JAMB Past Questions

JAMB Chemistry 2001
Questions & Answers

40 questions · Correct answers highlighted · 40 with explanations

40 Total Questions
2001 Exam Year
40 With Explanations
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1
Question 1 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

Which of the following is a characteristic of a gas?

A. Fixed shape and volume
B. High compressibility
C. Strong intermolecular forces
D. Low density compared to solids
Explanation

Gases are highly compressible due to large spaces between particles.

2
Question 2 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

Which of the following is an example of a mixture?

A. Common salt
B. Blood
C. Sand
D. Washing soda
Explanation

Blood is a mixture of cells, plasma, and other components.

3
Question 3 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

Calculate the percentage by mass of nitrogen in calcium trioxonitrate (V) [Ca = 40, N = 14, O = 16]

A. 8.5%
B. 13.1%
C. 17.1%
D. 27.6%
Explanation

Molar mass of Ca(NO₃)₂ = 164; %N = (2×14)/164 × 100 = 17.1%.

4
Question 4 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

The droplets of water observed around a bottle of milk taken out of the refrigerator is due to the fact that the

A. water vapour in the air around the bottle gains some energy from the bottle
B. temperature of the milk drops as it loses heat into the surroundings
C. saturated vapour pressure of the milk is equal to the atmospheric pressure
D. water vapour in the air around the bottle loses some of its energy to the bottle
Explanation

Water vapour condenses as it loses energy to the cold bottle.

5
Question 5 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

The volume of a given gas is V cm³ at P mm Hg, what is the new volume of the gas if the pressure is reduced to half at constant temperature?

A. 4 V cm³
B. 2 V cm³
C. V/2 cm³
D. V cm³
Explanation

Boyle’s law: P₁V₁ = P₂V₂; V₂ = V × (P/P/2) = 2V cm³.

6
Question 6 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

Moving from left to right across a period, the general rise in the first ionization energy can be attributed to the

A. decrease in nuclear charge
B. increase in nuclear charge
C. decrease in screening effect
D. increase in screening effect
Explanation

Nuclear charge increases, making electrons harder to remove.

7
Question 7 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

How many unpaired electron(s) are there in the nitrogen sub-levels?

A. 3
B. 2
C. 1
D. none
Explanation

Nitrogen (1s² 2s² 2p³) has 3 unpaired electrons in 2p.

8
Question 8 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

The stability of the noble gases is due to the fact that they

A. have no electron in their outermost shells
B. have duplet or octet electron configurations
C. belong to group zero of the periodic table
D. are volatile in nature
Explanation

Noble gases have stable octet/duplet electron configurations.

9
Question 9 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

The maximum number of electrons in the L shell of an atom is

A. 2
B. 8
C. 18
D. 32
Explanation

L shell (n=2) can hold 2n² = 2×2² = 8 electrons.

10
Question 10 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

Elements in the same period in the periodic table have the same

A. number of shells
B. atomic number
C. chemical properties
D. physical properties
Explanation

Same period means same number of electron shells.

11
Question 11 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

²₁D + ³₁T → ⁴₂He + ¹₀n + energy. The reaction above illustrates

A. alpha decay
B. artificial transmutation
C. nuclear fusion
D. nuclear fission
Explanation

Deuterium and tritium combine to form helium: nuclear fusion.

12
Question 12 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

A noble gas with a high power of fog penetration used in aerodrome beacons is

A. krypton
B. argon
C. helium
D. neon
Explanation

Krypton’s light penetrates fog, used in aerodrome beacons.

13
Question 13 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

Permanent hardness of water can be removed by

A. filtration
B. adding slaked lime
C. adding caustic soda
D. boiling
Explanation

Caustic soda removes permanent hardness by precipitation.

14
Question 14 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

Substance employed as drying agents are usually

A. amphoteric
B. hygroscopic
C. efflorescent
D. acidic
Explanation

Hygroscopic substances absorb moisture, used as drying agents.

15
Question 15 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

Calculate the solubility in mol dm⁻³ of 40g of CuSO₄ dissolved in 100g of water at 120°C. [Cu = 64, S = 32, O = 16]

A. 4.00
B. 2.50
C. 0.40
D. 0.25
Explanation

Molar mass CuSO₄ = 160; moles = 40/160 = 0.25; solubility = 0.25/0.1 = 2.5 mol dm⁻³.

16
Question 16 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

Coffee stains can best be removed by

A. kerosene
B. turpentine
C. a solution of borax in water
D. ammonia solution
Explanation

Ammonia solution effectively removes organic coffee stains.

17
Question 17 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

Carbon (IV) oxide is mainly dangerous if inhaled because it

A. can cause injury to the nervous system
B. competes with oxygen in the blood
C. competes with carbon (IV) oxide in the blood
D. can cause lung cancer
Explanation

CO₂ reduces oxygen availability in blood, causing suffocation.

18
Question 18 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

The acid that is used to remove rust is

A. boric
B. hydrochloric
C. trioxonitrate (V)
D. tetraoxosulphate (VI)
Explanation

Hydrochloric acid dissolves rust (iron oxide) effectively.

19
Question 19 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

Calculate the volume of 0.5 mol dm⁻³ H₂SO₄ that is neutralized by 25 cm³ of 0.1 mol dm⁻³ NaOH

A. 5.0 cm³
B. 2.5 cm³
C. 0.4 cm³
D. 0.1 cm³
Explanation

Moles NaOH = 0.1 × 0.025 = 0.0025; H₂SO₄ + 2NaOH → Na₂SO₄ + 2H₂O; moles H₂SO₄ = 0.00125; volume = 0.00125/0.5 = 0.0025 dm³ = 2.5 cm³.

20
Question 20 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

The colour of methyl orange in alkaline medium is

A. yellow
B. pink
C. orange
D. red
Explanation

Methyl orange turns yellow in alkaline medium (pH > 4.4).

21
Question 21 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

Which of the following salts is slightly soluble in water?

A. AgCl
B. CaSO₄
C. Na₂CO₃
D. PbCl₂
Explanation

CaSO₄ is slightly soluble; others are either very soluble or insoluble.

22
Question 22 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

6AgNO₃(aq) + PH₃(g) + 3H₂O(l) → 6Ag(s) + H₃PO₃(g) + 6HNO₃(aq). In the above reaction, the reducing agent is

A. HNO₃(aq)
B. PH₃(g)
C. H₂O(l)
D. AgNO₃(aq)
Explanation

PH₃ is oxidized to H₃PO₃, making it the reducing agent.

23
Question 23 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

The IUPAC nomenclature of the compound LiAlH₄ is

A. lithium tetrahydridoaluminate (III)
B. aluminium tetrahydrido lithium
C. tetrahydrido lithium aluminate
D. lithium aluminium hydride
Explanation

LiAlH₄ is named lithium tetrahydridoaluminate (III) in IUPAC.

24
Question 24 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

Iron can be protected from corrosion by coating the surface with

A. gold
B. silver
C. copper
D. zinc
Explanation

Zinc (galvanizing) protects iron by sacrificial corrosion.

25
Question 25 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

What quantity of aluminium is deposited when a current of 10A is passed through a solution of an aluminium salt for 1930s? [Al = 27, F = 96500 C mol⁻¹]

A. 0.2 g
B. 1.8 g
C. 5.4 g
D. 14.2 g
Explanation

Q = It = 10×1930 = 19300 C; Al³⁺ + 3e⁻ → Al; moles Al = 19300/(3×96500) = 0.0667; mass = 0.0667×27 = 1.8 g.

26
Question 26 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

In the preparation of oxygen by heating KClO₃ in the presence of MnO₂, only moderate heat is needed because the catalyst acts by

A. lowering the pressure of the reaction
B. increasing the surface area of the reactant
C. increasing the rate of the reaction
D. lowering the energy barrier of the reaction
Explanation

MnO₂ lowers the activation energy, speeding up the reaction.

27
Question 27 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

The rate of a chemical reaction increases when the particle size of a solid reactant is reduced. This is due to

A. increase in surface area
B. increase in concentration
C. addition of a catalyst
D. increase in pressure
Explanation

Smaller particle size increases surface area, allowing more collisions and a faster reaction rate.

28
Question 28 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

2H₂(g) + O₂(g) ⇌ 2H₂O(g) ∆H = -ve. What happens to the equilibrium constant of the reaction above if the temperature is increased?

A. it is unaffected
B. it becomes zero
C. it decreases
D. it increases
Explanation

Exothermic reaction: increasing T shifts equilibrium left, K decreases.

29
Question 29 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

When copper reacts with concentrated nitric acid, the gas produced is

A. NO
B. NO₂
C. N₂O
D. N₂O₄
Explanation

Copper reacts with concentrated HNO₃ to produce NO₂ gas: Cu + 4HNO₃ → Cu(NO₃)₂ + 2NO₂ + 2H₂O.

30
Question 30 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

To a solution of an unknown compound, a little dilute tetraoxosulphate (VI) acid was added with some freshly prepared iron (II) tetraoxosulphate (VI) solution. The brown ring observed after the addition of a stream of concentrated tetraoxosulphate (VI) acid confirmed the presence of

A. CO
B. Cl⁻
C. SO
D. NO₃⁻
Explanation

Brown ring test confirms the presence of nitrate ions (NO₃⁻).

31
Question 31 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

Which of the following is used in rocket fuels?

A. HNO₃
B. CH₃COOH
C. HCl
D. H₂SO₄
Explanation

HNO₃ is used as an oxidizer in rocket fuels.

32
Question 32 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

In the preparation of dry chlorine gas, the drying agent used is

A. calcium chloride
B. sodium hydroxide
C. concentrated sulfuric acid
D. silica gel
Explanation

Concentrated sulfuric acid is used to dry chlorine gas due to its hygroscopic nature.

33
Question 33 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

A compound gives an orange-red colour to non-luminous flame. This compound is likely to contain

A. Na⁺
B. Ca²⁺
C. Fe²⁺
D. Fe³⁺
Explanation

Calcium (Ca²⁺) gives an orange-red flame in flame tests.

34
Question 34 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

Stainless steel is used for making

A. magnets
B. tools
C. coins and medals
D. moving parts of clocks
Explanation

Stainless steel’s durability makes it ideal for tools.

35
Question 35 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

The residual solids from the fractional distillation of petroleum are used as

A. coatings of pipes
B. raw materials for the cracking process
C. fuel for driving tractors
D. fuel for jet engines
Explanation

Residual solids (bitumen) are used for coating pipes.

36
Question 36 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

The functional group in ethanol is

A. -COOH
B. -OH
C. -CHO
D. -NH₂
Explanation

Ethanol (C₂H₅OH) contains the hydroxyl (-OH) functional group.

37
Question 37 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

Which element in period 3 forms a covalent compound with chlorine?

A. Sodium
B. Magnesium
C. Phosphorus
D. Potassium
Explanation

Phosphorus (non-metal) forms covalent PCl₃ or PCl₅ with chlorine.

38
Question 38 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

In the electrolysis of brine, the gas produced at the anode is

A. Hydrogen
B. Chlorine
C. Oxygen
D. Nitrogen
Explanation

Chlorine gas is produced at the anode during the electrolysis of brine.

39
Question 39 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

The type of bond in nitrogen gas (N₂) is

A. Ionic
B. Metallic
C. Covalent
D. Hydrogen
Explanation

Nitrogen gas has a triple covalent bond between two nitrogen atoms.

40
Question 40 of 40
JAMB · Chemistry · 2001

The major source of air pollution in urban areas is

A. Volcanic eruptions
B. Vehicle emissions
C. Forest fires
D. Sea breezes
Explanation

Vehicle emissions release significant pollutants like CO and NOₓ in urban areas.

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