
(b) Potassium carbonate
(c) Sodium phosphate
(d) Calcium chlorite
(e) Sodium sulfate

Ionic Compounds (Sections 3.5, 3.6, 3.7)

46. Which of these substances are ionic?
(a) CF4
(b) SrBr2
(c) Co(NO3)3
(d) SiO2
(e) KCN
(f ) SCl2

113

47. Write the formula for each substance. Which substances

are ionic?
(a) Methane
(b) Dinitrogen pentaoxide
(c) Ammonium sulfide
(d) Hydrogen selenide
(e) Sodium perchlorate
48. Which of these compounds would you expect to be ionic?
Explain your answers.
(a) SF6
(b) CH4
(c) H2O2
(d) NH3
(e) CaO
49. Which of these compounds would you expect to be ionic?
Explain your answers.
(a) NaH
(b) HCl
(c) NH3
(d) CH4
(e) HI
50. Give the correct formula for each of these ionic compounds.
(a) Ammonium carbonate (b) Calcium iodide
(c) Copper(II) bromide
(d) Aluminum phosphate
51. Give the correct formula for each of these ionic compounds.
(a) Calcium hydrogen carbonate
(b) Potassium permanganate
(c) Magnesium perchlorate
(d) Ammonium monohydrogen phosphate
52. Correctly name each of these ionic compounds.
(a) K2S
(b) NiSO4
(c) (NH4)3PO4
(d) Al(OH)3
(e) Co2(SO4)3
53. Correctly name each of these ionic compounds.
(a) KH2PO4
(b) CuSO4
(c) CrCl3
(d) Ca(CH3COO)2
(e) Fe2(SO4)3
54. Solid magnesium oxide melts at 2800 C. This property,
combined with the fact that magnesium oxide is not an
electrical conductor, makes it an ideal heat insulator for
electric wires in cooking ovens and toasters. In contrast,
solid NaCl melts at the relatively low temperature of
801 C. What is the formula of magnesium oxide? Suggest
a reason that it has a melting temperature so much higher
than that of NaCl.
55. Assume you have an unlabeled bottle containing a white,
crystalline powder. The powder melts at 310 C. You are
told that it could be NH3, NO2, or NaNO3. What do you
think it is and why?

Electrolytes (Section 3.7)

56. What is an electrolyte? How can we differentiate between
a strong electrolyte and a nonelectrolyte? Give an example
of each.
57. Epsom salt, MgSO4 " 7 H2O, is sold for various purposes
over the counter in drug stores. Methanol, CH3OH, is a
small organic molecule that is readily soluble in either
water or gasoline. Which of these two compounds is an
electrolyte and which is a nonelectrolyte?
58. Comment on this statement: Molecular compounds are
generally nonelectrolytes.
59. Comment on this statement: Ionic compounds are generally electrolytes.
60. For each of these electrolytes, what ions will be present in
an aqueous solution?
(a) KOH
(b) K2SO4
(c) NaNO3
(d) NH4Cl
Blue-numbered questions are answered in Appendix M

Copyright 2011 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.

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Questions for Review and Thought

78.

79.

80.
81.
82.

83.

84.

85.

86.

last two compounds react with each other to provide the

fizz, bubbles of CO2, when the tablet is put into water.)
(a) Calculate the number of moles of each substance in
the tablet.
(b) If you take one tablet, how many molecules of aspirin
are you consuming?
How many moles of compound are in
(a) 39.2 g H2SO4?
(b) 8.00 g O2?
(c) 10.7 g NH3?
How many moles of compound are in
(a) 46.1 g NH4Cl?
(b) 22.8 g CH4?
(c) 9.63 g CaCO3?
How many oxygen atoms are present in a 14.0-g sample of
copper(II) nitrate?
How many sulfur atoms are present in a 21.0-g sample of
iron(III) sulfate?
The use of CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) has been curtailed
because there is strong evidence that they cause environmental damage. If a spray can contains 250 g of one of
these compounds, CCl2F2, how many molecules of this
CFC are you releasing to the air when you empty the can?
Sulfur trioxide, SO3, is made in enormous quantities by
combining oxygen and sulfur dioxide, SO2. The trioxide is
not usually isolated but is converted to sulfuric acid.
(a) If you have 1.00 lb (454 g) sulfur trioxide, how many
moles does this represent?
(b) How many molecules?
(c) How many sulfur atoms?
(d) How many oxygen atoms?
CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) are implicated in decreasing
the ozone concentration in the stratosphere. A CFC substitute is CF3CH2F.
(a) If you have 25.5 g of this compound, how many
moles does this represent?
(b) How many atoms of fluorine are contained in 25.5 g
of the compound?
How many water molecules are in one drop of water?
1
(One drop of water is 20
mL, and the density of water is
1.0 g/mL.)
If the water from a well contains 0.10 ppb (parts per billion) chloroform, CHCl3, how many molecules of chloroform are present in one drop of the water? (One drop of
1
water is 20
mL, and the density of water is 1.0 g/mL.)

Percent Composition (Section 3.9)

87. Calculate the molar mass of each of these compounds and
the mass percent of each element.
(a) PbS, lead(II) sulfide, galena
(b) C2H6, ethane, a hydrocarbon fuel
(c) CH3COOH, acetic acid, an important ingredient in
vinegar
(d) NH4NO3, ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer
88. Calculate the molar mass of each of these compounds and
the mass percent of each element.
(a) MgCO3, magnesium carbonate
(b) C6H5OH, phenol, an organic compound used in some
cleaners
(c) C2H3O5N, peroxyacetyl nitrate, an objectionable compound in photochemical smog
(d) C4H10O3NPS, acephate, an insecticide

115

89. A certain metal, M, forms two oxides, M2O and MO. If the
percent by mass of M in M2O is 73.4%, what is its percent
by mass in MO?
90. Three oxygen-containing compounds of iron are FeCO3,
Fe2O3, and Fe3O4. What are the percentages of iron in
each of these iron compounds?
91. The copper-containing compound Cu(NH3)4SO4 !H2O is a
beautiful blue solid. Calculate the molar mass of the compound and the mass percent of each element.
92. Sucrose, table sugar, is C12H22O11. When sucrose is heated,
water is driven off. How many grams of pure carbon can
be obtained from exactly one pound of sugar?
93. Carbonic anhydrase, an important enzyme in mammalian
respiration, is a large zinc-containing protein with a molar
mass of 3.00 " 104 g/mol. The zinc is 0.218% by mass of
the protein. How many zinc atoms does each carbonic anhydrase molecule contain?
94. Nitrogen fixation in the root nodules of peas and other
legumes occurs with a reaction involving a molybdenumcontaining enzyme named nitrogenase. This enzyme contains two Mo atoms per molecule and is 0.0872% Mo by
mass. What is the molar mass of the enzyme?
95. If you heat Al with an element from Group 6A, an ionic
compound is formed that contains 18.55% Al by mass.
(a) What is the likely charge on the nonmetal in the compound formed?
(b) Using X to represent the nonmetal, what is the empirical formula for this ionic compound?
(c) Which element in Group 6A has been combined
with Al?
96. Disilane, Si2Hx, contains 90.28% silicon by mass. What is
the value of x in this compound?
97. Chalky, white crystals in mineral collections are often labeled borax, which has the molecular formula Na2B4O7 !
10 H2O, when actually they are partially dehydrated samples with the molecular formula Na2B4O7 !5 H2O, which is
more stable under the storage conditions. Real crystals of
borax are colorless, transparent crystals.
(a) What percent of the mass has the mineral lost when it
partially dehydrates?
(b) Will the percent boron by mass be the same in the
two compounds?

Empirical and Molecular Formulas (Section 3.10)

98. What is the difference between an empirical formula and
a molecular formula? Use the compound ethane, C2H6, to
illustrate your answer.
99. The molecular formula of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is
C6H8O6. What is its empirical formula?
100. The empirical formula of maleic acid is CHO. Its molar
mass is 116.1 g/mol. What is its molecular formula?
101. A well-known reagent in analytical chemistry, dimethylglyoxime, has the empirical formula C2H4NO. If its molar
mass is 116.1 g/mol, what is the molecular formula of the
compound?
102. A compound with a molar mass of 100.0 g/mol has an elemental composition of 24.0% C, 3.0% H, 16.0% O, and
57.0% F. What is the molecular formula of the compound?
103. Acetylene is a colorless gas that is used as a fuel in welding torches, among other things. It is 92.26% C and

Blue-numbered questions are answered in Appendix M

Copyright 2011 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.

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104.
105.
106.

107.

108.

109.

110.

111.

112.

113.

114.

115.

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Chapter 3 CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS

7.74% H. Its molar mass is 26.02 g/mol. Calculate the empirical and molecular formulas.
A compound contains 38.67% K, 13.85% N, and 47.47% O
by mass. What is the empirical formula of the compound?
A compound contains 36.76% Fe, 21.11% S, and 42.13% O
by mass. What is the empirical formula of the compound?
There is a large family of boron-hydrogen compounds
called boron hydrides. All have the formula BxHy and almost all react with air and burn or explode. One member
of this family contains 88.5% B; the remainder is hydrogen.
Which of these is its empirical formula: BH2, BH3, B2H5,
B5H7, B5H11?
Nitrogen and oxygen form an extensive series of at least
seven oxides of general formula NxOy. One of them is a
blue solid that comes apart, or dissociates, reversibly, in
the gas phase. It contains 36.84% N. What is the empirical
formula of this oxide?
Cumene, a hydrocarbon, is 89.94% carbon, and its molar
mass is 120.2 g/mol. What are the empirical and molecular formulas of cumene?
Acetic acid is the important ingredient in vinegar. It is
composed of carbon (40.0%), hydrogen (6.71%), and oxygen (53.29%). Its molar mass is 60.0 g/mol. Determine the
empirical and molecular formulas of the acid.
An analysis of nicotine, a poisonous compound found in
tobacco leaves, shows that it is 74.0% C, 8.65% H, and
17.35% N. Its molar mass is 162 g/mol. What are the empirical and molecular formulas of nicotine?
Cacodyl, a compound containing arsenic, was reported in
1842 by the German chemist Bunsen. It has an almost intolerable garlic-like odor. Its molar mass is 210. g/mol, and
it is 22.88% C, 5.76% H, and 71.36% As. Determine its empirical and molecular formulas.
The action of bacteria on meat and fish produces a poisonous and stinky compound called cadaverine. It is
58.77% C, 13.81% H, and 27.42% N. Its molar mass is
102.2 g/mol. Determine the molecular formula of
cadaverine.
DDT is an insecticide with this percent composition:
47.5% C, 2.54% H, and the remainder chlorine. What is
the empirical formula of DDT?
If blue vitriol, CuSO4 !x H2O, is heated, all of the water of
hydration is lost. When a 5.172-g sample of the hydrate is
heated, 3.306 g CuSO4 remains. How many molecules of
water are there per formula unit of blue vitriol?
The alum used in cooking is potassium aluminum sulfate
hydrate, KAl(SO4)2 ! x H2O. To find the value of x, you can
heat a sample of the compound to drive off all the water
and leave only KAl(SO4)2. Assume that you heat 4.74 g of
the hydrated compound and that it loses 2.16 g water.
What is the value of x?

Biological Periodic Table (Section 3.11)

116. Make a list of the top ten most abundant essential elements needed by the human body.
117. Which types of compounds contain the majority of the
oxygen found in the human body?
118. (a) In what form are metals found in the body, as atoms
or as ions?
(b) What are two uses for metals in the human body?

119. Distinguish between macrominerals and microminerals.

120. Which minerals are essential at smaller concentrations but
toxic at higher concentrations?

General Questions
These questions are not explicitly keyed to chapter topics;
many require integration of several concepts.
121. (a) Draw a diagram showing the crystal lattice of sodium
chloride, NaCl. Show clearly why such a crystal can
be cleaved easily by tapping on a knife blade properly
aligned along the crystal.
(b) Describe in words why the cleavage occurs as it does.
122. Give the molecular formula for each of these molecules.
(a)

CH3

O2N

C
C

C
C

(b)
NO2

H NH2
HO9C9C9H
H C"O

OH

NO2
trinitrotoluene, TNT

serine, an essential amino acid

123. (a) Calculate the mass of one molecule of nitrogen.

(b) Calculate the mass of one molecule of oxygen.
(c) What is the ratio of masses of these two molecules?
How does it compare to the ratio of the atomic
weights of N and O?
124. (a) Which of these pairs of elements are likely to form
ionic compounds?
(b) Write appropriate formulas for the compounds you
expect to form, and name each.
(i) Chlorine and bromine
(ii) Lithium and tellurium
(iii) Sodium and argon
(iv) Magnesium and fluorine
(v) Nitrogen and bromine
(vi) Indium and sulfur
(vii) Selenium and bromine
125. (a) Name each of these compounds.
(b) Tell which ones are best described as ionic.
(i) ClBr3
(ii) NCl3
(iii) CaSO4
(iv) C7H16
(v) XeF4
(vi) OF2
(vii) NaI
(viii) Al2S3
(ix) PCl5
(x) K3PO4
126. (a) Write the formula for each of these compounds.
(b) Tell which ones are best described as ionic.
(i) Sodium hypochlorite
(ii) Aluminum perchlorate
(iii) Potassium permanganate
(iv) Potassium dihydrogen phosphate
(v) Chlorine trifluoride
(vi) Boron tribromide
(vii) Calcium acetate
(viii) Sodium sulfite
(ix) Disulfur tetrachloride
(x) Phosphorus trifluoride

Blue-numbered questions are answered in Appendix M

Copyright 2011 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.