Cambridge Past Paper Questions
Browse 23,045questions from 25 years of O-Level & A-Level exams. Click any question to practice.
Which compound will decolourise Br₂(aq)?
Alkenes react with aqueous hydrogen bromide. The reaction proceeds via an intermediate carbocation. The more stable the intermediate, the faster th...
The diagram shows the structures of three halogenoalkanes. [Figure 30.1] P, Q and R can all be hydrolysed. Which row is correct? [Figure 30.2]
A sample of 2.30 g of ethanol is mixed with an excess of aqueous acidified potassium dichromate(VI). The reaction mixture is boiled under reflux fo...
The structure of tartaric acid is shown. [Figure 32.1] Four moles of substance X react with one mole of tartaric acid. What could be substance X?
Which compound gives both: an orange precipitate with 2,4-DNPH reagent and a yellow precipitate with alkaline I₂(aq)?
A student suggests two uses of LiAlH₄. reaction 1 CH₃-CH=CH₂ LiAlH₄→ CH₃-CH₂-CH₃ reaction 2 CH₃CO₂H LiAlH₄→ CH₃CH₂OH Which reactions would give the...
Compound X contains a single ester group. X contains 27.6% by mass of oxygen. Which pair of products could be produced by the hydrolysis of X?
What is the least number of carbon atoms in a non-cyclic alkane molecule that has a chiral centre?
A molecule of a polymer contains the sequence shown. [Figure 37.1] Which monomer could produce this polymer by addition polymerisation?
Compound Y is heated with a mild oxidising agent. One of the products of the reaction reacts with hydrogen cyanide forming 2-hydroxybutanenitrile. ...
The diagrams show the structures of lycopene and β-carotene. [Figure 39.1] When lycopene is converted into β-carotene, what is the gain or loss of ...
Which diagram shows the infrared spectrum of a compound that contains both a C=O and an O-H group? [Figure 40.1]
Fig. 1.1 shows how first ionisation energies vary across Period 2. [Figure 1.1]
Some oxides of elements in Period 3 are shown. Na₂O Al₂O₃ P₄O₆ P₄O₁₀ SO₂ SO₃
The hydrogen halides HCl, HBr and HI are all colourless gases at room temperature.
Compounds J and K are found in plant oils. [Figure 4.1]
You will determine the concentration of sulfuric acid by reaction with a known concentration of sodium hydroxide using a thermometric method. The e...
Solid sodium sulfite is often provided as the hydrated salt, Na2SO3•xH2O, where x is an integer. You will determine x by using a solution of this s...
FA 7 and FA 8 are solutions containing a total of three cations and two anions. Two of the cations and both of the anions are listed in the Qualita...
Iodine is found naturally in compounds in many different oxidation states.
Silicon is the second most abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust.
Titanium is a transition element in Period 4. It is commonly found as TiO2 in minerals.
Compounds F and J are shown in Fig. 4.1. [Figure 4.1 showing structures of F and J]
2-Chloropropanoic acid, CH3CHCICOOH, is used in many chemical syntheses.
Lidocaine is used as an anaesthetic. A synthesis of lidocaine is shown in Fig. 6.1. [Figure 6.1 showing synthesis of Lidocaine from W and X via Y]
A student has a sample of copper(II) sulfate crystals, CuSO₄•xH₂O. The student wants to show that the value of x is 5. The student uses the follow...
The conductivity of an ionic solution can be determined by passing an electric current through the solution and measuring the conductivity using a ...
Four equations representing reactions of nitrogen or one of its compounds are given. Which equation represents a disproportionation reaction?
The diagram shows the Boltzmann distribution for one mole of a gas. The gas takes part in a reaction with an activation energy, Ea. [Figure 2.1: Bo...
A student carries out four experiments to investigate the rate of reaction between 3.0 g of calcium carbonate and hydrochloric acid. CaCO3(s) + 2HC...
The table shows the partial pressures in an equilibrium mixture formed by the Haber process. 3H2(g) + N2(g) ⇌ 2NH3(g) [Table with columns "substanc...
A reversible reaction is shown. 2NOCl(g) ⇌ 2NO(g) + Cl2(g) ∆H = +77.0 kJ mol⁻¹ Which change in conditions will move the position of equilibrium to ...
The ore psilomelane may be considered to have the general formula Ba(Mnˣ⁺)(Mnʸ⁺)₈O₁₆(OH)₄. In this general formula, x+ and y+ are the two different...
Silicon reacts with a mixture of calcium oxide and magnesium oxide at 1200 °C. 2MgO + 2CaO + Si → 2Mg + Ca2SiO4 Which statement about this reaction...
In which species is there a lone pair of electrons?
Under which conditions will nitrogen behave most like an ideal gas? [Table with columns "temperature", "pressure"]
The equation for a chemical reaction is shown. All substances are in their standard states. XeF6 + 3H2O → XeO3 + 6HF Which statement describes the ...
Molten aluminium chloride has a simple molecular structure. Each molecule consists of two aluminium atoms and six chlorine atoms. Which statement i...
Which atom contains four times as many neutrons as the ⁷₃Li atom?
Which statement about the first ionisation energies of magnesium and neon is correct?
In a sample of pure water, what is the maximum number of hydrogen bonds that one molecule of water can be involved in?
Hydrated cobalt(II) sulfate loses water when heated to give anhydrous cobalt(II) sulfate. All the water of crystallisation is lost to the atmospher...
The table shows bond energies for some diatomic molecules. Deuterium, D, is an isotope of hydrogen. [Table with columns "bond", "energy /kJ mol⁻¹" ...
Two procedures are described. 1 Sulfur is burned in an excess of oxygen and then NO is added to the product mixture. 2 Sulfur is burned in an exces...
Powder P is a mixture containing two of AgCl, AgBr or AgI. P is shaken with dilute aqueous ammonia. A yellow solid, Q, remains. The mixture is filt...
Two Period 3 elements, X and Y, burn separately in oxygen to form solid oxides. The oxide of X is insoluble in water. The oxide of Y dissolves in w...
Which row describes the structure and bonding of SiO2 and SiCl4? [Table with columns "SiO2 structure", "SiO2 bonding", "SiCl4 structure", "SiCl4 bo...
A sample containing 0.010 mol of anhydrous calcium nitrate is heated strongly until it fully decomposes. All the gas produced is collected and its ...
V and Z are both elements in Period 3 of the Periodic Table. Each element forms one stable ion that does not contain another element. The atomic ra...