Advanced Inorganic Chemistry

Examenvragen

27 January 2025

The exam is open book. You're allowed to use everything, including internet, as long as you don't communicate with each other. There are 10 questions.

1. Why is it necessary to use activities instead of concentrations when calculating chemical equilibria in concentrated electrolyte solutions?
2. How can the activities of metal ions be determined experimentally?
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using molarity, molality and mole fraction concentration scales in thermodynamic calculations?
4. Explain the observation that CoCl2 is insoluble in POCl3 solvent, but readily dissolves upon addition of liquid SbCl5 to the suspension?
5. Is group 3 of the periodic system composed of the elements Sc-Y-La-Ac odr Sc-Y-Lu-Lr? Give arguments in favor or against these two options.
6. Why do hydrated metal ions with a high electric charge have a stronger tendency to undergo hydrolysis than metals ions with a low charge?
7. Given is the phase diagram of the binary system copper-silver. Sketch a cooling curve from 1000°C to room temperature for (a) a mixture 40 wt% Ag + 60 wt% Cu, and (b) the eutectic mixture.
8. Given is the Pourbaix diagram of manganese. How can you derive from this diagram that manganese metal cannot be electrodeposited with a high current efficiency from an aqueous MnSO4 solution?
9. What concentration (in molality) of LaCl3 gives a solution with an ionic strength I of 1.0?
10. Given is the phase diagram of the binary system gallium-palladium. Which of the following compounds show a congruent melting point and which an incongruent melting point: PdGa5, Pd3Ga7, PdGa, Pd5Ga3, Pd2Ga? How can you derive this melting behavior from the phase diagram?

29 januari 2024

The exam is open book. You're allowed to use everything, including internet, as long as you don't communicate with each other.

1. Write the element abundance equations and the corresponding vector-matrix form for a reaction involving the species NH3, O2, NO, NO2 and H2O. Assume that the initial state of the system consists of NH3 and O2 in the molar ratio 4:7. (Example 2.4 p 24 course text)
2. The enthalpy changes for the following three reactions, which represent the formation of dilute boric acid solution, the dissolution of crystalline boric oxide and the formation of liquid water respectively, are as follows: (see example 3.7 on p 64 of the course text, it is identical). Find the enthalpy of formation for B2O3 (boric acid) from its elements.
3. What elements belong to group III? Sc-Y-Lu-Lr or Sc-Y-La-Ac? Give arguments in favor or against for both options.
4. A phase diagram of CO2 is shown similar to that of water at p 144 course text.
   • a) Give the Gibbs phase rule for: the liquid part, the line OA (the line that separates liquid from vapor), and O (the triple point).
   • b) Why does the line OA stop at A?
5. The figure showing fractional crystallisation (Fig 6.30 p 172 course text) is shown. How can two components be seperated using Fractional crystallisation?

30 januari 2023

1. What is the mechanism of sensitized lanthanide luminescence? Use a scheme to illustrate this mechanism.
2. Xenon fluoride reactions
   • a) Discuss the synthesis and reactivity of xenon fluorides.
   • b) Why is it easier to prepare xenon compounds than argon compounds?
3. Octahedral crystal field
   • a) How do p-orbitals and d-orbitals split in an octahedral crystal field?
   • b) Determine the ligand field stabilization energy LFSE for the following octahedral metal complexes (a) d3 (b) high-spin d5 (c) high-spin d6 (d) low-spin d6 (e) d9
4. Describe the hysteresis loop of a ferromagnetic material.
5. How do polarizing power and polarizability of ions influence partial covalent bond formation of ionic compounds? What different stages can be observed between a purely ionic bond and a purely covalent bond?

18 augustus 2022

1. What is the mechanism of sensitized lanthanide luminescence? Use a scheme to illustrate this mechanism.
2. Xenon fluoride reactions
   • a) Discuss the synthesis and reactivity of xenon fluorides.
   • b) Why is it easier to prepare xenon compounds than argon compounds?
3. Determine the ligand field stabilization energy LFSE for the following octahedral metal complexes (a) d3 (b) high-spin d5 (c) high-spin d6 (d) low-spin d6 (e) d9
4. Give 5 examples that illustrate the anomalous chemical behavior of lithium compared to the other alkali metals.
5. What are the main later developments of the periodic system after Mendeleev’s contributions in 1869–1870?

28 januari 2020 - VM

1. Periodiek systeem
   • a) Periodic trends in MV, density, IE en electronegativiteit
   • b) Bespreek La vs Lu in IIIb
2. Lanthanide-contractie
   • a)Trend in ion en atoomradius van lanthaniden
   • b) Waarom 4d en 5d metalen gelijkaardige eigenschappen hebben
3. Solvents
   • a) Manieren om non-aqueous solvent op te delen (protisch vs aprotisch - donor vs acceptor)
   • b) wat zijn donor- en acceptor solvents?
   • c) Hoe geeft men donorsterkte kwantitatief weer?
4. d-blok metalen
   • a) Jahn Teller-effect
   • b) Waarom d3 en d8 uitgesproken octahedrisch zijn
5. CT
   • a) Wat zijn charge transfer bands?
   • b) Vergelijk LMCT en MLCT
   • c) welke d-metaal-complexen vertonen CT-bands?
   • d) Hoe kan je CT-bands waarnemen?
   • e) Welke lanthaniden vertonen CT en waarom?