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DSE Chemistry: Metals — Practice Questions & Answers
The reactivity series of metals, how it explains extraction and displacement, the reactions of metals with water, acids and oxygen, and the corrosion of iron.
318 practice questions available for this topic — here are 10 with full answers and explanations.
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Practice questions with answers
1
Multiple choice · Medium
Which corrosion prevention method for galvanised iron is correctly described?
Galvanised iron - sacrificial protection
Galvanised iron - alloying
Tin-plated iron - sacrificial protection
Aluminium window frames - sacrificial protection
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Why Galvanised iron (zinc-coated) is protected by sacrificial protection because zinc is more reactive than iron.
2
Multiple choice · Medium
In an experiment, iron nail B is wrapped with magnesium ribbon in a gel containing NaCl, K3Fe(CN)6 and phenolphthalein. Nail B does NOT rust because
magnesium corrodes in place of the iron
magnesium is less reactive than iron
magnesium seals out all water
the iron is converted into an alloy
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Why Magnesium is more reactive, so it is oxidised instead of the iron, giving sacrificial (cathodic) protection.
3
Multiple choice · Easy
Iron will rust only when both of which two substances are present?
water and oxygen
water and nitrogen
oxygen and carbon dioxide
water and hydrogen
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Why Rusting needs both water and oxygen.
4
Fill in the blank · Medium
In the rusting indicator test, the formation of a
Check answer
Answer:
blue / dark blue
Why This confirms the iron has corroded.
5
Fill in the blank · Easy
Connecting iron to a more reactive metal such as zinc or magnesium protects it by
Check answer
Answer:
sacrificial
Why The more reactive metal is oxidised preferentially.
6
Fill in the blank · Medium
A tin-plated iron can rusts faster than bare iron once the coating is scratched because tin is
Check answer
Answer:
less
Why The exposed iron then corrodes preferentially.
7
Multiple choice · Easy
Stainless steel is an alloy of iron with mainly
chromium (and nickel)
copper and tin
lead and zinc
sodium and potassium
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Why Stainless steel contains chromium (and nickel), which give corrosion resistance.
8
Multiple choice · Medium
Stainless steel is suitable for making knives because the chromium
makes the alloy resistant to rusting and keeps it hard
makes the alloy soft and easy to bend
makes the alloy a poor conductor
lowers the melting point so it can be cast easily
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Why Chromium forms a protective oxide layer giving corrosion resistance, and the alloy is hard and strong.
9
Multiple choice · Hard
An alloy such as stainless steel is harder than pure iron because the different-sized atoms
distort the layers so they cannot slide over each other easily
allow the layers to slide more easily
remove the delocalised electrons
turn the metallic bonding into ionic bonding
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Why Atoms of different sizes distort the regular lattice, making it harder for layers to slide over one another.
10
Fill in the blank · Easy
The main alloying element that makes stainless steel resistant to corrosion is
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Answer:
chromium / Cr
Why Chromium.
Key terms in Metals
Metal: An element that is typically shiny, malleable, ductile and a good conductor of heat and electricity.
Metallic bond: The attraction between metal cations and a sea of delocalised electrons.
Reactivity series: A list of metals arranged in order of their tendency to lose electrons and react.
Extraction of metals: The process of obtaining a metal from its ore, by methods chosen according to reactivity.
Reduction (extraction): The removal of oxygen from a metal oxide, for example when iron oxide is reduced in a blast furnace.
Blast furnace: An industrial furnace in which iron is extracted from its ore using coke, limestone and hot air.
Rusting: The corrosion of iron in the presence of both oxygen and water to form hydrated iron(III) oxide.
Corrosion: The gradual destruction of a metal by chemical reaction with substances in its environment.
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