ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY

REVIEW QUESTIONS
Question 1
Which of the following affects the precision of obtained data?

A. instrument bias
B. method error
C. random error
D. human bias
Question 2
For the numbers 116.0, 97.9, 114.2, 106.8, and 108.3, what is the
90% confidence interval for the mean given that t90 = 2.132?

A. 108.6 ± 6.1
B. 108.6 ± 3.8
C. 108.6 ± 6.8
D. 108.6 ± 3.0
Question 3
A student obtained the following values N Q95
for the normality of a solution: 0.1029, 3 0.941
0.1060, 0.1036, 0.1032, 0.1018, and 4 0.765
0.1034.
5 0.642
a. Can any result be rejected by the Q-
test? 6 0.560
b. What value should be reported for 7 0.507
the normality? 8 0.554
c. Calculate the 95% confidence interval 9 0.512
of the mean. t95 = 2.776 10 0.477
Question 4
A new procedure for the rapid determination of %N in a feed
sample was tested on a sample known from its method of
preparation to contain 0.123% N. The results were 0.112%,
0.118%, 0.115%, 0.119%. Do the data indicate that there is bias
in the method at the 95% confidence level? ttab = 3.18
Question 5
Two barrels of wine were analyzed for their alcohol content to
determine whether they were from different sources. On the basis
of six trials, the result for the first barrel is 12.61% ethanol, while
after four trials the result for the second barrel is 12.53% ethanol.
The ten analyses yielded a pooled standard deviation of 0.070%.
Do the data indicate a difference between the two barrel of wines
at 95% confidence level? ttab = 2.31
Question 6
A new automated procedure for determining glucose in serum
(Method A) is to be compared to the established method (Method
B). Both methods are performed on serum from the same six
patients in order to eliminate patient to-patient variability.

Do the following results confirm a difference in the two methods at

the 95% confidence level? ttab = 2.57
Question 7
A standard method for the determination of the CO level in
gaseous mixtures is known from many hundreds of measurements
to have a standard deviation of 0.21 ppm CO. A modification of the
method yields a value for s of 0.15 ppm CO for a pooled data set
with 12 degrees of freedom. A second modification, also based on
12 degrees of freedom, has a standard deviation of 0.12 ppm CO.
Is either modification significantly more precise than the original?
ftab = 2.30
Question 8
With which of the following analytical methods is it possible to
have the greatest precision?

A. volumetric titration
B. linear calibration
C. gravimetric
D. spectrophotometric
Question 9
For a gravimetric analysis to be successful

A. the anion of the substance being investigated must be

precipitated.
B. either the cation or the anion of the substance being
investigated must be precipitated.
C. the ratio of anion to cation in the substance being investigated
must be 1:1.
D. both the cation and the anion of the substance being
investigated must be precipitated.
Question 10
Sodium nitrate, NaNO3, cannot be analyzed gravimetrically because

A. all compounds containing sodium ions or nitrate ions are soluble.

B. sodium nitrate is an inert substance.
C. sodium nitrate is insoluble.
D. the stability of sodium nitrate is very low.
Question 11
A gravimetric analysis is performed to determine the sodium chloride
content of a mineral water by precipitating the chloride ions as silver
chloride. The experiment is conducted carefully but the result obtained
by precipitation differs considerably from the result obtained through
atomic absorption spectroscopy. What is the most likely cause of
discrepancy?

A. the sodium nitrate precipitate used for analysis was not all collected
on the filter paper.
B. the concentration of sodium chloride in the mineral water changes
with time.
C. the mineral water contained chloride ions in compounds other than
sodium chloride.
D. atomic absorption spectroscopy is not a suitable method to use for
analysis of sodium compounds.
Question 12
The best procedure to use when filtering an aqueous solution to
collect a precipitate is to

A. warm the solution before filtering.

B. use large volumes of water to ensure that all soluble matter is
separated from the precipitate.
C. wash the precipitate with a minimal amount of water.
D. not wash the precipitate at all.
Question 13
Which of the following lists contains only ionic compounds that are
soluble in water?

A. MgSO4, BaCl2, KCl, CaCO3

B. K2SO4, CaBr2, Zn(NO3)2, Fe(OH)3
C. BaSO4, PbCl2, NH4Br, FeSO4
D. Na2SO4, CaCl2, NH4Cl, Fe(NO3)2
Question 14
A 0.360 g sample of an organic compound containing carbon, hydrogen
and oxygen was burnt in excess oxygen. When the gases evolved were
passed through anhydrous CaCl2 its mass increased by 0.216 g. The
remaining gases, when bubbled through a NaOH solution, increased its
mass by 0.528 g. What is the mass of oxygen in the sample?

A. 0.192 g
B. 0.144 g
C. 0.024 g
D. unable to be determined from the information provided
Question 15
Which of the following is not a property required of the substance
chosen for use as a precipitate in a gravimetric analysis?

A. Stable when heated to 110°C

B. Low solubility
C. Able to be stored for an extended time without deterioration
D. Has known formula
Question 16
During a gravimetric analysis experiment to determine the salt (NaCl) content
of a chicken soup sample, a precipitate of silver chloride was produced, dried
and weighed. The sources of error in the analysis include
I. The precipitate was not washed before it was dried.
II. The soup contained some sodium iodide in addition to the sodium chloride.
III. Some precipitate remained in the reaction flask after the filtration process.

Which of these errors could account for a lower than expected mass of silver
chloride precipitate?

A. II and III only B. I and II only

C. II only D. III only
Question 17
A hydrated magnesium salt, MgSO4xH2O, was heated until all the
water of hydration was lost. If a 3.188 g sample of hydrated salt
produced 1.558 g of anhydrous salt, what is the value of x in
MgSO4xH2O?

A. 10
B. 2
C. 5
D. 7
Question 18
Hydrogen sulfide gas was bubbled through 250.0 mL of a solution
containing 17.85 g L-1 of lead(II) nitrate until all the lead was
precipitated as lead sulfide. What is the mass of hydrogen sulfide
required?

A. 0.520 g
B. 0.920 g
C. 0.460 g
D. 1.84 g
Question 19
Which of the following conditions will give rise to a colloidal
precipitate during a typical precipitation process?

A. elevating the temperature of the system

B. using a dilute solution
C. slow addition of precipitating agent
D. all of the above
Question 20
What do you call the process whereby coagulated particles pass
back into the colloidal state?

A. Flocculation
B. Peptization
C. Coagulation
D. Hydrolysis
Question 21
Coagulated emulsoids are also called

A. Curdy precipitates
B. Crystalline precipitates
C. Hydrophobic precipitates
D. Gelatinous precipitates
Question 22
On heating KHCO3, the products produced are K2O, CO2, and H2O.
KHCO3 is an example of a compound with

A. water of crystallization
B. water of constitution
C. occluded water
D. adsorbed water
Question 23
A drop of BaCl2 solution is added to 0.5 M Na2SO4 solution. If the
solubility of BaSO4 is surpassed and assuming that the conditions
are favorable for colloid formation, what is the composition of the
primary adsorbed layer?

A. Ba2+ B. Cl-
C. Na+ D. SO42-
Question 24
A 0.3516 g sample of a commercial phosphate detergent was
ignited at a red heat to destroy organic matter. The residue was
then taken up in hot HCl, which converted P to H3PO4. The
phosphate was precipitated as MgNH4PO4•6H2O (245.42) by
addition of Mg2+ followed by aqueous NH3. After being filtered and
washed, the precipitate was converted to Mg2P2O7 (222.57) by
ignition at 1000 oC. The resulting residue weighed 0.2161 g. What is
%P (30.97) in the sample?

A. 8.55% B. 17.11%
C. 15.51% D. 7.76%
Question 25
A 0.7336 g sample of an alloy containing copper and zinc is
dissolved in 8M HCl and diluted to 100 mL in a volumetric flask. In
one analysis, the zinc in a 25.00 mL portion of the solution is
precipitated as ZnNH4PO4 and subsequently isolated as Zn2P2O7
yielding 0.1163 g. The copper in a separate 25.00 mL portion of the
solution is treated to precipitate 0.2554 g CuSCN.
Question 26
If 0.500 g of a certain variety of coffee beans is found to contain
1.35% caffeine on a dry basis, and had 1.19% caffeine as received,
what is its %moisture?

A. 0.160% B. 13.4%
C. 11.9% D. 99.1%
Question 27
The electrolyte in automobile lead storage batteries is a 3.75 M
sulfuric acid solution that has a density of 1.230 g/mL. Calculate the
mass percent, molality, and normality of the sulfuric acid.
Question 28
A 1000 ppm (w/v) solution of Ca2+ is prepared by dissolving a
weighed amount of CaCO3 in HCl and diluting with distilled water in
a volumetric flask. A 20.00-mL aliquot of this solution is placed in a
500-mL volumetric flask and diluted to the mark with water. What is
the concentration (ppm) of Ca2+ in the 500-mL flask?

A. 4.000 ppm
B. 40.00 ppm
C. 25.00 ppm
D. 25,000 ppm
Question 29
A 25.0 mL of 0.10 M HCl is titrated with 0.10 M NaOH. What is the
pH after 15 mL of NaOH has been added?

A. 1.40 B. 1.00
C. 1.60 D. 2.00
Question 30
A Lewis acid is a/an

A. Proton donor
B. Proton acceptor
C. Electron pair acceptor
D. Electron pair donor
Question 31
Which of the following is not an ampholyte of EDTA (H4Y)?

A. Y4-
B. HY3-
C. H2Y2-
D. H3Y-
Question 32
Write the proton balance equation (PBE) for Na2HPO4.
Question 33
Which is the correct mass balance equation (MBE) for 0.50 F
Na2H2Y?

A. 0.50 F = [H2Y2-] + [HY3-] + [Y4-]

B. 0.50 F = [H2Y2-] + 2[Na+]
C. 0.50 F = [H2Y2-] + [HY3-] + [Y4-] + [H3Y-] + [H4Y]
D. 0.50 F = [H2Y2-] + [HY3-] + [Y4-] + [H3Y-] + [H4Y] + 2[Na+]
Question 34
Write the charge balance equation (PBE) for NH4Cl.
Question 35
Which of the following corresponds to the fraction of HPO4- in a
phosphoric acid solution?
𝐾𝑎1 𝐾𝑎2 [𝐻 + ]
A. 𝛼 = [𝐻 + ]3 +𝐾𝑎1 [𝐻 + ]2 +𝐾𝑎1 𝐾𝑎2 [𝐻 + ] +𝐾𝑎1 𝐾𝑎2 𝐾𝑎3
𝐾𝑎1 𝐾𝑎2 𝐾𝑎3
B. 𝛼 = [𝐻 + ]3 +𝐾𝑎1 [𝐻 + ]2 +𝐾𝑎1 𝐾𝑎2 [𝐻 + ] +𝐾𝑎1 𝐾𝑎2 𝐾𝑎3
[𝐻 + ]3
C. 𝛼 = [𝐻 + ]3 +𝐾𝑎1 [𝐻 + ]2 +𝐾𝑎1 𝐾𝑎2 [𝐻 + ] +𝐾𝑎1 𝐾𝑎2 𝐾𝑎3
𝐾𝑎1 [𝐻 + ]2
D. 𝛼 = [𝐻 + ]3 +𝐾𝑎1 [𝐻 + ]2 +𝐾𝑎1 𝐾𝑎2 [𝐻 + ] +𝐾𝑎1 𝐾𝑎2 𝐾𝑎3
Question 36
What are the equilibrium concentration of benzoic acid and
benzoate in a 0.10 M benzoate buffer of pH 4.00. Ka for benzoic acid
is 6.3x10-5?

A. [benzoic acid] = 0.39 M, [benzoate] = 0.61 M

B. [benzoic acid] = 0.61 M, [benzoate] = 0.39 M
C. [benzoic acid] = 0.039 M, [benzoate] = 0.061 M
D. [benzoic acid] = 0.061 M, [benzoate] = 0.039 M
Question 37
At what pH does benzoate predominate over benzoic acid in
solution? pKa = 4.20

A. 2.00
B. 3.50
C. 4.20
D. 5.40
Question 38
What is the pH of 1.0x10-8 F HCl solution?

A. 7.20
B. 8.00
C. 7.03
D. 6.98
Question 39
What is the pH of a 0.25 M CH3COOH solution? Ka = 1.8x10-5

A. 4.74
B. 2.67
C. 11.33
D. 9.26
Question 40
Calculate the concentration of all species in

a.) 0.100 M H2A

b.) 0.100 M HA-
c.) 0.100 M A2-

Ka1 = 4.487x10-3
Ka2 = 1.358x10-10
Question 41
What is the pH change that takes place when a 100-mL portion of
0.0500 M NaOH is added to 400 mL of a buffer solution that
contains 0.200 M NH3 and 0.300 M NH4Cl? Ka,ammonium = 5.70x10-10

A. 0.02 B. 0.04
C. 0.06 D. 0.08
Question 42
What is the pH of a solution that is 0.600 M HCN (Ka = 7.20x10-7)
and 0.800 M NaCN?

A. 6.268
B. 6.018
C. 6.143
D. 6.310
Question 43
A 100 mL solution of nitric acid has a pH of 4.0. The solution was
diluted to 1000 mL by adding enough distilled water. What is the pH
of the new solution?

A. 4.0
B. 5.0
C. 6.0
D. 7.0
Question 44
Consider the reactions below:
𝐻𝑆𝑂4− + 𝐻2 𝑂 ՞ 𝑆𝑂42− + 𝐻3 𝑂+ 𝐾𝑎 = 1.0𝑥10−2
𝐻2 𝐶𝑂3 + 𝐻2 𝑂 ՞ 𝐻𝐶𝑂3− + 𝐻3 𝑂+ 𝐾𝑎 = 4.4𝑥10−7
𝐻𝐶𝑁 + 𝐻2 𝑂 ՞ 𝐶𝑁 − + 𝐻3 𝑂+ 𝐾𝑎 = 4.0𝑥10−10

Which of the following is the correct order in terms of conjugate

base strength?
A. SO42- < HCO3- < CN- B. CN- < HCO3- < SO42-
C. HSO4- < H2CO3 < HCN D. HCN < H2CO3 < HSO4-
Question 45
What is the pH of a 2.00-L buffer made by mixing 19.0 g
NaH2PO4•6H2O (228.1) and 4.2 g Na2HPO4•6H2O (250.1)? pKa = 7.2

A. 5.20 B. 6.50
C. 7.90 D. 8.10
Question 46
A 25.00 mL 0.100 M HCl was titrated with 0.100 M NaOH. What is
the pH of the solution if 40.00 mL NaOH is added to the mixture?

A. 12.189 B. 12.363
C. 12.789 D. 12.778
Question 47
A 20.00 mL 0.500 M CH3COOH (Ka = 1.8x10-5) was titrated with
0.500 M NaOH. What is the pH of the solution at equivalence point?

A. 12.222 B. 11.476
C. 9.071 D. 10.129
Question 48
Which of the following is not a characteristic of a primary standard?

A. high purity
B. hygroscopic
C. high molecular weight
D. reasonable solubility in titration medium
Question 49
A 50.0 mL 0.020 M pyruvic acid, HC3H3O3 (Ka = 1.4x10-4) was
titrated using 0.10 M standard NaOH. What is the most suitable
indicator for the determination of endpoint?

pKa
Methyl yellow 3.3
Methyl red 5.0
Phenolphthalein 9.0
Question 50
A 0.600 g sample of a pure, weak diprotic acid gives end points at
20.0 mL and 40.0 mL when it is titrated with 0.100 M NaOH. What
is the molar mass of the weak acid?

A. 120 g/mol B. 150 g/mol

C. 300 g/mol D. 450 g/mol
Question 51
A 60.25 g of sample that might contain NaOH (39.99), Na2CO3
(105.99), NaHCO3 (84.01) or any compatible mixture is dissolved in
enough water to make the total volume 250.00 mL. 50.00 mL were
taken, diluted further to 500.00 mL and a 20.00-mL aliquot portion
is then titrated with 0.1205 N HCl by the double indicator method.
It is found that 25.32 mL of the acid are required to reach the
phenolphthalein endpoint. Methyl orange is then added to the
same solution and the titration continued using an additional 41.50
mL of the same acid. What is/are the species present in the sample
and in what concentrations (%w/w)?
Question 52
A 1.5283 sample which may contain NaOH, Na2CO3, NaHCO3 or a
compatible combination of these was dissolved in 100.0 mL water.
A 20 mL aliquot portion required 24.30 mL of 0.1018 N HCl solution
to reach the phenolphthalein endpoint whereas another 20 mL
portion required 48.60 mL of the same acid solution to reach the
bromcresol green endpoint. Calculate the % (w/w) of each
component in the original sample.
Question 53
All that is known of a weak acid HA, is that it is monoprotic and crystalline at
room temperature. A sample, weighing 500.0 mg is dissolved in 50.00 mL H2O
and titrated with 0.1000 M NaOH. The following data are taken from the
titration curve:
Volume of NaOH, mL pH
0.00 2.65
20.47 4.21
40.94 (endpoint) 8.43
What is the ionization constant of the acid?

A. 2.23x10-3 B. 6.17x10-5
C. 3.72x10-9 D. 5.41x10-9
Question 54
A buffer is made from equal concentrations of a weak acid and its
conjugate base. Doubling the volume of the buffer solution by adding
water has what effect on its pH?

A. It has little effect.

B. It significantly increases the pH.
C. It significantly decreases the pH.
D. It changes the pH asymptotically to the pKa of the acid.
E. It changes the pH asymptotically to the pKb of the conjugate base.
Question 55
During an acid-base titration, a very rapid change in pH

A. occurs when the first addition of the known solution is made

B. occurs when amounts of H3O+ ions and OH- ions are nearly
equivalent
C. occurs at several points during the titration
D. does not occur during titration
Question 56
Which of the following solvents could be used to differentiate the
acidities of HCl (pKa = -6) and HBr (pKa = -9)?

A. ethanol
B. ammonia
C. dimethylsulfoxide
D. hydrofluoric acid
Question 57
A 0.7121 g sample of wheat flour was analyzed by the Kjeldahl
method. The ammonia formed by addition of concentrated base
after digestion with H2SO4 was distilled into 25.00 mL of 0.04977 M
HCl. The excess HCl was then back-titrated with 3.97 mL of
0.04012 M NaOH. What is the percent protein in the flour?
(protein factor = 5.70)

A. 2.13% B. 12.16%
B. 31.3% D. 1.84%
Question 58
A 0.6407 g sample containing chloride and iodide ions gave a silver
halide precipitate weighing 0.4430 g. This precipitate was then
strongly heated in a stream of Cl2 gas to convert the AgI to AgCl;
on completion of this treatment, the precipitate weighed 0.3181 g.