Cracking the SAT Chemistry Subject Test
fill in CE oval.
- T, F Consider statement I. Does potassium have greater metallic
character than iron? Remember that metallic character involves the
ease with which an element’s atoms can give up electrons. Potassium
is much more reactive than iron and thus can be expected to give up
its electrons much more readily, so potassium does have greater
metallic character, and statement I is true.
Look at the second statement. Is it true or false? It’s
false. Potassium is an active metal, and active metals
tend to have lower melting points than transition metals
such as iron.
- A Don’t be fooled by choice (E). Chlorine is very reactive, but it isn’t
a metal. Recall that the alkali metals are the most reactive metals. Sodium is
a member of the alkali metal family, so (A) is correct.
- D Nickel is a transition metal, so we can expect it to be malleable,
ductile, and lustrous (shiny). As is true of many transition metals, nickel
compounds are intensely colored (usually a bright green), so eliminate (A),
(B), (C), and (E). That leaves (D). Nickel is a conductor of heat (and
electricity), not an insulator. Pick (D).
- C Remember the periodic table trends. As you move from left to right
within a period, atoms get smaller. So the smallest atom of a period 4
element is krypton (Kr). Eliminate any choice that does not start with Kr;
that makes (C) the correct answer.
Drill 2
- C Metals are held together by metallic bonds. Potassium is the only
pure metal listed; therefore, (C) is the correct answer.
- D Ionic compounds possess ionic bonds. How can you spot an ionic
compound by looking at formulas? Easily; just find a compound composed
of a metal and a nonmetal. Choices (A), (B), and (E) are substances
composed solely of nonmetals. Choice (C) represents a purely metallic
substance. Aluminum oxide consists of Al3+ ions from the metal aluminum
