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CAIE A Level Chemistry 9701

Nitrogen and sulfur questions

Exam-style questions on Nitrogen and sulfur, 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.

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

  1. Suggest4 marksStandardSuggest how nitrogen is removed from ammonium nitrate, NH4NO3, to form ammonia gas. Include a balanced equation and state the type of reaction taking place.
  2. Describe5 marksStandardIn the exhaust system of a petrol car, a catalytic converter removes oxides of nitrogen from the exhaust gases. Explain how the catalytic converter removes these oxides and why their removal is necessary.
  3. Suggest4 marksStandardPhotochemical smog forms in urban areas on hot sunny days. A major component of photochemical smog is peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN). Suggest how PAN is formed from the atmospheric pollutants produced by internal…
  4. Suggest4 marksStandardAmmonia gas is bubbled through concentrated nitric acid, HNO3, to form ammonium nitrate, NH4NO3, which is used as a fertiliser. Suggest why ammonia is basic, and describe the structure of the ammonium ion formed…
  5. Compare5 marksStandardNitrogen gas and ammonia both contain nitrogen atoms, yet they behave very differently as reagents. Compare the reactivity of nitrogen gas with that of ammonia, and explain the difference in terms of the bonding and…
  6. Compare5 marksStandardCompare the reactivity of nitrogen, N2, and ammonia, NH3, with acids. In your answer, refer to the bonding in each molecule and the Brønsted–Lowry theory.
  7. Explain4 marksStandardNitrogen gas is abundant in the atmosphere but is generally unreactive. However, during lightning strikes, nitrogen gas can react with oxygen to form nitrogen monoxide, which is then oxidised to nitrogen dioxide…
  8. Suggest4 marksStandardAmmonia gas is bubbled into an aqueous solution of nitric acid, HNO3. The reaction produces a solution containing ammonium nitrate, NH4NO3. Suggest an explanation for this reaction, including the role of ammonia as a…
  9. Explain4 marksStandardNitrogen gas is often used as an inert atmosphere in the laboratory and in industry. Explain why nitrogen gas is unreactive at room temperature.
  10. Compare5 marksStandardA student heats a sample of ammonium chloride with an excess of aqueous sodium hydroxide. State what is formed and explain why this method releases ammonia.
  11. Compare5 marksStandardOxides of nitrogen released into the atmosphere can contribute to acid rain. Compare the direct and catalytic roles of nitrogen monoxide, NO, and nitrogen dioxide, NO2, in the formation of acid rain.
  12. Explain4 marksStandardA flash of lightning can convert N2 molecules in the air into nitrogen monoxide, NO, even though N2 is normally very unreactive. Explain why N2 is unreactive, and why the very high temperature of lightning allows NO to…
  13. Suggest4 marksStandardVehicle exhaust gases contain nitrogen monoxide, NO, and unburned hydrocarbons. In bright sunlight, these gases react to form peroxyacetyl nitrate, PAN, a component of photochemical smog. Suggest why PAN forms more…
  14. Suggest4 marksStandardAmmonia gas is bubbled through concentrated nitric acid, HNO3, to form a white solid, ammonium nitrate, NH4NO3. (a) Using the Brønsted–Lowry theory, explain why ammonia acts as a base in this reaction. (b) State the…
  15. Compare5 marksStandardNitrogen monoxide, NO, and nitrogen dioxide, NO2, are produced in vehicle engines. In the atmosphere, NO2 can form acid rain directly, and it can also catalyse the oxidation of sulfur dioxide, SO2, to sulfur trioxide…
  16. Explain4 marksStandardNitrogen gas is very unreactive under normal conditions, yet lightning can cause it to react with oxygen to form nitrogen monoxide. Explain why nitrogen gas is unreactive, and explain how lightning provides the…
  17. Explain4 marksStandardNitrogen gas makes up about 78% of the atmosphere. Despite this, nitrogen is often described as chemically unreactive. (a) Explain why nitrogen gas is so unreactive. (b) Ammonia, NH3, is a weak base. Using the…
  18. Suggest4 marksStandardIn a city, vehicle exhaust gases contain nitrogen monoxide and nitrogen dioxide. On a sunny day, these gases can react with unburned hydrocarbons in the air to form peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN), a component of…
  19. Explain4 marksStandardNitrogen gas is the major component of air, yet it does not react readily with most substances at room temperature. Explain this lack of reactivity, with reference to the bonding in the nitrogen molecule.
  20. Describe5 marksStandardA catalytic converter fitted to a petrol engine removes nitrogen oxides, NO and NO2, from the exhaust gases. Describe and explain how the catalytic converter removes nitrogen oxides from the exhaust gases.
  21. Describe5 marksStandardOxides of nitrogen are present in the exhaust gases of internal combustion engines and are removed by catalytic converters. Describe the natural and man-made origins of these oxides, and describe how a catalytic…
  22. Explain4 marksStandardNitrogen gas (N2) is relatively unreactive, yet oxides of nitrogen such as NO and NO2 are formed in internal combustion engines and contribute to environmental problems. Explain: (a) how NO and NO2 are formed in…
  23. Describe5 marksStandardWhen welding reactive metals such as titanium, the metal is often heated in an atmosphere of nitrogen rather than air. Using your knowledge of the chemistry of nitrogen and ammonia, describe and explain: (a) why…
  24. Describe5 marksStandardMolten magnesium is produced in an atmosphere of nitrogen gas to prevent it from reacting with oxygen in the air. Using your knowledge of the bonding in nitrogen, explain why nitrogen gas is chemically unreactive in…
  25. Compare5 marksStandardCompare the chemical reactivity of dinitrogen, N2, with that of ammonia, NH3. In your answer, include: an explanation of the lack of reactivity of dinitrogen with reference to its bonding; an explanation of the…
  26. Compare5 marksStandardNitrogen, N2, is an element and ammonia, NH3, is one of its compounds. They behave very differently. (a) Nitrogen is unreactive at room temperature, whereas ammonia is readily attacked by acids and dissolves in water…
  27. Compare5 marksStandardAmmonia is a weak base. (a) State what is meant by the term base in the Brønsted–Lowry theory. (b) Compare the basicity of ammonia with that of a solution of sodium hydroxide, and explain why ammonia is described as a…
  28. Describe5 marksStandardIn the manufacture of certain reactive metals, a stream of nitrogen gas is used to blanket the molten metal and exclude oxygen. A student suggests that nitrogen is chosen because it is completely unreactive. Using your…
  29. Explain4 marksStandardLightning provides enough energy to break the nitrogen–nitrogen bond in N2, allowing nitrogen to react with oxygen in the air. Yet N2 is usually described as an unreactive gas. Explain, in terms of the bonding in the…
  30. Suggest4 marksStandardDuring heavy traffic in a city, the exhaust gases contain nitrogen monoxide, NO, and unburned hydrocarbons. Sunlight drives the reaction of NO with oxygen to form nitrogen dioxide, NO2. Suggest how PAN (peroxyacetyl…
  31. Describe5 marksStandardA car is fitted with a catalytic converter that removes nitrogen oxides from the exhaust gases. The exhaust gases also contain unburned hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. Describe how the nitrogen oxides are formed in…
  32. Compare5 marksStandardA student investigates the reactions of ammonia with two different compounds. In the first experiment, ammonia gas is bubbled through an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride. In the second experiment, solid ammonium…
  33. Describe7 marksChallengeDescribe the following aspects of nitrogen chemistry: a) the lack of reactivity of N2 under normal conditions, with reference to bond strength and polarity; b) the basicity of NH3 according to the Brønsted–Lowry…
  34. Compare6 marksChallengeVehicle exhaust gases release nitrogen monoxide. Rainwater collected in a region with heavy traffic and coal-fired power stations is acidic and contains both nitrate ions and sulfate ions, even though sulfur dioxide…
  35. Describe6 marksChallengeIn the manufacture of reactive metals, nitrogen gas is sometimes used to blanket the molten metal and exclude air. A student suggests that nitrogen is an ideal choice because it is completely unreactive. Describe the…
  36. Compare6 marksChallengeNitrogen monoxide and nitrogen dioxide are both produced in the combustion chambers of internal combustion engines. In the atmosphere, these oxides can contribute to the formation of acid rain. Compare the roles of NO…