Assessment Exam: Inorganic

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  1. What is the ground-state valence electron configuration of a Cu2+ ion?
    A. 4s23d7
    B. 4s23d9
    C. 4s13d10
    D. 3d9

  2. Which of these isolated atoms or ions is diamagnetic?
    A. Ag+
    B. C
    C. S
    D. V3+

  3. Which contains the shortest N-O bond?
    A. NO+
    B. NO
    C. NO-
    D. NO2-

  4. Which two techniques might best be used to determine the energy of the stretching vibration in CN- and the bond angle in OF2(g) respectively?
    A. IR and electron diffraction
    B. IR and NMR
    C. NMR and electron diffraction
    D. NMR and UV-visible spectroscopy

  5. The relative extent of metal to ligand p back-bonding in metal carbonyls can be monitored by
    A. electron spin resonance spectroscopy
    B. 1H NMR spectroscopy
    C. magnetic susceptibility
    D. infrared spectroscopy

  6. Considering the thermodynamic steps in the Born-Haber cycle for the formation of Al2O3 from the elements, the factor most responsible for the stability of this salt is the
    A. bond energy of O2
    B. exothermic electron affinities for oxygen
    C. ionization energies for aluminum
    D. lattice energy

  7. The addition of trace amounts of gallium to very pure crystalline silicon produces a material that is
    A. a high-temperature superconductor
    B. a metallic conductor
    C. an n-type semiconductor
    D. a p-type semiconductor

  8. Consider this reaction: TlBr + LiF = TlF + LiBr
    Which is the correct prediction and explanation about the equilibrium constant, K, for this reaction?

    A. K>1, because Br is a harder base than F
    B. K>1, because F is a harder base than Br
    C. K<1, because Br is a harder base than F
    D. K<1, because F is a harder base than Br

  9. How does the oxidation state of Ir formally change in this reaction?
    trans-IrClCO(P(C6H5)3)2 + H2 -> IrClCO(P(C6H5)3)2H2
    A. from +1 to -1
    B. from 0 to +2
    C. from +1 to +3
    D. no change

  10. Ignoring possible ring conformation effects, what is the total number of geometric and optical isomers for [Co(en) 2Br2]+? Note: en=[H2NCH2CH2NH2]
    A. 1
    B. 2
    C. 3
    D. 4

  11. Which complex has the largest ligand field stabilization energy?
    A. [Ti(OH2)6]3+
    B. [V(OH2)6]3+
    C. [Cr(OH2)6]3+
    D. [Mn(OH2)6]2+

  12. [NiCl2 (PPh3) 2] has a magnetic moment of 2.96 BM whereas [PtCl2 (PPh3) 2] is diamagnetic. This demonstrates that
    A. both compounds are square planar
    B. both compounds are tetrahedral
    C. [NiCl2 (PPh3) 2] is square planar and [PtCl2 (PPh3) 2] is tetrahedral
    D. [PtCl2(PPh3) 2] is square planar and [NiCl2 (PPh3) 2] is tetrahedral

  13. In spite of the high equilibrium constant (K=1025) for the reaction given here, the reaction proceeds very slowly, reaching equilibrium only after several days at room temperature. [Co(NH3)6]3+ + 6 H3O+ = [Co(H2O) 6]3+ + 6 NH4+
    This observation is consistent with

    A. the activation energy for the forward reaction being low
    B. the classification of [Co(NH3)6]3+ as an inert complex
    C. [Co(NH3)6]3+ being more labile than [Co(H2O) 6]3+
    D. [Co(NH3)6]3+ being unstable in strong acid

  14. The major reason that [Ni(H2NCH2CH2NH2)3]2+ is thermodynamically more stable than [Ni(NH3)6]2+ is the
    A. chelate effect
    B. greater Lewis basicity of H2NCH2CH2NH2 compared to two NH3 ligands
    C. macrocyclic effect
    D. relative rates of their formation

  15. Which is an acidic oxide?
    A. B2O3
    B. BaO
    C. MgO
    D. Na2O

  16. What are the main products of a reaction of Si(s) with excess Cl2 (g) and of Pb(s) with excess Cl2(g) at room temperature?
    A. SiCl2 and PbCl2
    B. SiCl2 and PbCl4
    C. SiCl4 and PbCl2
    D. SiCl4 and PbCl4

  17. Which is the point group of the molecule AsH3?
    A. C3
    B. C3v
    C. C3h
    D. D3h

  18. Which is the lowest energy free-ion spectroscopic state for a d2 electron configuration?
    A. 1D
    B. 1S
    C. 3F
    D. 3P