Transition Metals | AQA A-Level Chemistry (7405)
Transition Metals
- 324 questions
- 19 subtopics
- Inorganic chemistry, examined on Paper 1
- Paper 1 and Paper 3
Transition metals is examined on Papers 1 and 3, and is the longest topic in the specification.
It explains what makes a transition metal, then works through complex ions and their shapes, colour and colorimetry, variable oxidation states, catalysis, and the reactions used to identify metal ions.
Sample questions from Transition Metals
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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General Properties of Transition Metals
What is a ligand?
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A molecule or ion that donates an electron pair to a transition metal, forming a coordinate bond -
Complex Ions: Why a Species Can Act as a Ligand, and Coordination Number
What determines whether a ligand is monodentate, bidentate, or multidentate?
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The number of atoms in the ligand that have lone pairs capable of forming coordinate bonds with the metal ion. -
Substitution Reactions with Bidentate and Multidentate Ligands
What type of reaction occurs when a bidentate or multidentate ligand replaces monodentate ligands in a complex?
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A ligand substitution reaction. -
Shapes of Complex Ions and Stereoisomerism
In cis-trans isomerism of octahedral complexes, what defines the cis isomer?
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Two identical ligands are adjacent to each other at 90° to one another -
Colorimetry and Concentration Determination
What is the relationship between absorbance and concentration for coloured solutions?
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Absorbance is directly proportional to concentration (Beer-Lambert law) -
Tollens' Reagent and Redox Titrations
Why can Tollens' reagent be used to distinguish between aldehydes and ketones?
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Aldehydes can be oxidised to carboxylic acids, but ketones cannot be oxidised by mild oxidising agents like Tollens' reagent -
Vanadium(V) Oxide and the Contact Process
Why is vanadium(V) oxide described as a heterogeneous catalyst in the Contact process?
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It is a solid in a different phase from the gaseous reactants (SO₂ and O₂), and the reaction occurs at active sites on its surface. -
Metal-Aqua Ions and Acidity
What is the formula of the hexaaquachromium(III) ion?
Show the answer
[Cr(H₂O)₆]³⁺
The 19 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| General Properties of Transition Metals | The partly filled d sub-shell, and the four characteristic properties that follow from it. | 11 |
| Complex Ions: Ligands, Coordinate Bonds and Denticity | Complex ions and coordinate bonding, and monodentate, bidentate and multidentate ligands. | 12 |
| Complex Ions: Why a Species Can Act as a Ligand, and Coordination Number | The lone pair that lets a species act as a ligand, coordination number, and the shapes complexes take. | 9 |
| Substitution Reactions with Monodentate Ligands | Water, ammonia and chloride ligands, and why coordination number changes with chloride. | 23 |
| Substitution Reactions with Bidentate and Multidentate Ligands | Bidentate and multidentate ligands, and the equations for their substitution. | 13 |
| Haemoglobin and the Chelate Effect | Oxygen transport by haemoglobin, carbon monoxide toxicity, and the entropy behind the chelate effect. | 25 |
| Shapes of Complex Ions and Stereoisomerism | Octahedral, tetrahedral, square planar and linear shapes, and the cis-trans and optical isomerism they allow. | 21 |
| Formation of Coloured Ions and the d-d Transition | Splitting of the d sub-shell, the d-d transition, and what changes the colour. | 22 |
| Colorimetry and Concentration Determination | Using a filter and a calibration curve to find the concentration of a coloured solution. | 9 |
| Variable Oxidation States and Vanadium Chemistry | Why d-block elements show several oxidation states, and the colours of the vanadium species. | 27 |
| Tollens' Reagent and Redox Titrations | Tollens' reagent as a test for aldehydes, and manganate(VII) titrations. | 24 |
| Heterogeneous Catalysis | Adsorption on the surface, support media, and why catalysts are poisoned. | 21 |
| Vanadium(V) Oxide and the Contact Process | The two steps by which V₂O₅ catalyses sulfur trioxide formation. | 10 |
| Homogeneous Catalysis and Autocatalysis | Catalysis through an intermediate, and autocatalysis by Mn²⁺. | 14 |
| Metal-Aqua Ions and Acidity | Hexaaqua ions, why 3+ ions are more acidic than 2+ ions, and the hydrolysis equilibrium. | 16 |
| Metal Aqua Ions with Bases: Reactions with Hydroxide and Ammonia | Adding sodium hydroxide or ammonia to metal aqua ions, and the precipitates and colours that identify them. | 21 |
| Metal Aqua Ions with Bases: Why They React, and Chromium(III) | Why an aqua ion behaves as an acid, and the chromium(III) reactions including dissolving in excess hydroxide. | 8 |
| Amphoteric Hydroxides | Which hydroxides dissolve in both acid and excess alkali, and the equations. | 11 |
| Identifying Transition Metal Ions by Test-Tube Reactions | Working from precipitate colour and behaviour in excess reagent to name the ion. | 27 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
AQA A-Level Chemistry Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 2,442 questions with their answers.