Markquill
Start free

CAIE A Level Chemistry 9701

Group 2 questions

Exam-style questions on Group 2, ordered from foundation to challenge. Pick one, write your answer the way you would in the exam, and it comes back marked against the mark scheme, point by point.

Practise this topic free

Written by Markquill to follow the Cambridge International syllabus. Markquill is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Cambridge International.

  1. Suggest4 marksStandardCalcium reacts with dilute hydrochloric acid to form a solution and a gas. Suggest the equation for this reaction and describe what you would observe.
  2. Explain4 marksStandardThe enthalpy change of solution, Δ Hsol, of strontium hydroxide is more exothermic than that of barium hydroxide. Yet strontium hydroxide is less soluble in water at the same temperature. Explain, in terms of the…
  3. Compare5 marksStandardBarium oxide, BaO, reacts with water to form an alkaline solution. Barium metal also reacts with water. Compare the reaction of barium oxide with water with the reaction of barium metal with water. In your answer…
  4. Suggest4 marksStandardThe thermal stability of the carbonates of the Group 2 elements increases down the group. Suggest an explanation for this trend.
  5. Compare5 marksStandardMagnesium carbonate and barium carbonate are both Group 2 carbonates. Compare their thermal decomposition reactions and explain the trend in thermal stability down Group 2.
  6. Compare5 marksStandardExplain, in terms of ionic radius and polarisation, why the thermal stability of the nitrates and carbonates of the Group 2 elements increases down the group. Compare the behaviour of the nitrates and carbonates.
  7. Suggest4 marksStandardThe thermal stability of the nitrates of the Group 2 elements increases down the group. Suggest an explanation for this trend in terms of the polarisation of the nitrate ion.
  8. Describe5 marksStandardDescribe and explain the trend in thermal stability of the carbonates of the Group 2 elements, from magnesium to barium, as the ionic radius of the cation increases.
  9. Compare5 marksStandardThe thermal stability of the nitrates of Group 2 elements increases down the group. Compare the thermal stability of Mg(NO3)2 and Ba(NO3)2, and explain this difference in terms of the polarising power of the metal…
  10. Explain4 marksStandardThe enthalpy change of solution, Δ Hsol, of the group 2 hydroxides becomes more exothermic down the group from magnesium hydroxide to barium hydroxide. Explain this trend in terms of the relative magnitudes of the…
  11. Explain4 marksStandardExplain why the thermal stability of Group 2 carbonates increases down the group, and why the solubility of Group 2 sulfates decreases down the group. In your answer, refer to the polarising power of the cation and the…
  12. Describe5 marksStandardMagnesium is reacted separately with steam and with dilute hydrochloric acid. In the reaction with steam, a white solid and a colourless gas are produced. In the reaction with dilute hydrochloric acid, a different…
  13. Suggest4 marksStandardBarium nitrate, Ba(NO3)2, is a Group 2 nitrate. Predict, with a reason, the products formed when a sample of barium nitrate is heated strongly.
  14. Explain4 marksStandardMagnesium hydroxide is added to an excess of dilute sulfuric acid. Explain, with an equation, the reaction that occurs and state the observation that would be made.
  15. Compare5 marksStandardThe thermal stability of the carbonates of the Group 2 elements changes down the group. Compare the thermal stability of magnesium carbonate and barium carbonate, and explain the trend in thermal stability down Group 2.
  16. Compare5 marksStandardBarium oxide and magnesium oxide are both Group 2 oxides. Compare the reactions of these two oxides with water. Include equations for both reactions, and explain the difference in the pH of the solutions formed.
  17. Compare5 marksStandardCompare the trend in thermal stability of the carbonates of the Group 2 elements from magnesium to barium with the trend in solubility of the sulfates of these elements. Explain each trend in terms of the polarising…
  18. Describe5 marksStandardNitrates of Group 2 metals decompose on heating to form the metal oxide, nitrogen dioxide and oxygen. The temperature needed for decomposition increases down the group. Describe and explain the trend in the thermal…
  19. Explain4 marksStandardA student adds an excess of solid magnesium hydroxide to dilute sulfuric acid and warms the mixture. State what is observed and write an equation for the reaction. Explain why the reaction occurs.
  20. Explain4 marksStandardExplain the trend in reactivity of Group 2 elements with water. Use the reactions of magnesium and barium with water (or steam) to illustrate your answer, and include balanced chemical equations for these reactions.
  21. Describe5 marksStandardA student adds an excess of strontium carbonate, SrCO3, to 50\,cm^3 of dilute hydrochloric acid, HCl, in a beaker. The mixture fizzes, and after the reaction is complete a clear solution remains. Describe what the…
  22. Explain4 marksStandardThe thermal stabilities of the nitrates of the Group 2 metals increase down the group from magnesium to barium. Explain this trend, and write an equation for the thermal decomposition of barium nitrate, Ba(NO3)2.
  23. Describe5 marksStandardDescribe the reaction of strontium carbonate with dilute hydrochloric acid. Include a balanced chemical equation and state what is observed.
  24. Describe5 marksStandardA student heats a sample of magnesium carbonate strongly and observes that it decomposes. State and explain the trend in thermal stability of the carbonates of the Group 2 elements as you go down the group.
  25. Describe5 marksStandardDescribe the reaction of magnesium with steam. In your answer include the observations made, an equation for the reaction, and an equation for the reaction of the solid product with water.
  26. Explain4 marksStandardThe thermal stability of the nitrates and carbonates of the Group 2 elements increases down the group from magnesium to barium. Explain this trend in terms of the polarising power of the cation and the polarisation of…
  27. Suggest4 marksStandardCalcium reacts with dilute hydrochloric acid. State the observations you would make when this reaction occurs, and write the ionic equation for the reaction.
  28. Compare5 marksStandardThe carbonates of the Group 2 metals decompose on heating to form the metal oxide and carbon dioxide gas. A student heats samples of magnesium carbonate, calcium carbonate and strontium carbonate separately and…
  29. Describe6 marksChallengeA student investigates the reaction of magnesium with steam. A sample of magnesium ribbon is heated strongly in a stream of steam. The student observes a bright white flame and a white solid is formed. (a) Write an…
  30. Suggest7 marksChallengeCalcium reacts with cold water to form calcium hydroxide and hydrogen. Calcium also reacts with dilute hydrochloric acid, and calcium carbonate reacts with dilute hydrochloric acid. (a) Suggest the observations you…
  31. Explain5 marksChallengeNitrates of the Group 2 metals, magnesium to barium, decompose on heating to give the metal oxide, nitrogen dioxide and oxygen. Explain why the thermal stability of these nitrates increases down the group. In your…
  32. Suggest6 marksChallengeA student heats a sample of barium nitrate strongly and observes that a brown gas is evolved and a white solid remains. (a) Write the equation for the thermal decomposition of barium nitrate. (b) Suggest how the…
  33. Describe7 marksChallengeDescribe and explain the trend in the thermal stability of the carbonates and nitrates of the Group 2 elements from magnesium to barium. Also describe and explain the variation in solubility of the hydroxides and…
  34. Compare7 marksChallengeThe carbonates of the Group 2 elements decompose on heating to form the corresponding oxide and carbon dioxide. The temperatures at which the carbonates of magnesium, calcium and barium begin to decompose are 540°C…
  35. Describe7 marksChallengeDescribe the trends in the reactions of Group 2 elements (magnesium to barium) and their compounds. In your answer, include balanced chemical equations for: the reaction of a Group 2 metal with oxygen, the reaction of…
  36. Describe7 marksChallengeA student adds an excess of dilute hydrochloric acid to a sample of strontium carbonate. Describe the observations the student would make, and write equations for the reactions that occur. Use your knowledge of the…
  37. Explain7 marksChallengeThe thermal stability of the nitrates and carbonates of the Group 2 elements increases down the group, from magnesium to barium. Explain this trend in terms of the polarising power of the metal cation and the charge…
  38. Suggest5 marksChallengeBarium nitrate, Ba(NO3)2, is heated strongly in a test tube. Suggest the products of this reaction and explain how the thermal stability of barium nitrate compares with that of magnesium nitrate. Include equations in…
  39. Compare5 marksChallengeBarium oxide and barium carbonate are both Group 2 compounds. Describe and compare their separate reactions with water and with dilute hydrochloric acid. For each reaction, state what you would observe and write a…
  40. Compare6 marksChallengeThe thermal stabilities of the carbonates of the Group 2 elements decrease down the group. Compare the thermal stabilities of the carbonates of magnesium, calcium and barium, and explain the trend in terms of the…
  41. Explain6 marksChallengeA student adds a sample of magnesium hydroxide to water and to dilute sulfuric acid. In water, almost none of the solid dissolves. In dilute sulfuric acid, the solid reacts and dissolves. Explain these observations…