Photo AI
Calcium forms an ionic compound with carbon, called calcium carbide - CIE - A-Level Chemistry - Question 5 - 2015 - Paper 1
Question 5
Calcium forms an ionic compound with carbon, called calcium carbide. The oxidation number of carbon in calcium carbide is –1. Calcium carbide is readily hydrolysed ... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Calcium forms an ionic compound with carbon, called calcium carbide - CIE - A-Level Chemistry - Question 5 - 2015 - Paper 1
Step 1
What could be the formulae of calcium carbide and the two products of hydrolysis?
Answer
The oxidation state of carbon in calcium carbide is –1, which indicates that calcium must have a +2 charge to balance two carbon anions. Therefore, the correct empirical formula for calcium carbide is CaC2.
Upon hydrolysis, calcium carbide reacts with water to produce calcium hydroxide and acetylene. The balanced chemical reaction can be represented as:
Thus, the formulae of calcium carbide and the two products of hydrolysis are:
- Calcium carbide: CaC2
- Products: Ca(OH)2 and C2H2
Therefore, the correct answer is option D.