Pearson Edexcel International GCSE in Chemistry · 4CH1 · Free · no account needed
The Reactions of Acids — exam questions
12 original Incandio exam-style questions on the Reactions of Acids, 26 marks, about 26 minutes of writing. Each one carries the command word, the tariff and the specification statement it assesses, exactly as a paper presents them. This is an original Incandio practice question, written to reflect the structure and demands of the qualification. It is not an official Pearson Edexcel past-paper question.
This is the practice set for The Reactions of Acids — the lesson that teaches it. Read the lesson first if the idea is new; come here when you want to find out whether you can turn it into marks. Completely free, no account needed to read.
What these questions ask of you
8 command words run through this set, and on Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Chemistry each one means something precise. Answering the wrong command is the commonest way a candidate who understands the lesson still loses the mark.
- Which (1 mark)
- one option chosen from the set given
- Name (1 mark)
- the correct chemical name
- State what is meant by (1–2 marks)
- the definition
- Describe (2–5 marks)
- developed, linked statements of what happens or what is observed Misread as: giving one bare observation where the tariff asked for a developed account
- Write (1–3 marks)
- the equation, formula or ionic equation, balanced, with state symbols where asked
- Explain (2–4 marks)
- the reason, in terms of particles, bonding, energy or equilibrium Misread as: describing the observation without giving the chemistry that causes it
- Suggest (1–3 marks)
- a plausible answer applying taught chemistry to an unfamiliar substance
- Give (1–2 marks)
- a short factual answer — the most common chemistry command
Assessed on Paper 1 (4CH1/1C) and Paper 2 (4CH1/2C), against AO1, AO2, AO3.
Where these sit in the specification
Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Chemistry (4CH1) — statements 2.37 · 2.38. Incandio is aligned to this specification; it is not published by, endorsed by or affiliated with Pearson, and it reproduces none of Pearson's wording.
The 12 questions
Answer them on paper, then open the lesson's exam practice to have them marked. The mark scheme, the accepted and rejected answers and the annotated model answer are in Incandio and are not printed here — an answer beside its question is not practice.
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A student added dilute sulfuric acid to three different solids in turn: magnesium ribbon, copper(II) oxide powder, and calcium carbonate chips. Each mixture was left until the reaction had finished.
Table 1 — the three acids and the salts they make Acid Formula Salt produced hydrochloric acid HCl chloride sulfuric acid H₂SO₄ sulfate nitric acid HNO₃ nitrate (a)
(1)Name
Name the salt formed in all three of the student's reactions with the metal it comes from.
A student added dilute sulfuric acid to three different solids in turn: magnesium ribbon, copper(II) oxide powder, and calcium carbonate chips. Each mixture was left until the reaction had finished.
Table 1 — the three acids and the salts they make Acid Formula Salt produced hydrochloric acid HCl chloride sulfuric acid H₂SO₄ sulfate nitric acid HNO₃ nitrate (b)
(2)Give
Give the gas produced with the magnesium and the gas produced with the calcium carbonate.
A student added dilute sulfuric acid to three different solids in turn: magnesium ribbon, copper(II) oxide powder, and calcium carbonate chips. Each mixture was left until the reaction had finished.
Table 1 — the three acids and the salts they make Acid Formula Salt produced hydrochloric acid HCl chloride sulfuric acid H₂SO₄ sulfate nitric acid HNO₃ nitrate (c)
(3)Explain
Explain why only two of the student's three reactions produced a gas.
A student added dilute sulfuric acid to three different solids in turn: magnesium ribbon, copper(II) oxide powder, and calcium carbonate chips. Each mixture was left until the reaction had finished.
Table 1 — the three acids and the salts they make Acid Formula Salt produced hydrochloric acid HCl chloride sulfuric acid H₂SO₄ sulfate nitric acid HNO₃ nitrate (d)
(3)Suggest
The student wants to be sure the acid has all been used up in each tube. Suggest how she could tell, and why this matters.
A student added dilute sulfuric acid to three different solids in turn: magnesium ribbon, copper(II) oxide powder, and calcium carbonate chips. Each mixture was left until the reaction had finished.
Table 1 — the three acids and the salts they make Acid Formula Salt produced hydrochloric acid HCl chloride sulfuric acid H₂SO₄ sulfate nitric acid HNO₃ nitrate (Total for Question 1 = 9 marks)
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(1)Which
Which pair of products is formed when an acid reacts with a metal oxide?
Products A salt and hydrogen B salt and water C salt, water and carbon dioxide D salt and oxygen (Total for Question 2 = 1 mark)
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(1)Name
Name the salt formed when nitric acid reacts with sodium hydroxide.
Table 1 — the three acids and the salts they make Acid Formula Salt produced hydrochloric acid HCl chloride sulfuric acid H₂SO₄ sulfate nitric acid HNO₃ nitrate (Total for Question 3 = 1 mark)
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(1)State what is meant by
State what is meant by a base.
(Total for Question 4 = 1 mark)
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(2)Describe
Describe what would be seen when calcium carbonate chips are added to dilute hydrochloric acid.
(Total for Question 5 = 2 marks)
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(2)Write
Write the balanced symbol equation for the reaction between magnesium and dilute sulfuric acid.
Table 1 — the three acids and the salts they make Acid Formula Salt produced hydrochloric acid HCl chloride sulfuric acid H₂SO₄ sulfate nitric acid HNO₃ nitrate (Total for Question 6 = 2 marks)
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(3)Explain
Explain why copper(II) oxide is called a base but not an alkali.
(Total for Question 7 = 3 marks)
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(3)Suggest
Suggest why copper does not react with dilute hydrochloric acid although copper(II) oxide does.
(Total for Question 8 = 3 marks)
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(4)Explain
A student needs to tell hydrochloric acid from sulfuric acid using only magnesium carbonate and barium chloride solution. Explain how the two tests together identify each acid.
(Total for Question 9 = 4 marks)
Have them marked, then defend the answer
Practice tells you the mark; teaching it back tells you whether you understand it. On Incandio a topic counts as mastered only once you have taught it and defended it.
- Mark these questions — 12 questions, marked on Incandio against the authored scheme, with the mistake you actually made named.
- Teach it — explain the Reactions of Acids to Ember, an AI pupil who does not have it yet and asks the awkward question.
- Defend it — argue it against Joseph Priestley over three rounds, marked against descriptors you can read first.
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Back to the lesson
- The Reactions of Acids — Three things acids react with, three sets of products, and one test that identifies a carbonate instantly.
- All of Incandio Chemistry · Incandio Exam Practice