8.4.2 Transition Elements — Past Paper Exam
15 Questions · 26 Total Marks · Coloured Compounds, Catalysts & Element Identification
State one chemical property of transition elements that makes their compounds distinctly different from the compounds of Group I metals.
Predict the colour of a solution of copper(II) sulfate. Justify your answer.
Cobalt(II) chloride solution is pink. Sodium chloride solution is colourless. Explain this difference in terms of the nature of the metal ions present.
Zinc is in the d-block of the Periodic Table, yet zinc sulfate solution is colourless. Suggest why zinc does not behave like a typical transition element in this respect.
A student adds sodium hydroxide solution to a green solution and observes a green precipitate forming. Identify the transition metal ion present and write an ionic equation for the reaction.
State one major industrial use of transition elements, other than as a structural material.
Name the transition element used as a catalyst in the Haber process for the manufacture of ammonia.
Explain why vanadium(V) oxide (V₂O₅) acts as an effective catalyst in the Contact process. Include the concept of variable oxidation state in your answer.
Name the catalyst used in the catalytic hydrogenation of vegetable oils to make margarine.
Give two advantages of using a transition element as a catalyst in an industrial process.
An unknown metal has a very high melting point, a high density, and its sulfate solution is blue. Is this element a Group I metal or a transition element? Justify your answer with two pieces of evidence.
Element X has the following properties: melting point 98°C, density 0.97 g/cm³, reacts vigorously with cold water, and its chloride solution is colourless. Identify the group X belongs to and name element X.
The table shows data for three elements A, B and C. Element A: MP = 1538°C, density = 7.87 g/cm³, ion colour in solution = pale green Element B: MP = 64°C, density = 0.86 g/cm³, ion colour in solution = colourless Element C: MP = 1455°C, density = 8.91 g/cm³, ion colour in solution = green-blue Identify which elements are transition elements. For each transition element, name the element and the ion responsible for the colour.
A student tests two white solids, X and Y, dissolved in water. Both solutions are colourless. Solid X reacts with NaOH solution to form a white precipitate that dissolves in excess NaOH. Solid Y reacts with NaOH solution to form a white precipitate that does NOT dissolve in excess NaOH. Suggest the identity of the metal ion in each solid.
(a) State two physical properties that are characteristic of transition elements. [2] (b) A student claims that manganese is not a transition element because it is not magnetic. Evaluate this claim. [1]
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🚨 Key Examiner Traps — Transition Elements
- !Zinc is d-block but NOT a transition element — Zn²⁺ has a full d-subshell (d¹⁰).
- !Fe²⁺ = pale GREEN solution. Fe³⁺ = RED-BROWN solution. Never mix these up.
- !The Haber process catalyst is IRON (Fe), not iron oxide. The Contact process catalyst is V₂O₅.
- !A catalyst speeds up reaction by providing a lower activation energy pathway — not by being consumed.
- !Transition elements are defined by partially filled d-subshell, NOT by being magnetic or forming coloured compounds.
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