In Need of a Trick Chemistry Question?

Question

Hey Everyone,

I need a really hard / Trick question about Chemistry to ask our chemistry teacher. Any question with answer is greatly appreciated Thanks!

Answer 1

Here is the question:
Why isn't there Hydrogen in the atmosphere?

The H2 molecules have a mean velocity higher than earth escape velocity.

Answer 2

I think it'll be hard to trick your teacher if he knows what he's doing, but you can try this one. It's actually pretty simple, but some people forget that the catalse gets carried over to the product side of the reaction.

Break down H2O2

H2O2 + Catalase = H2O + O^2 + Catalase

H2O2 is hydrogen peroxide, and a catalse is what breaks hydrogen peroxide into water and 0^2. The catalase is carried over because it is not destroyed in the reaction. If you use peroxidase in the reaction instead of catalase it is still correct because they are changing the name catalase to peroxidase. It's not really that hard but it's more of a biology question, but it involves chemistry.

Answer 3

I saw this one in this same website (but written in Spanish):

If we built the electronic configuration of some elements in group 4 we get the following pattern :


Potassium (atomic number 19) : [Ar] 4s1
Calcium (20) : [Ar].4s2
Scandium(21): [Ar].3d1.4s2
Titanium (22): [Ar].3d2.4s2
Vanadium (23) : [Ar] 3d3 4s2

but if we build the electronic configuration of Chromium (atomic number 24) we get:

[Ar] 3d5 4s1
we continue:

Manganese (25): [Ar].3d5.4s2
Iron (26): ............ [Ar].3d6.4s2
Cobalt(27):......... [Ar].3d7.4s2
Nickel (28)...........[Ar].3d8.4s2

and again we find another strange situation with copper:

[Ar].3d10.4s1

Why the last electron to fill the valence layer in both elements does no follow the rule of aufbau filling first level s instead of level d?

The answer is:

A d subshell that is half-filled or full (ie 5 or 10 electrons) is more stable than the s subshell of the next shell. This is the case because it takes less energy to maintain an electron in a half-filled d subshell than a filled s subshell. For instance, copper (atomic number 29) has a configuration of [Ar]4s1 3d10, not [Ar]4s2 3d9 as one would expect by the Aufbau principle. Likewise, chromium (atomic number 24) has a configuration of [Ar]4s1 3d5, not [Ar]4s2 3d4.

Maybe it is not so hard but we do not know!!

Hope it helps!

Good luck!

Answer 4

What is the valence electron configuration for Cr?

The answer is 3d5-4s1.

Most people will say 3d4-4s2, which is how the electrons would fill in. BUT a 4s electron will switch to a 3d orbital so that both the 3d and 4s orbitals are half full, which is the lowest energy state.

Answer 5

Draw 2 rabbits connected to each other by an Oxygen atom and ask the techer to name the molecule.

Answer: the Ether bunny (think Easter Bunny)..Ethers are 2 organic compounds comined to an oxygen atom.

Answer 6

Here is the question:
Why isn't there Hydrogen in the atmosphere?

The H2 molecules have a mean velocity higher than earth escape velocity.

Answer 7

What a great idea! I wish I was smart enough to give you one, but I'm not. But I know you''ll get something here. Good luck!