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Grade 10 Science — Carbon and its compounds

Explain why carbon shares electrons rather than trading them, tell a saturated compound from an unsaturated one, work along a homologous series, and name what soap does to oily dirt.

Name: ________________________

  1. 1.Put the saturated chains in order of how many carbon atoms they hold, fewest first, beginning with "Methane".

    • Propane
    • Butane
    • Hexane
    • Ethane
    • Pentane
    • Methane

  2. 2.Ethanoic acid is warmed with ethanol and a little concentrated sulfuric acid, and the mixture ends up smelling sweet. What is the sweet-smelling product called? Answer with one word.

  3. 3.Vegetable oil is hydrogenated with a nickel catalyst. What does the nickel do?

    • a) It removes the double bonds by dissolving them
    • b) It makes the reaction go without being changed itself
    • c) It joins the oil molecule in place of a hydrogen
    • d) It is used up as one of the reactants

  4. 4.Diamond and graphite are both pure carbon, yet one is the hardest substance known and the other is slippery and conducts electricity. What accounts for the difference?

    • a) Graphite's atoms are lighter than diamond's
    • b) The way the carbon atoms are bonded to one another
    • c) Diamond is a compound and graphite an element
    • d) Diamond holds a small amount of a second element

  5. 5.Sort each compound by whether it carries a double or triple bond between carbon atoms.

    Groups: Saturated · Unsaturated

    • Ethene
    • Propene
    • Ethyne
    • Methane
    • Cyclohexane
    • Ethane

  6. 6.How many different carbon skeletons can be drawn for the formula C₄H₁₀?

    • a) Three
    • b) One
    • c) Four
    • d) Two

  7. 7.Why do detergents go on working in hard water where soap does not?

    • a) Their charged ends do not form insoluble precipitates with calcium and magnesium ions
    • b) They dissolve the calcium and magnesium salts completely
    • c) They soften the water before they clean
    • d) They are made without a hydrocarbon chain

  8. 8.A gas stove burns with a yellow flame and blackens the bottom of the pan. What has gone wrong?

    • a) The air holes are blocked, so the fuel is burning incompletely
    • b) The gas is being fed in too slowly
    • c) The pan is too close to the flame
    • d) The fuel is unsaturated and cannot burn cleanly

Answer key — Grade 10 Science — Carbon and its compounds

  1. 1. 1. Methane 2. Ethane 3. Propane 4. Butane 5. Pentane 6. Hexane
  2. 2. ester
  3. 3. b) It makes the reaction go without being changed itself
  4. 4. b) The way the carbon atoms are bonded to one another
  5. 5. Methane → Saturated; Ethane → Saturated; Cyclohexane → Saturated; Ethene → Unsaturated; Ethyne → Unsaturated; Propene → Unsaturated
  6. 6. d) Two
  7. 7. a) Their charged ends do not form insoluble precipitates with calcium and magnesium ions
  8. 8. a) The air holes are blocked, so the fuel is burning incompletely