AQA GCSE Chemistry 8462: Properties of transition metals – Practice Questions

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, for revision and practice on this content. They are not reproduced past-paper questions, and they do not replicate the exam’s exact structure, question count or mark tariffs – examination boards hold copyright in their own papers. Use these alongside the official past papers from your board or school.

These questions cover section 4.1.3 Properties of transition metals (4.1.3.1 Comparison with Group 1 elements and 4.1.3.2 Typical properties) of the AQA GCSE Chemistry (8462) specification, for teaching from September 2016 with exams from June 2018 (version 1.1). The section is part of Topic 1, examined on Paper 1 at Foundation and Higher tier. None of it is Higher tier only, so every question here is for both tiers. A calculator is useful for questions 3 and 8.

Learn the content first in the transition metals study guide and the transition metals revision notes. Questions on the rest of Topic 1 are in the atomic structure practice questions. The course hub is AQA GCSE Chemistry and the printable checklist lists every statement.

Questions

1. (a) Which one of these elements is a transition metal: calcium, cobalt, potassium, sodium? [1] (b) State where the transition metals are found in the periodic table. [1]

2. State the three typical properties that many transition elements share. [3]

3. The table gives data for four metals.

Metal	Melting point / °C	Density / g/cm³
sodium	98	0.97
potassium	64	0.89
iron	1538	7.87
nickel	1455	8.90

(a) Water has a density of 1.00 g/cm³. Which metals in the table would float on water? [1] (b) Calculate how many times as dense as sodium nickel is. Give your answer to 2 significant figures. [2] (c) Calculate the difference between the melting points of nickel and potassium. [1]

4. Transition metals form ions with different charges.

(a) Write the formula of copper(II) chloride. [1] (b) Write the formula of iron(II) oxide. [1] (c) Write the formula of chromium(III) sulfate. The sulfate ion is SO₄²⁻. [1] (d) Name the compound FeCl₂. [1]

5. A teacher drops a small piece of potassium into a trough of cold water. A student drops a piece of copper into a beaker of cold water.

(a) Describe what you would see in each case. [3] (b) Write a balanced symbol equation for the reaction of potassium with water. [2]

6. A student has three solutions: copper(II) sulfate, iron(II) sulfate and potassium manganate(VII).

(a) Give the colour of each solution. [3] (b) Sodium sulfate solution is colourless. Explain why, using the position of sodium in the periodic table. [1]

7. This question is about iron(II) sulfate.

(a) Sodium hydroxide solution is added to iron(II) sulfate solution. Give the colour of the precipitate. [1] (b) Write a balanced symbol equation for this reaction. [2] (c) A pale green solution of iron(II) sulfate is left open to the air for a week. It turns orange-brown. Suggest what has happened to the iron ions, and which property of transition metals this shows. [2]

8. A student investigates whether three powders, X, Y and Z, catalyse the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. She adds 1.0 g of each powder to separate 20 cm³ portions of the same hydrogen peroxide solution at room temperature. She collects the oxygen for 40 s, then filters, dries and weighs the powder.

Powder	Volume of oxygen in 40 s / cm³	Mass of powder at end / g
none	4	–
X	36	1.0
Y	54	0.6
Z	4	1.0

(a) Calculate the mean rate of oxygen production with powder X. Give the unit. [2] (b) Which powder is a catalyst? Explain your choice and why each of the other two powders is not a catalyst. [3] (c) Write a balanced symbol equation for the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. [2] (d) Explain why a catalyst does not appear in this equation. [1] (e) State one variable the student kept the same to make the test fair, apart from temperature. [1]

9. The table describes two metals, J and L.

	Metal J	Metal L
Melting point / °C	1520	181
Density / g/cm³	8.1	0.53
Hardness	hard	soft; cuts with a knife
With cold water	no visible reaction	fizzes, releasing hydrogen
Chlorides	JCl₂ (green) and JCl₃ (yellow-brown)	LCl only (white)

(a) Which metal is a transition metal? Give four pieces of evidence from the table. [5] (b) Give the charge on the ion of J in JCl₂ and in JCl₃. [2] (c) Suggest which group of the periodic table metal L is in. [1]

10. Compare the reactions of sodium and iron with oxygen, with water and with chlorine. [6]

11. This question is about equations and catalysts.

(a) Iron wool is heated in chlorine gas. Write a balanced symbol equation for the reaction and name the product. [3] (b) Copper is heated in air. Write a balanced symbol equation and give the colour of the product. [3] (c) Name the transition metal used as the catalyst in the Haber process. [1] (d) Write the formula of manganese(IV) oxide. [1]

Answers

1. (a) Cobalt [1]. (b) In the central block, between Group 2 and Group 3 [1]. [2] Examiner insight: “In the middle” is usually accepted, but “between Groups 2 and 3” is safer; naming the wrong groups loses the mark.

2. Ions with different charges [1]; form coloured compounds [1]; useful as catalysts [1]. [3] Examiner insight: Physical properties such as “high melting point” are 4.1.3.1 comparisons, not the 4.1.3.2 typical properties, so they score nothing here.

3. (a) Sodium and potassium [1] (both needed). (b) 8.90 ÷ 0.97 [1] = 9.18, so 9.2 [1]. (c) 1455 − 64 = 1391 °C [1]. [4] Examiner insight: A correct final answer usually earns full marks, but a wrong answer with the division shown can still earn the method mark, so write the calculation down.

4. (a) CuCl₂ [1]. (b) FeO [1]. (c) Cr₂(SO₄)₃ [1]. (d) Iron(II) chloride [1]. [4] Examiner insight: Formulae must use correct case and subscripts: “CUCL2” or “Cr2SO43” scores zero, and “iron chloride” without (II) does not earn the naming mark.

5. (a) Potassium: fizzes / bubbles of gas [1]; moves about on the surface, melts, or burns with a lilac flame (any one) [1]. Copper: no visible change [1]. (b) Correct formulae K + H₂O → KOH + H₂ [1]; balanced: 2K + 2H₂O → 2KOH + H₂ [1]. [5] Examiner insight: “It reacts” is not an observation; describe what you see. “Hydrogen is made” is not an observation either, but “bubbles” or “fizzing” is.

6. (a) Copper(II) sulfate: blue [1]. Iron(II) sulfate: (pale) green [1]. Potassium manganate(VII): purple [1]. (b) Sodium is in Group 1, not a transition metal, so its compounds are not coloured [1]. [4] Examiner insight: Give one colour per solution: an answer such as “blue/green” for iron(II) sulfate contradicts itself and does not score.

7. (a) Green [1]. (b) Correct formulae of products Fe(OH)₂ and Na₂SO₄ [1]; balanced: FeSO₄ + 2NaOH → Fe(OH)₂ + Na₂SO₄ [1]. (c) Iron(II) ions have changed to iron(III) ions (Fe²⁺ to Fe³⁺) [1]; transition metals form ions with different charges, and compounds with different charges have different colours [1]. [5] Examiner insight: In (c) the mark needs the charge change, not just “it reacted with air”; “it went rusty” does not earn credit.

8. (a) Rate = 36 ÷ 40 = 0.90 [1] cm³/s [1]. (b) X is the catalyst: it speeds up the reaction and its mass is unchanged [1]. Y speeds up the reaction but 0.4 g was used up, so it is a reactant [1]. Z does not change the rate (same volume as no powder) [1]. (c) Correct formulae H₂O₂ → H₂O + O₂ [1]; balanced: 2H₂O₂ → 2H₂O + O₂ [1]. (d) It is not used up / not a reactant or product [1]. (e) Any one: volume of hydrogen peroxide; concentration of hydrogen peroxide; mass of powder; time of collection [1]. [9] Examiner insight: The unit is a separate mark in (a); a bare 0.9 loses one mark, and “cm³” without “/s” is not accepted.

9. (a) J is the transition metal [1]. Any four pieces of evidence [4]: higher melting point; higher density; hard (L is soft); does not react with cold water (L does); forms ions with two different charges / two chlorides; its chlorides are coloured (L’s chloride is white). (b) 2+ in JCl₂ [1]; 3+ in JCl₃ [1]. (c) Group 1 [1]. [8] Examiner insight: Each piece of evidence must be a comparison or quote data; “J melts at 1520 °C” without a comparison to L may not be credited as a difference.

10. Two marks for each reactant, one per metal:

• Oxygen: sodium tarnishes quickly in air at room temperature [1]; iron reacts slowly (rusting, which also needs water) or burns only when heated [1].
• Water: sodium reacts with cold water, fizzing and releasing hydrogen to form sodium hydroxide [1]; iron shows no visible reaction with cold water [1].
• Chlorine: sodium reacts vigorously, burning to form white sodium chloride [1]; iron reacts less vigorously and must be heated, forming iron(III) chloride [1]. [6]

Also creditworthy in place of a missing point: an overall statement that sodium is more reactive than iron. Examiner insight: Points that describe only one metal need a comparative word (“less vigorously”, “more quickly”) to count as a comparison; a list of sodium facts alone caps the credit.

11. (a) Correct formulae Fe + Cl₂ → FeCl₃ [1]; balanced 2Fe + 3Cl₂ → 2FeCl₃ [1]; iron(III) chloride [1]. (b) Correct formulae Cu + O₂ → CuO [1]; balanced 2Cu + O₂ → 2CuO [1]; black [1]. (c) Iron [1]. (d) MnO₂ [1]. [8] Examiner insight: A balancing mark is only available when every formula is correct, so “Fe + Cl → FeCl₃” scores nothing for balancing.

Where marks are usually lost

• Calling transition metals “more reactive” than Group 1.
• Writing “heavier” for “denser”, or “hotter” for “higher melting point”.
• Mixing up the 4.1.3.1 physical comparisons with the three 4.1.3.2 typical properties.
• Leaving out the Roman numeral in names such as iron(II) chloride.
• Writing “Cl” instead of “Cl₂” for chlorine in equations.
• Missing units in rate calculations.
• Choosing a powder as a catalyst because it is fastest, without checking its mass is unchanged.
• Describing only one metal in a “compare” question.

Next steps

• Transition metals revision notes
• Transition metals study guide
• Atomic structure and the periodic table study guide
• AQA GCSE Chemistry course hub
• Printable AQA GCSE Chemistry checklist
• All free 10-minute diagnostics
• Book a free trial class

Official syllabus

AQA GCSE Chemistry (8462) specification, for teaching from September 2016, GCSE exams June 2018 onwards, version 1.1, published by AQA – section 4.1.3 Properties of transition metals (4.1.3.1 and 4.1.3.2).