Home / iGCSE Chemistry 0620 Extended – 8.4 Transition elements- Exam Style Questions Paper 2

iGCSE Chemistry 0620 Extended - 8.4 Transition elements- Exam Style Questions Paper 2- New Syllabus

iGCSE Chemistry MCQ (Extended) Paper 2 - All Chapters

Question

Some properties of elements are listed.

  1. They have good electrical conductivity.
  2. They have high melting points.
  3. They are malleable.
  4. They have ions with variable oxidation numbers.

Which properties are correct for both iron and lithium?

A. 1 and 3
B. 1 and 4
C. 2 and 3
D. 2 and 4

▶️ Answer/Explanation
Both iron and lithium are metals, so they share common metallic properties like good electrical conductivity (1) and malleability (3). However, lithium is a Group I alkali metal with a relatively low melting point and forms ions with only one oxidation number (+1). Iron, as a transition element, does have a high melting point and variable oxidation numbers (+2, +3), but these are not shared properties. So the correct shared properties are 1 and 3.
✅ Answer: (A)

Question

Which row identifies a transition element?

▶️ Answer/Explanation
Transition elements are metals that have high melting points and high densities. They also form coloured compounds and often act as catalysts.
✅ Answer: (A)

Question

Which property of copper explains why it is classified as a transition element?
A. Copper can be bent into different shapes.
B. Copper forms \(Cu^{2+}\) and \(Cu^+ \) ions.
C. Copper is a good conductor of electricity.
D. Copper has a low density.

▶️ Answer/Explanation
One of the key defining properties of transition elements (from the Supplement content of Topic 8.4) is their ability to form ions with variable oxidation states. The fact that copper can form both Cu⁺ and Cu²⁺ ions, with different charges, is the characteristic that classifies it as a transition element. The other options (malleability, conductivity, low density) are not unique to transition metals; they are also properties of main group metals like those in Group I or II.
✅ Answer: (B)
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