EasyChemistryHigh School (11–12)The p-Block ElementsConceptualNumerical

A teacher gives a student eight oxides to sort: Na₂O, SO₂, Al₂O₃, CO, P₄O₁₀, ZnO, N₂O and MgO…

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A teacher gives a student eight oxides to sort: $\text{Na}_{2}\text{O}$ , $\text{SO}_{2}$ , $\text{Al}_{2}\text{O}_{3}$ , $\text{CO}$ , $\text{P}_{4}\text{O}_{10}$ , $\text{ZnO}$ , $\text{N}_{2}\text{O}$ and $\text{MgO}$ . The student must say how many are acidic, how many are basic, how many are amphoteric and how many are neutral. Then she must write what happens when an amphoteric oxide from the list meets hydrochloric acid and meets sodium hydroxide solution.

Need a reminder? The key ideaShow

Oxides of metals are basic, oxides of non-metals are acidic, and a few oxides (of aluminium and zinc) are amphoteric. A few, such as CO, NO and N2O, are neutral. In the decomposition of potassium chlorate, 3 mol of O2 come from 2 mol of KClO3. A superoxide has the ion $\text{O}_{2}^{-}$ , and it takes in carbon dioxide and gives out oxygen. At 273 K and 1 atm, 1 mol of gas fills 22.4 L.

The worked solution

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Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.

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