ACT Science : Chemistry

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for ACT Science

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Example Questions

Example Question #701 : Act Science

A student wished to study the acidity and basicity of various household ingredients and chemicals using her own, homemade pH indicator. A pH indicator is a substance that changes colors to indicate the acidity or basicity of a chemical solution. Acids can be defined as substances that donate hydrogen ions, or H+, while bases are substances that accept H­+ ions. The strength of these acids and bases can be measured using the pH scale as shown in Figure 1.

Figure_1_ph

Experiment 1:

The student placed a leaf of red cabbage in a blender with one liter of water and blended until the cabbage had been liquefied. She then strained the purple mixture and bottled it. The student then added one drop of her homemade cabbage pH indicator to a variety of household chemicals listed in Table 1. She recorded the known pH of these chemicals as well as the color the indicator turned when added to these chemicals.

Table_1_ph

Experiment 2:

The student wanted to see how baking soda would react in the presence of other household chemicals. She combined baking soda in water separately with each of the other chemicals used in Experiment 1. Some combinations would create bubbling while some other combinations wouldn't. She recorded the results in Table 2 below.

                                Table_2_ph

The student will attempt to color in Figure 1 with the appropriate color the indicator will turn at various pHs. Which answer choice lists the colors in the correct order, from left, or low pHs, to right, or high pHs?

Possible Answers:

Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Pink, Red

Pink, Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple

Purple, Blue, Green, Yellow, Red, Pink

Red, Pink, Purple, Blue, Green, Yellow

Correct answer:

Red, Pink, Purple, Blue, Green, Yellow

Explanation:

Note that Table 1 lists the chemicals from lowest to highest pH. Thus, we must simply list the colors that correspond with these increasing pH values in the order down the list on Table 1, starting with red, and ending with yellow.

Example Question #21 : Chemistry

Phase diagrams show what state of matter (solid, liquid, or gas) a chemical compound is in for a given temperature and pressure. Compounds , , and  have the following phase diagrams shown in Figure 1.

The triple point is the temperature and pressure at which a compound exists simultaneously in all three states of matter and is found on the phase diagram where the three curves intersect.

Phase_figure_1

At  and  (atmospheres of pressure), in what state of matter is Compound ?

Possible Answers:

Liquid

Gas

All three states of matter at once

Solid

Correct answer:

Solid

Explanation:

On the graph for Compound  in Figure 1, find  on the horizontal axis. Then follow this temperature value up until it intersects with a pressure value of 10. You will clearly be in the portion of the graph labeled "solid."

Example Question #701 : Act Science

Phase diagrams show what state of matter (solid, liquid, or gas) a chemical compound is in for a given temperature and pressure. Compounds , and  have the following phase diagrams shown in Figure 1.

The triple point is the temperature and pressure at which a compound exists simultaneously in all three states of matter and is found on the phase diagram where the three curves intersect.

Phase_figure_1

Which answer choice ranks the Compounds A-C in order of increasing triple point temperatures?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The triple point, as stated in the introduction, is found where all three curves intersect. The triple point temperature is the temperature at which this point occurs. The triple point temperatures for Compounds , , and  are roughly , , and , respectively. Thus, the compounds listed in order of increasing temperature are .

Example Question #701 : Act Science

Phase diagrams show what state of matter (solid, liquid, or gas) a chemical compound is in for a given temperature and pressure. Compounds , and  have the following phase diagrams shown in Figure 1.

The triple point is the temperature and pressure at which a compound exists simultaneously in all three states of matter and is found on the phase diagram where the three curves intersect.

Phase_figure_1

What processes must occur at temperatures and pressures along the green curve in these figures?

Possible Answers:

Condensing and melting

Freezing and boiling

Boiling and condensing

Melting and freezing

Correct answer:

Boiling and condensing

Explanation:

The green line represents the equilibrium between liquid and gas. When liquids change to gases, the process is called boiling. When gases change to liquids, the process is called condensing. Thus, the line represents both boiling and condensing.

Example Question #21 : How To Find Data Representation In Chemistry

Phase diagrams show what state of matter (solid, liquid, or gas) a chemical compound is in for a given temperature and pressure. Compounds , and  have the following phase diagrams shown in Figure 1.

The triple point is the temperature and pressure at which a compound exists simultaneously in all three states of matter and is found on the phase diagram where the three curves intersect.

Phase_figure_1

The process of a gas being converted to a solid is called "deposition." For what range of temperatures in degrees Kelvin () could deposition of Compound A occur for pressures between 5 and 10 atmospheres (atm)?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

As shown below, sketch a line from  to where it hits the red curve that represents the process of deposition. Follow this value straight down to the horizontal axis of temperature. This value is  as shown below. Do the same with  to obtain a range of  to .

Phases_q4_final

Example Question #701 : Act Science

Phase diagrams show what state of matter (solid, liquid, or gas) a chemical compound is in for a given temperature and pressure. Compounds , and  have the following phase diagrams shown in Figure 1.

The triple point is the temperature and pressure at which a compound exists simultaneously in all three states of matter and is found on the phase diagram where the three curves intersect.

Phase_figure_1

The slope of the blue line depends on the relative densities of the solid and the liquid. A positive slope means that the solid is denser than the liquid; a negative slope means the opposite. Which compounds have solid phases that are denser than their liquid phases?

Possible Answers:

Compounds B and C

Compound B only

Compound A only

Compounds A and C

Correct answer:

Compounds B and C

Explanation:

Compound B and C both have blue lines with positive slopes; this means that their solid phase is denser than their liquid phase.

Example Question #701 : Act Science

Phase diagrams show what state of matter (solid, liquid, or gas) a chemical compound is in for a given temperature and pressure. Compounds , and  have the following phase diagrams shown in Figure 1.

The triple point is the temperature and pressure at which a compound exists simultaneously in all three states of matter and is found on the phase diagram where the three curves intersect.

Phase_figure_1

In a room with a pressure of 10 atmospheres (atm) at  (Kelvin), solid Compound C is placed on a table. Then, the temperature is slowly increased up to . Which of the following answer choices list the states of matter Compound C will take as the temperature increases?

Possible Answers:

Solid, then gas, then liquid

Solid, then gas

Solid, then liquid

Solid, then liquid, then gas

Correct answer:

Solid, then liquid

Explanation:

Draw a line straight from 10 atm over to where this line will intersect with the temperature value of  as shown below. This represents the path the compound will take. Note that this compound will never become a gas at this pressure, and thus the answer is solid, then liquid only.

Phases_q_6

Example Question #28 : How To Find Data Representation In Chemistry

An experiment was carried out measuring the boiling point and freezing point of an unknown organic liquid (Sample X) with varying levels of salt dissolved within it. The experiment was conducted in the following manner:

First, the experimenter measured the boiling point and freezing point of Sample X. 

Next, a known quantity of salt was dissolved into the sample and then the boiling point and freezing points were measured again. 

The results of the experiment are outlined in the table below:

Table1

What would we predict the melting point of Sample X to be if the concentration of salt in it were 50 mg/L?

Possible Answers:

More information is necessary. 

Correct answer:

Explanation:

If we look at the chart, we see that every time the concentration of the salt is increased by 10 mg/L, the melting point temperature decreases by . Therefore, we can easily extrapolate from the chart's information and predict that the melting point temperature will decrease by  from the normal melting point of Sample X and therefore be around .

Example Question #21 : Chemistry

An experiment was carried out measuring the boiling point and freezing point of an unknown organic liquid (Sample X) with varying levels of salt dissolved within it. The experiment was conducted in the following manner:

First, the experimenter measured the boiling point and freezing point of Sample X. 

Next, a known quantity of salt was dissolved into the sample and then the boiling point and freezing points were measured again. 

The results of the experiment are outlined in the table below:

Table1

What is the normal freezing point of Sample X?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

This question is straightforward. The trick is to interpret correctly what the question means by "normal freezing point." We can presume that this means the freezing point of Sample X without any salt added, as this would mean that Sample X is in its normal state. Therefore, the answer is simply , as indicated on the table.

Example Question #711 : Act Science

An experiment was carried out measuring the boiling point and freezing point of an unknown organic liquid (Sample X) with varying levels of salt dissolved within it. The experiment was conducted in the following manner:

First, the experimenter measured the boiling point and freezing point of Sample X. 

Next, a known quantity of salt was dissolved into the sample and then the boiling point and freezing points were measured again. 

The results of the experiment are outlined in the table below:

Table1

What would we predict the boiling point of Sample X to be if the concentration of salt within it were 210 mg/L?

Possible Answers:

More information is necessary to do this calculation.

Correct answer:

Explanation:

This question may be intimidating because at face value, it appears to require some sort of equation; however, if we look at the trend in the chart provided, it comes down to interpreting the apparent relationship and extrapolating. 

As we can see in the chart, every time the concentration of salt increases by 10 mg/L, the boiling point increases by 1.4 degrees Celsius. This relationship remains consistent at all the given temperatures, so we can reasonably extrapolate. Therefore, if the concentration increases by 100 mg/L, the boiling point increases by . This remains true in the chart. Therefore, if we increase the concentration to 210 mg/L, we know that the boiling point is going to increase from the normal boiling point by  or 29.4 degrees Celsius. Therefore, the answer is , or 63.0 degrees Celsius.

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