IGCSE Edexcel Chemistry 2 hours 15 questions

Exam Questions

Alkanes
Alkanes / Halogens & Alkanes

Easy (5 questions) /17 Scan here to return to the course

Hard (5 questions) /49

Total Marks /104

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Easy Questions
1 Which of these formulae is that of an alkane?

A. C6H11
B. C8H16
C. C10H22
D. C12H28
(1 mark)

2 The table shows the displayed formulae of some organic compounds.

Which two are not classed as alkanes?

A. R and S
B. S and T
C. P and Q
D. R and T
(1 mark)

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3 What is the correct chemical formula of butane?

A. C3H6
B. C3H8
C. C4H8
D. C4H10
(1 mark)

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4 (a) The structure of a molecule of propane is shown as

Give the names of the elements combined together in propane.

(2 marks)

(b) Propane can burn completely in oxygen to form carbon dioxide and water.

i) Write the word equation for this reaction.

(2)

ii) Propane is a fuel. Give the reason why fuels are burned.

(1)

(3 marks)

(c) Which product is formed when there is incomplete combustion of propane?

A. sulfur dioxide
B. oxygen
C. hydrogen
D. carbon monoxide
(1 mark)

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(d) Which of the following is the formula of an alkane?

A. C6H5OH
B. CH3CH2CH2CH3
C. H2C=CHCH2CH3
D. C6H12
(1 mark)

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5 (a) This question is about alkanes. Draw one line from the name of the alkane to the correct
displayed formula.

(2 marks)

(b) What is the general formula of alkanes?

Tick (✓) one box.

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 CnH2n

CnH2n+1

CnH2n+2

(1 mark)

(c) What type of bond is formed between the carbon and hydrogen atoms in an alkane?

(1 mark)

(d) Ethane can react with chlorine in a substitution reaction where one of the hydrogen
atoms in ethane is replaced by a chlorine atom.

i) Complete the equation for the reaction

ethane + ......................... → ........................................... + hydrogen chloride

(2)

ii) What condition is necessary for this reaction to occur?

(1)

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☐ A a catalyst

☐ B 30 °C and no oxygen

☐ C ultraviolet radiaton

☐ D none - it will occur at room temperature and pressure

(3 marks)

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Medium Questions
1 (a) The table shows the molecular formulae of six organic compounds, A, B, C, D, E and F.

A B C D E F

C2H4 C2H6 C3H6 C3H8 C4H8 C4H10

i) Explain which homologous series compound B belongs to.

(2)

ii) Give the letter of the compound that has the same empirical formula as its molecular
formula.

(1)

iii) Compound F exists as two isomers.

Explain what is meant by the term isomers.

Include the structures of the two isomers of compound F in your answer.

(3)

(6 marks)

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(b) Describe how compound D can be obtained from crude oil using the industrial process
of fractional distillation.

(4 marks)

(c) Compound C can be used to make a polymer.

i) State the type of polymer formed from compound C.

(1)

ii) Name the polymer formed from compound C.

(1)

iii) Draw the structure of this polymer.

Include the displayed formula of the repeat unit.

(2)

(4 marks)

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2 (a) This question is about alkanes and alkenes.

i) Complete the boxes by giving the missing information about the alkane with the
molecular formula C2H6

molecular formula C2H6

name

empirical formula

displayed formula

(3)

ii) Complete the chemical equation for the complete combustion of the alkane C2H6

(1)

...........C2H6 + ...........O2 → ...........CO2 + ...........H2O

iii) Incomplete combustion occurs when the air supply is limited.

Give the names of two products of incomplete combustion.

(2)

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 (6 marks)

(b) An alkene with molecular formula C4H8 reacts with bromine to form a compound with
molecular formula C4H8Br2

i) What is the name of this type of reaction?

(1)

☐ A addition

☐ B decomposition

☐ C precipitation

☐ D substitution

ii) Draw displayed formulae for two different alkenes with the molecular formula C4H8

(2)

alkene 1 alkene 2

iii) State the term used for compounds with the same molecular formula but different
structural formulae.

(1)

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 (4 marks)

(c) The alkene C3H6 can be polymerised to form the polymer poly(propene).

i) Complete the equation for this polymerisation reaction.

(2)

ii) Two ways of disposing of polymers such as poly(propene) are:

burying them in landfill sites

burning them to release heat energy

Discuss the environmental problems caused by these two methods of disposal.

(3)

(5 marks)

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3 Ethane and bromine can react in the following reaction:

What name is given to this type of reaction?

A. Substitution
B. Addition
C. Dehydration
D. Thermal decomposition
(1 mark)

4 Methane and bromine react to form bromomethane and hydrogen bromide.

What does this reaction occur in the presence of?

A. Infrared radiation
B. Visible light
C. Untraviolet radiation
D. Ozone
(1 mark)

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5 (a) Alkanes are hydrocarbons. The structure of a molecule of butane is shown.

Which of the following is the empirical formula for butane?

A. CH
B. CH2
C. C2H5
D. C4H10
(1 mark)

(b) The graph below shows the boiling points of some alkanes plotted against the number of

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carbon atoms in one molecule of each alkane.

A molecule of pentane contains five carbon atoms. Use the graph to estimate the boiling
point of pentane.

boiling point of pentane = .............................................................. °C

(1 mark)

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(c) When pentane reacts with bromine in the presence of ultraviolet radiation,
bromopentane is produced.

i) State the name of the other product formed in this reaction.

(1)

ii) Give the molecular formula of bromopentane.

(1)

(2 marks)

(d) Draw the displayed formula of the three isomers of bromopentane.

isomer 1 isomer 2 isomer 3

(3 marks)

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Hard Questions
1 (a) There are three isomers with the molecular formula C5H12

One of these isomers is pentane.

The displayed formula for pentane is

i) State what is meant by the term isomers.

(2)

ii) Draw the displayed formula for another isomer of C5H12

(2)

(4 marks)

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(b) Pentane reacts with bromine in the presence of ultraviolet radiation.

i) Complete the equation for this reaction.

(2)

C5H12 + Br2 → .................... + ....................

ii) Give the name of this type of reaction.

(1)

(3 marks)

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2 (a) The alkanes are generally unreactive. Their reactions include combustion and
substitution.

The complete combustion of an alkane gives carbon dioxide and water.

i) 10 cm3 of butane is mixed with 100 cm3 of oxygen, which is an excess. The mixture is
ignited. What is the volume of unreacted oxygen left and what is the volume of carbon
dioxide formed?

C4H10 (g) + 6.5O2 (g) → 4CO2 (g) + 5H2O (l)

Volume of oxygen left = .................................................. cm3

Volume of carbon dioxide formed = .................................................. cm3

(2)

ii) Why is the incomplete combustion of any alkane dangerous, particularly in an

(2)

(4 marks)

(b) Many organic compounds which contain a halogen have chloro, bromo or iodo in their
name.

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The following diagram shows the structure of 1-chloropropane.

i) Draw the structure of an isomer of this compound.

(1)

ii) Describe how 1-chloropropane could be made from propane.

(2)

iii) Suggest an explanation why the method you have described in (ii) does not produce a
pure sample of 1-chloropropane.

(2)

(5 marks)

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(c) Organic halides react with water to form an alcohol and a halide ion.

CH3–CH2–I + H2O → CH3–CH2–OH + I–

i) Describe how you could show that the reaction mixture contained an iodide ion.

(2)

ii) Name the alcohol formed when 1-chloropropane reacts with water.

(1)

(3 marks)

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3 (a) An alkane containing six carbon atoms can exist as a number of different structures. Two
of these structures are shown below.

Compare the structures of hexane and cyclohexane.

(4 marks)

(b) A sample of one of these structures was found to contain 83.72% carbon.

i) Calculate its empirical formula.

Show your working.

(3)

ii) Deduce whether the sample was hexane or cyclohexane.

(1)

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 (4 marks)

(c) i) Give the molecular formula of cyclohexane.

(1)

ii) Draw the displayed formula of an isomer of cyclohexane.

(1)

(2 marks)

(d) In the presence of ultraviolet radiation, hexane will react with chlorine to form hydrogen
chloride and another compound, X. Compound X will undergo a further substitution
reaction when heated with sodium hydroxide solution to form sodium chloride and a
compound with the formula CH3(CH2)5OH.

Cyclohexane will also react with chlorine in the presence of ultraviolet to form hydrogen
chloride and compound Y. When heated with sodium hydroxide solution, compound Y
will undergo a further substitution reaction to form sodium chloride and another
product, Z. Give the names of compounds X, Y and Z.

Compound X .................................................

Compound Y .................................................

Compound Z .................................................

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 (3 marks)

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4 (a) Three consecutive straight-chain members of the same homologous series are pentane,
hexane and heptane.

Pentane is the compound containing the least number of carbon atoms.

Suggest the molecular formula of heptane.

(1 mark)

(b) Draw one line from each alkane to its boiling point.

(3 marks)

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(c) Alkynes are hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH2n-2. The alkyne containing 2
carbon atoms is ethyne, C2H2.

State, with a reason, whether the boiling point of ethyne would be expected to be higher
or lower than the boiling point of ethane, C2H6.

(2 marks)

(d) Complete the dot-and-cross diagram for a molecule of ethyne, C2H2.

(2 marks)

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5 (a) This question is about the reactions of the gas ethane, C2H6.

Write the equation which represents the complete combustion of 1 mole of ethane.

(2 marks)

(b) Ethane will react with chlorine in the presence of ultraviolet radiation to form
chloroethane and hydrogen chloride.

C2H6 (g) + Cl2 (g) → C2H5Cl (g) + HCl (g)

Rewrite this equation to show the displayed formulae of the reactants and products.

(2 marks)

(c) The enthalpy change of this reaction is -122 kJ/mol.

Use the bond energy data in the table below to calculate the bond energy of the C-Cl
bond.

Bond Bond energy (kJ/mol)

C–H 413

C–C 347

H – Cl 432

Cl – Cl 243

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 bond energy ........................................................ kJ / mol

(3 marks)

(d) Use your answer from part c) to suggest which compound, ethane or chloroethane, is
the more reactive. Explain your answer.

(2 marks)

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