CHE 413N Problem Set 1: Chapters 1& 2 April 20, 2016 Engr. May V.

Tampus

Instructions: Work in groups. Answer the problems given below. Write your answers on a long-size bondpaper. Submit
the answers to the problem set on April 25, 2016.

Conceptual Questions:
1. What are materials? List five commonly encountered engineering materials.
2. Define materials science and materials engineering.
3. What are the main classes of engineering materials?
4. What are some of the important properties of each of these engineering materials?
5. Define (a) atomic number, (b) atomic mass unit, (c) Avogadros number, (d) electronegativity, (e) photon and (f)
electric dipole.
6. Describe the Bohr model of the hydrogen atom. What are the major shortcomings of the Bohr model?
7. Describe the four quantum numbers of an electron and give their allowed values.
8. Which five elements are the most electropositive according to the electronegativity scale?
9. Briefly describe the following types of primary bonding: (a) ionic, (b) covalent, and (c) metallic.
10. Briefly describe the following types of secondary bonding: (a) fluctuating dipole and (b) permanent dipole.
11. In general, explain why does bonding between atoms occur?
12. Pure aluminum is a ductile metal with low tensile strength and hardness. Its oxide aluminum oxide (alumina,
Al2O3) is extremely strong, hard, and brittle. Can you explain this difference from an atomic bonding point of
view?
13. Describe hydrogen bond. Among what elements is this bond restricted?
14. Describe the two major factors that must be taken into account in the packing of ions in an ionic crystal.
15. Why is diamond such a hard material?
16. Describe the metallic bonding process among an aggregate of copper atoms.
17. How can the high electrical and thermal conductivities of metals be explained by the electron gas model of
metallic bonding? What about for ductility?
18. Methane has a much lower boiling point than does water. Explain why this is true in terms of the bonding
between molecules in each of these two substances.
19. For each of the following compounds, state whether bonding is essentially metallic, covalent, ionic, van der
Waals, or hydrogen: (a) Ni, (b) ZrO2, (c) graphite, (d) solid Kr, (e) Si, (f) BN, (g) SiC, (h) Fe 2O3, (i) H2O within
molecules, and (j) H2O between molecules.

Problems:
1. The cladding (outside layers) of the U.S. quarter coin consists of an alloy of 75wt% copper and 25 wt% nickel.
What are the atomic percent of Cu and Ni of this material? (ANS: 73.5 wt% Cu)
2. An intermetallic compound has the general chemical formula NixAly, where x and y are simple integers, and
consists of 42.04 wt% nickel and 57.96 wt% aluminum. What is the simplest formula of this nickel aluminide?
(ANS: NiAl3)
3. Write the electron configuration for the Fe atom (Z= 26) and the Fe 2+ and Fe3+ ions by using conventional spdf
notation. Which of the electrons are the easiest to remove in iron? Explain why. (ANS: 4s electrons)
4. Write the electron configurations of the following elements by using spdf notion: (a) Yttrium, (b) Hafnium, (c)
He, and (d) Xe.
5. Compute the % ionic character of the interatomic bond that forms between carbon and hydrogen. (ANS: 96.1%)
6. Chromium has four naturally occurring isotopes: 4.34% of 50Cr, with an atomic weight of 49.9460 amu; 83.79%
of 52Cr, with an atomic weight of 51.9405 amu; 9.50% of 53Cr, with an atomic weight of 52.9407 amu; and 2.37%
of 54Cr, with an atomic weight of 53.9398 amu. On the basis of these data, confirm that the average atomic
weight of Cr is 51.9963 amu.
7. To what group in the periodic table would an element with atomic number 114 belong?
8. Without consulting the periodic table, determine whether each of the following electron configurations is an
inert gas, a halogen, an alkali metal, an alkaline earth metal, or a transition metal. Justify your choices: (a) 1s-
2 2
2s 2p63s23p63d74s2, (b) 1s22s22p5, and (c) 1s22s22p63s23p64s1.
9. Give the electron configurations for the following ions: Al 3+, Cu+, Br-, O2- and S2-.
10. The atomic radii of K+ and Br- ions are 0.138 and 0.196 nm, respectively. (a) Calculate the force of attraction
between these two ions at their equilibrium interionic separation (i.e., when the ions just touch one another).
(b) What is the force of repulsion at this same separation distance? (ANS: 2.07 x 10-9 N, -2.07 07 x 10-9 N)