Building Blocks of Matter
How many electrons can occupy a single orbital?
Two electrons, and they must have opposite spins (Pauli Exclusion Principle).
What type of bond forms when electrons are shared unequally between atoms?
A polar covalent bond
If all four groups around a carbon atom are different, this point is known as what?
A chirality center
What is the term for the maximum amount of a solute that can dissolve in a solvent at a given temperature?
Solubility
What is the prefix added to the name of a cyclic alkane to indicate its ring structure?
cyclo-
Based on VSEPR theory, what is the electron geometry of a molecule with 4 bonding domains?
Tetrahedral
Calculate the formal charge of oxygen in water (H₂O).
Formal charge=VE−(bonds+lone pairs)
For oxygen: 6 (valence electrons) - (4 + 2) = 0.
Molecules that differ in spatial arrangement but share the same connections are called what type of isomers?
Stereoisomers
A reaction where two reactants combine to form one product is called what?
An addition reaction
For a molecule with the formula C4H8, what is the degree of unsaturation?
1
Write the ground-state electron configuration for sulfur.
1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁴
What is the term for a molecule that has multiple valid Lewis structures differing only in the position of electrons?
Resonance structures
A 1.50 g sample of a compound dissolved in 10.0 mL of ethanol and placed in a 5.00 cm pathlength polarimeter cell showed an observed rotation of 1.21°. Calculate its specific rotation.
+16.1°
What is the relationship between Q and Ksp if precipitation occurs?
Q > Ksp
What type of alkane has all its carbon atoms connected in a straight line
How many hybrid orbitals are formed when one s orbital combines with two p orbitals, and what is the type of hybridization?
Three hybrid orbitals are formed, and the type of hybridization is sp²
What is the conjugate base of H₃PO₄ (phosphoric acid)?
H₂PO₄⁻
A polarimeter measures the rotation of plane-polarized light to determine what characteristic of a compound
Specific rotation
When pH decreases, how does solubility change for most salts, and why?
Solubility increases because the equilibrium shifts toward the products due to the reaction of H+ ions with the anion.
What is the rule in electrophilic addition reactions, that predicts the halide will bond to the more substituted carbon atom
Markovnikov's Rule
What is the term for the distance between two nuclei where a covalent bond is most stable, and what happens if the nuclei are too close or too far apart?
Bond length. If the nuclei are too close, they repel due to electrostatic forces. If they are too far, the bond weakens
How does the value of Ka and pKa relate to the strength of an acid?
A larger Ka (acid dissociation constant) indicates a stronger acid, while a smaller pKa (negative log of Ka) also indicates a stronger acid
Why are diastereoisomers not considered enantiomers, despite being stereoisomers?
Because diastereoisomers are not mirror images of each other
Explain why polar molecules are reactive in polar reactions, with reference to bond polarity
Polar molecules have unsymmetrical electron distributions that create partial charges, making them susceptible to nucleophilic or electrophilic attack.
What is the type of strain that explains why cis alkenes are less stable than trans alkenes?
Steric strain