Chemistry: Matter
Chemistry: Matter
Chemistry: Matter
General awareness has always been taken at the lighter side by many of the candidates not
realizing that how major it can be in SSC Exams. General awareness is not something you
can expect to master in a day. But from an exam point of view, if you spend time
consistently, you can perform well in it in relatively less time as compared to Quantitative
Aptitude and Reasoning section.
So, keeping the SSC Exams in mind, below is a link to the Chemistry Digest and we assure
you that not even a single question from chemistry section will be asked from outside this
Chemistry Digest.
The Chemistry Digest includes all the Chemistry topics you should be aware of for all the
competitive exams.
Sandeep Baliyan
Community Manager (Gradestack Team)
Chemistry, a branch of physical science, is the study of the composition, properties and behavior of
matter.
point of water is less than 100°C and more
time is required to cook a food.
MATTER
In general it exists in 3 states i.e.,
(i) Solid Melting Point
(ii) liquid It is a temperature at which a substance
(iii) gas. converts from its solid state to liquid
state.
Now-a-days there is a discussion on two Meling point of ice is 0°C; It decrease in the
more states of matter i.e., Plasma (Ionised presence of impurity
gases containing super energetic and super
excited particles and Bose-Einstein Atom, Molecule and Element
condensates or BEC (a gas at super low Atom is the smallest particle of a matter
temperatures with extremely low density). that takes part in chemical reactions, but
cannot exist in free state.
Boiling Point Atom is made 43 of electrons, protons
The temperature at which liquid converts in and neutrons.
to vapours is called its boiling point. Protons and neutrons reside in the nucleus
Boiling point of water is 100°C. (at the centre of atom) whereas electrons
The boiling point increases in the revolve around the nucleus.
presence of impurities. That's why boiling Atoms combine to form molecules, the
point of sea water is more than the smallest part of matter which can exist in
boiling point of pure water (as the former free state.
contains impurity).
It usually decreases at high altitudes,
that's why at high altitudes, the boiling
Isotopes and Isobars (ii) Secondary Batteries: (rechargeable) Act as
galvanic as well as voltaic cell E.g., lead
Isotopes have the same number of storage battery, nickel cadmium battery etc.
protons (i.e., atomic number), but
different number of neutrons and mass Corrosion
number (atomic number + number of The oxidative deterioration of a metal
neutrons), e.g., 1111, 1H2. surface by the action of environment is
Isobars have the same mass number but called corrosion, an electrochemical
different atomic number. process.
Example: 18Ar40, 19K40 When iron exposed in to air, iron surface
turns brown due to the formation of
Dating Techniques hydrated ferric oxide (Fe203.xH20) which
is also called rust,
Radiocarbon dating is used to determine
Silver - Surface turns black due to the
the age of carbon bearing materials like
formation of silver sulphide (Ag2S)
wood, animal fossils etc.
Uranium dating is used to determine the
age of Earth, minerals and rocks. Renewable Non-renewable Natural
Resources
Battery
Battery is a device, used to convert Renewable resources are available in
chemical energy into electrical energy large excess, i.e., never ends, e.g, air,
and is of two types sunlight etc.
(i) Primary batteries (non-rechargeable) act Non-renewable resources are available in
as galvanic cell, e.g., dry cell, mercury cell limited quantity and end, if used
etc. excessively, after a limited period of time.
e.g., mineral, coal, petroleum, natural gas
etc.
Fuels
The substance, which produce heat and light on combustion are called fuels.
A strong foul smelling substance, called ethyl mercaptan is added to LPG to detect its leakage as
LPG is an odourless gas.
Safety Matches
In safety matches, the stick consists of mixture
of antimony trisulphide and potassium chlorate
at its one end. The box side contains a mixture
of powdered glass and phosphorus.
Acids, Bases and Salts
Acids
These are the substance, which have sour taste and turn blue litmus red.
These are good conductor of electricity in aqueous solution.
Pickels are always kept in glass jar because acid present in them reacts with metal to produce
hydrogen gas.
Bases
These are the substances, which have bitter taste and turn red litmus, blue.
They give different colours in acid and base solutions.
Salts
These are the product of neutralisation reaction between an acid and a base.
pH is the measure of acidity/basicity.
Ores - Those minerals from which the metals are extracted commercially and economically and with
minimum effort are called Ores of Metals.
10. The inert gas abundantly found in widely 13. Which of the following is the best conductor
distributed is_____? of electricity?
A. Xe A. Ordinary water
B. Kr B. Sea water
C. He C. Boiled water
D. Ar D. Distilled water
Ans: D Ans: B
Argon (Ar) is the most prevalent of the noble Sea water is a "good" conductor. It has a
gases in Earth's crust with the element resistance and resistance increases by distance.
composing 0.00015% of this crust. So if you dip a very high voltage electric wire in
the ocean, the area around it (even 100 meters
11. Vinegar is used as a condiment, and in the or more based on how high it is) gets electric.
pickling of vegetables and other foods. What
is the constituent of vinegar? 14. Which one among the following substances
A. Butanoic acid evolved heat when dissolved in water?
B. Methanoic acid A. Glucose
C. Ethanoic acid B. Fructose
D. Hexanoic acid C. Quick lime
Ans: C D. Salt peter
When ethanol reacts with oxygen it forms a Ans: C
weak acid called ethanoic acid. In an open bottle Quicklime is a widely used chemical compound.
of beer or wine, the reaction happens naturally It is a white, caustic, alkaline, crystalline solid at
in the presence of bacteria, and it is the ethanoic room temperature. When limestone is heated, at
about 10000 C it undergoes thermal lustrous, hard, grayish-white metalloid in the
decomposition. carbon group.
It loses carbon dioxide and turns into quicklime
(calcium oxide). 19. Which one of the following is used in the
preparation of antiseptic solution?
15. Which one among the following polymers is A. Potassium nitrate
used for making bullet-proof material? B. Iodine
A. Polyvinyl chloride C. Iodine chloride
B. Polystyrene D. Potassium chloride
C. Polyethylene Ans: B
D. Polyamide Antiseptics are chemical agents that slow or
Ans: C stop the growth of micro-organisms (germs) on
A bullet-proof material is made of polyethylene. external surfaces of the body and help prevent
It is a higher grade of the plastic found in infections.
Tupperware.
20. The name catalysis was given by______.
16. Hydrogen was discovered by______? A. Ratherford
A. Cavendish B. landmuir
B. Lavosier C. Grahm
C. Rutherford D. Berzelius
D. Scheele Ans: B
Ans: A Catalysis is the increase in the rate of a chemical
In 1766, Henry Cavendish was the first to reaction due to the participation of an
recognize hydrogen gas as a discrete substance, additional substance called a catalyst. With a
by naming the gas from a metal-acid reaction catalyst, reactions occur faster and with less
"flammable air". energy. Because catalysts are not consumed,
they are recycled. Often only tiny amounts are
17. Carbon reacts with metal to form____. required.
A. Carbide
B. Carbonate 21. Which of the following is not a natural
C. Hydroxide polymer?
D. Oxide A. Wool
Ans: A B. Silk
Carbon reacts with reactive metals, such as C. Cotton
tungsten, carbon forms either carbides to form D. Teflon
alloys with high melting points. Ans: D
Natural polymers occur in nature and can be
18. Which one of the following elements is extracted. They are often water-based.
metalloid? Examples of naturally occurring polymers are
A. Si silk, wool, DNA, cellulose,cotton and proteins.
B. Pb
C. Ge 22. Gamma rays are_____.
D. C A. High energy electrons
Ans: C B. Low energy electrons
A metalloid is a chemical element with C. High energy electromagnetic
properties in between metals and nonmetals. D. High energy positron waves
Germanium (Ge) is a chemical element. It is a Ans: C
Gamma rays (γ) refer to electromagnetic
radiation of an extremely high frequency and 26. Compound having tetrahedral structure is
therefore consist of high-energy photons. _____.
A. C2H4
23. The ultrapure metal is obtained by________? B. C2H2
A. Calcination C. CH4
B. Sublimation D. None of these
C. zone refining Ans: C
D. None of these Methane is a tetrahedral molecule with four
Ans: C equivalent C-H bonds. Its electronic structure is
The principal stages in the production of described by four bonding molecular orbitals
ultrapure metals are the preparation of pure resulting from the overlap of the valence
chemical compounds, the reduction of the orbitals on C and H.
compounds to the elementary state and further 27. The constant temperature, the product of
purification. Pure compounds are obtained by pressure and volume of a given amount of a
sorption, extraction, distillation, rectification, gas is constant . This is______.
ion exchange, and recrystallization from A. Gay-Lussac law
aqueous solutions B. Charles’s law
C. Boyle’s law
24. The gas used in a refrigerator is_______? D. Pressure law
A. cooled down on flowing Ans: C
B. heated up on flowing Boyle's law is a gas law, stating that the
C. cooled down when compressed pressure and volume of a gas have an inverse
D. cooled down when expanded relationship, when temperature is held
Ans: D constant. If volume increases, then pressure
Common refrigerants used in various decreases and vice versa when temperature is
applications are ammonia, sulfur dioxide, and held constant.
non-halogenated hydrocarbons such as
propane. Compressing these gasses into liquids 28. Modern periodic law had been given by ____.
they are made to give up their heat. A. Moseley
B. Mendeleev
C. Lother-Mayer
25. Which one of the following petroleum
D. Lavoisier
refinery products has the lowest boiling
Ans: A
point?
In 1913, H.G.J Moseley in England proved that
A. Kerosene
the more fundamental properties of an
B. Gasoline
element are its atomic number. Therefore he
C. Diesel
suggested that the basis of classification of
D. Lubricating oil
elements should be atomic number.
Ans: D
Lubricating oil is the most commonly used 29. In Nuclear reactors graphite is used as______.
lubricant because of its wide range of possible A. Lubricant
applications. The two basic categories of lube oil B. Fuel
are mineral and synthetic. Mineral oils are C. Linear of the reactor
refined from naturally occurring petroleum, or D. Modulator
crude oil. Synthetic oils are manufactured Ans: D
polyalphaolefins, which are hydrocarbon-based
polyglycols or ester oils.
Nuclear reactors are used at nuclear power Ans: B
plants for electricity generation .These are Freon uses for a number of halocarbon
generally graphite moderated and CO2 cooled. products. They are stable, nonflammable,
moderately toxic gases or liquids which have
30. An acid is a substance which ____. typically been used as refrigerants and as
A. Donates a proton aerosol propellants.
B. Accepts an electron
C. Give H+ in water 34. Which gas is used in filling electric
D. All bulbs____.
Ans: D A. Neon
An acid is a chemical substance whose B. Argon
aqueous solutions are characterized by a sour C. Radon
taste, the ability to turn blue litmus red and the D. Krypton
ability to react with bases and certain metals to Ans: B
form salts. Argon is used to fill incandescent light bulbs to
31. A mixture of carbon monoxide and inhibit the evaporation of the tungsten
hydrogen is called______. filaments and increase bulb life.
A. Producer gas
B. Water gas 35. Lead pencil contains_____.
C. Natural gas A. Lead nitrate
D. None B. Graphite
Ans: B C. Lead peroxide
Water gas is a synthesis gas, containing carbon D. Lead Sulphate
monoxide and hydrogen. It is a useful product Ans: B
but requires careful handling due to its Most pencil cores are made of graphite mixed
flammability and the risk of carbon monoxide with a clay binder which leaves grey or black
poisoning. The gas is made by passing steam marks that can be easily erased.
over a red-hot carbon fuel such as coke.
36. Air is____?
32. The compound of a metal found in nature is A. Compound
called______. B. Element
A. Mineral C. Mixture
B. Ore D. Solution
C. Flux Ans: C
D. Slag Pure air is a mixture of several gases that are
Ans: A invisible and clourless. It consists of about 78%
Metals are an integral part of our planet and are nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and less than 1% of
found in almost all rocks and soils. Most metals argon, carbon dioxide and other gases, as well
form compounds called minerals, which are as varying amounts of water vapour.
naturally occurring, inorganic solids with
regular chemical compositions and crystal 37. Which of the following is a noble gas______?
structures. A. Argon
B. Hydrogen
33. Freon is used as____. C. Oxygen
A. Oxidant D. Nitrogen
B. Refrigerant Ans: A
C. Catalyst Noble gas ,any of the seven chemical elements
D. Both A and B that make up Group 18 (VIIIa) of the periodic
table. The elements are helium (He), neon (Ne), A. Copper sulphate
argon (Ar), krypton (Kr), xenon (Xe), radon B. Silver bromide
(Rn). C. Magnesium sulphate
D. None
38. Study of old age is called_________? Ans: B
A. Gerantalogy Silver bromide (AgBr) is a soft pale-yellow,
B. Pedology water-insoluble salt well for its unusual
C. Ornithology sensitivity to light. This property has allowed
D. Anthropology silver halides to become the basis of modern
Ans: A photographic materials. AgBr is widely used in
Gerontology is the study of the aging process photographic films and is believed by some to
itself. Geriatrics is sometimes called medical have been used for making the Shroud of Turin.
gerontology.
43. ‘Plaster of pans’ chemically known as______.
39. The chemical name for common salt______. A. Sodium Aluminate
A. Sodium chloride B. Calcium sulphate
B. Sodium hydroxide C. Spdium bicarbonate
C. Sodium chlorate D. Sodium acetate
D. Potasium chloride Ans: B
Ans: A Calcium sulphate is a calcium salt that is used
Sodium chloride is also known common salt is for a variety of purposes. It exists in various
an ionic compound with the chemical formula forms and states of hydration. Plaster of Paris
NaCl, representing a 1:1 ratio of sodium and is a mixture of powdered and heat-treated
chloride ions. gypsum.
40. Liquid metal is______? 44. When iron rusts, its weight________?
A. Mercury A. decreases
B. Sodium B. increases
C. Antimony C. Constant
D. None D. None
Ans: A Ans: B
Liquid metal consists of gallium-containing Iron rust when they come into contact with
alloys with very low melting points which are water and oxygen. They rust faster in salty
liquid at room temperature. The standard water or acid rain.
metal formerly is mercury.
45. Which is not a type of elements?
41. Match sticks are made of____? A. Metals
A. Red phosphorus B. Non Metals
B. blue phosphorus C. Metalloids
C. led nitrate D. Gases
D. None Ans: C
Ans: A Element is a chemical substance consisting of
Red phosphorus is used in matches. atoms having the same number of protons in
Ferrophosphorus, a combination of their atomic nuclei.
phosphorus with iron, is used as an ingredient There are 118 elements that have been
in high-strength low-alloy steel. identified. The elements classified as
metalloids are boron, silicon, germanium,
42. Chemical that is used in photography______? arsenic, antimony, tellurium and polonium.
D. glycol
46. Which acid is present in lemon? Ans: A
A. marlic acid Dynamite is an explosive material based on
B. citric acid nitroglycerin, using diatomaceous earth or
C. lactic acid another adsorbent substance such as powdered
D. tartaric acid shells or clay
Ans: B
Citric acid is a weak organic acid with the 49. Nail polish remover contains?
formula C6H8O7.The juice of the lemon is about A. benzene
5% to 6% citric acid, which gives a sour taste. B. acetic acid
C. acetone
47. What among following is used to produce D. petroleum ether
artificial rain? Ans: C
A. copper oxide The most common solvents are acetone. It is
B. carbon monoxide powerful and effective but can be harsh on skin
C. silver iodide and nails. Acetonitrile has been used as a nail
D. silver nitrate polish remover.
Ans: C 50. Human bone does not contain________.
Artificial rain is produced by spraying clouds A. calcium
with substances like Silver Iodide (costly) or B. carbon
cheaper ones like solid carbon dioxide (dry C. oxygen
ice) or even finely powdered Sodium Chloride. D. phosphorous
Ans: C
48. Which is used in preparation of dynamite? Human Bones are primarily formed from salts
A. glycerol of calcium, carbon and phosphate, the major
B. ethyl alcohol salt being hydroxyapatite.
C. methyl alcohol