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QUESTIONS - ANSWERS BANK

CLASS - XII
SUBJECT - CHEMISTRY
UNIT-5
( SURFACE CHEMISTRY )

Q.1 What ia meant by the term adsorption ?
A. The accumulation of molecular species at the surface rather than in the bulk of a solid or liquid is
termed as adsorption.
Q.2 Define the terms desorption and sorption .
A. DESORPTION - It is defined as the process of removing an adsorbed substance from a surface on
which it is adsorbed .
SORPTION - It is defined as the process when both adsorption and absorption takes place simultaneously .
Q.3 What is catalysis ? Explain its types with atleast one example .
A. The process of increase in the rate of a reaction with the help of catalyst is known as catalysis .
Catalysis is of two types :
Homogeneous catalysis - When catalyst and reactants mix homogeneously to form single phase ,the process
is known as homogeneous catalysis . For example: oxidation of SO
2
into SO
3
with O
2
in the presence of
NO(g) as the catalyst .
Heterogeneous catalysis - When catalyst and reactants are in different phases , the process is known as
heterogeneous catalysis . For example : oxidation of ammonia into nitric acid in the presence of platinum
gauze in Ostwaldsprocess .
Q.4 What is mean by the terms promoters and poisons ?
A. Promoters - They are the substances which enhance the activity of catalysis . For example ,in the
Habers process for the manufacture of ammonia , Molybdenum(Mo) is used as promoter which increases
the activity of Iron (Fe) used as catalyst .
Poisons - They are the substances which decreases the activity of catalyst . For example : in Rosenmund,s
reaction involving hydrogenation of acetyl chloride,Pd is used as catalyst while BaSO
4
acts as poison .
Q.5 Write main steps involved in the mechanism of heterogeneous catalysis .
A. 1. Diffusion of reactants to the surface of the catalyst .
2. Adsorption of reaction molecules on the surface of the catalyst .
3. Occurrence of chemical reaction on the catalysts surface through formation of an intermediate .
4. Desorption of reaction products from the catalyst surface , and thereby , making the surface available
again for more reaction to occur .
5. Diffusion of reaction products away from the catalysts surface .
Q.6 Why are enzymes called biocatalysts ?
A. Enzymes are called biocatalysts because they catalyse numerous reactions which are connected with
natural processes that occur in the bodies of animals and plants to maintain the life processes
Q.7 Give characteristics of enzyme catalysis .
A. Characteristics of enzyme catalysis are as follow :
1.Enzymes are most highly efficient as one enzyme molecule may transform one million molecules of the
reactant per minute.
2. They are highly specific in nature as each enzyme is specific for a given a reaction .
3. They are highly active under optimum temperature range of 298-310K .
4. They are highly active under optimum p H value 5-7.
5. Their activity is increased in the presence of co-enzyme a non protein substance and activators such as
Na
+
,Mn
2+
,Co
2+
,Cu
2+
etc.
6. They are inhibited or poisoned by the presence of certain substances .
Q.8 Explain what is observed
(1) FeCl
3
is added to Fe(OH)
3
sol .
(2) river water interact with potash alums .
(3) colloidal solution is observed under electron microscope .
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(4) emulsion is heated .
A. (1) Sol will be coagulated
(2) Deltas are formed due to coagulation .
(3) Brownian movement is observed .
(4) De-emulsification will occur .
Q.9 What is purification of colloidal solution ?
A. The process of reducing the amount of impurities to a requisite minimum is known as purification of
colloidal solution .
Q.10 What is Tyndall cone ?
A. The bright cone of light observed in the colloidal solution due to scattering of light when a strong
beam of light is passed through it in dark .
Q.11 What are the two conditions for Tyndall effect to occur ?
A. (1) The diameter of the dispersed particles is not much smaller than the wavelength of the light used .
(2) The refractive indices of the dispersed phase and the dispersion medium differ greatly in magnitude .
Q.12 Define the following terms (1)Electro- dialysis (2)Ultra filtration (3)Electro- kinetic potential.
A.(1)Electro-dialysis----It is the process of removing dissolved substances from a colloidal solution by
means of diffusion through a semi permeable membrane in the presence of electric current .
(2)Ultrafiltration-----It is the process of removing dissolved substances from colloidal solution by using
ultra filters .
(3) Electrokinetic potential-----It is the potential difference between the fixed charged layer and the diffused
layer of opposite charge .
Q13.What kind of adsorption is represented by the following graph :

Ans.Chemisorption.
Q14.Out of PO
4
3,
, SO
4
2,
, Cl
,
, which wil act as the best coagulating agent for for Fe (OH)
3
?
Ans.PO
4
3
.
Q15.Arrange the following in correct order of their coagulating power : Na
+
, Al
3+
, Ba
2+

Ans.Na
+
< Ba
2+
< Al
3+

Q16.Which type of charged particles are adsorbed on the surface of As
2
S
3
during its preparation ?
As
2
O
3
+ 3 H
2
S > As
2
S
3
+ 3 HOH
Ans.S
2
.

Q17.Which type of metals act as effective catalysts ?
T
x
M
3

Ans.Transition metals.
Q18.The colloidal solution of gold prepared by different methods have different colours. Why ?
Ans.Due to difference in the size of colloidal particles.
Q19.At high pressure, the entire metal surface gets covered by a mono molecular layer of the gas. What is
the order of the process ?
Ans.Zero order.
Q20.What is the term used for minimum concentration of an electrolyte which is able to cause coagulation
of a sol ?
Ans.Flocculation value.
Q21.A liquid is found to scatter a beam of light but leaves no residue when passed through the filter paper.
What can the liquid be described as ?
Ans.Colloid.
Q22.Out of glucose, urea and dodecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride, which one forms micelles in aqueous
solution above certain concentration ?
Ans.Dodecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride as it is a detergent.
Q23.A plot of log versus log p for the adsorption of a gas on a solid gives a straight line. What is the
slope equal to ?
Ans.
1
n

Q24.The formation of micelles occurs only beyond a certain temperature. What is the temperature called ?
Ans.Kraft temperature
Q 25.What are the signs of H, S and G for the process of adsorption ?
Ans.H = ve ; S = ve ; G = ve
Q26.Out of CO and NH
3
which is adsorbed on activated charcoal to a large extent and why ?
Ans.Ammonia; because more easily liquefiable gas undergoes adsorption to a greater extent.
Q27.On passing H
2
S through dilute HNO
3
the colourless solution becomes turbid. Why ?
Ans.Due to formation of colloidal sol of Sulphur.
Q28.A sol is prepared by addition to excess AgNO
3
solution in KI solution. What charge is likely to
develop on the colloidal particles ?
Ans.Positive.
Q29.If we add equimolar amounts of ferric hydroxide sol and arsenic sulphide sol, what will happen ?
Ans.Both the sols will get coagulated.

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Q30.What happens when freshly precipitated Fe (OH)
3
is shaken with a little amount of dilute
solution of FeCl
3
?
Ans.It causes peptization leading to the formation of a positively charged sol of Fe (OH)
3
.
Q31.What happens to a gold sol if gelatin is added to it ?
Ans.It causes stabilisation of gold sol.
Q32.Out of NaCl, MgSO
4
, Al
2
(SO
4
)
3
, K
4
[Fe(CN)
6
], which one will bring about the coagulation of a gold
sol quickest and in the least of concentration ?
Ans.Al
2
(SO
4
)
3
.
Q33.What is the unit for expressing flocculation value ?
Ans.millimole / litre.
Q34.Out of PO
4
3
, SO
4
2
, Al
3+
and Na
+
, which will have the highest coagulating power for As
2
S
3

colloid ?
Ans.Al
3+
.
Q35.Bleeding is stopped by the application of alum to a wound. Why ?
Ans.Blood is a colloid and alum being an electrolyte, makes the blood to coagulate and form clot.
Q36.What is the purpose of adding gelatin to ice cream ?
Ans.Ice cream is a colloid. Gelatin imparts stability to it because gelatin is a protective colloid.
Q 37.Dialysis is a method of purification of sols. But prolonged dialysis of the sol makes it unstable. Why ?
Ans.Traces of electrolytes in the sol, impart charge to dispersed phase particles making it stable. Prolonged
dialysis removes all electrolytes thus making the sol unstable.
Q38.What is the function of gum arabic in the preparation of Indian ink ?
Ans.Gum arabic is a protective colloid and thus provides stability to Indian ink.
Q39.What is collodion ? What is its use ?
Ans.Cellulose dispersed in ethanol, is called collodion. It is used for making membranes for
ultrafiltration.
Q40.Why the sun looks red at the time of setting ? Explain on the basis of colloidal properties.
Ans.At the time of setting, the sun is at the horizon. The light emitted by the sun has to travel a longer
distance through the atmosphere. As a result, blue part of the light is scattered away by the dust
particles in the atmosphere. Hence the red part is visible.
Q41.Addition of H
2
to acetylene gives ethane in presence of palladium but if BaSO
4
and quinoline or
sulphur are also added, the product is ethane. Why ?
Ans.BaSO
4
+ quinoline / s poison the catalyst. Hence, the efficiency of the catalyst decreases and the
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reaction stops at the first stage of reduction.
Q42.Why physical adsorption is multimolecular whereas chemisorption is unimolecular ?
Ans.Chemisorption takes place as a result of reaction between adsorbent and adsorbate. When the
surface of the adsorbent is covered with one layer, no further reaction can take place. Physical
adsorption is simply by Vander Waals forces. So any number of layers may be formed
one over the other on the surface of the adsorbent.
Q43.What type of colloidal sols are formed in the following ?
(i)Sulphur vapours are passed through cold water.
(ii)White of an egg is mixed with water.
(iii)Concentration of soap solution is increased.
Ans.(i)Multimolecular colloid
(ii) Macromolecular colloid
(iii) Associated colloid.
Q44.What is common to aquasol and aerosol ? In what respect do they differ ?
Ans.Both are colloids.
In aquasol, water acts as dispersion medium.
In aerosol, air acts as dispersion medium.















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EVALUATE YOURSELF
SURFACE CHEMISTRY

MM : 25 TIME : 40 MIN.



1. Name the catalyst used in the Ostwald process for the manufacture of nitric acid .
2. What happens when a colloidal sol of Fe(OH)
3
is mixed with that of

As2S3 ?

3. How does alum helps in the purification of water with suspended impurities ?
4. Define gold number .

5. Why sky appears blue in the colour ?

6. Write down the difference between sols and emulsions.

7. What does activity and selectivity of catalyst means ? Explain.

8. What is CMC and Kraft temperature with respect to Micelles formation?

9. What is the difference between adsorption isotherm and adsorption isobar ?
10.In which of the following does adsorption takes place

(i) Silica gel placed in the atmosphere containing water .

(ii) Anhydrous CaCl2 placed in the atmosphere containing water .

11.Differentiate between multimolecular, macromolecular and associated colloids ?
12.Write short note on (a) Electrophoresis (b) Peptization .
13.Differentiate between (a) Physical and chemical adsorption (b) Lyophillic and
Lyophobic colloids .