Chemistry miscellaneous


  1. The gas which turns into liquid at the lowest temperature among the following is









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    Liquid hydrogen (LH2) is the liquid state of the element hydrogen. Hydrogen is found naturally in the molecular H2 form. To exist as a liquid, H2 must be cooled below hydrogen’s critical point of 33 K. However, for hydrogen to be in a full liquid state without evaporating at atmospheric pressure, it needs to be cooled to 20.28 K (-423.17 °F/-252.87°C). One common method of obtaining liquid hydrogen involves a compressor resembling a jet engine in both appearance and principle. Liquid hydrogen is typically used as a concentrated form of hydrogen storage

    Correct Option: A

    Liquid hydrogen (LH2) is the liquid state of the element hydrogen. Hydrogen is found naturally in the molecular H2 form. To exist as a liquid, H2 must be cooled below hydrogen’s critical point of 33 K. However, for hydrogen to be in a full liquid state without evaporating at atmospheric pressure, it needs to be cooled to 20.28 K (-423.17 °F/-252.87°C). One common method of obtaining liquid hydrogen involves a compressor resembling a jet engine in both appearance and principle. Liquid hydrogen is typically used as a concentrated form of hydrogen storage


  1. Ruby and sapphire are oxides of









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    Aluminium forms one stable oxide, known by its mineral name corundum. Sapphire and ruby are impure corundum contaminated with trace amounts of other metals. Corundum is a crystalline form of aluminium oxide (Al2O3) with traces of iron, titanium and chromium. It is a rock-forming mineral. It is one of the naturally clear transparent materials, but can have different colours when impurities are present. Transparent specimens are used as gems, called ruby if red and padparadscha if pink-orange. All other colours are called sapphire, e.g., “green sapphire” for a green specimen. Because of corundum’s hardness (pure corundum is defined to have 9.0 Mohs), it can scratch almost every other mineral. It is commonly used as an abrasive, on everything from sandpaper to large machines used in machining metals, plastics, and wood. Some emery is a mix of corundum and other substances, and the mix is less abrasive, with an average hardness near 8.0.

    Correct Option: D

    Aluminium forms one stable oxide, known by its mineral name corundum. Sapphire and ruby are impure corundum contaminated with trace amounts of other metals. Corundum is a crystalline form of aluminium oxide (Al2O3) with traces of iron, titanium and chromium. It is a rock-forming mineral. It is one of the naturally clear transparent materials, but can have different colours when impurities are present. Transparent specimens are used as gems, called ruby if red and padparadscha if pink-orange. All other colours are called sapphire, e.g., “green sapphire” for a green specimen. Because of corundum’s hardness (pure corundum is defined to have 9.0 Mohs), it can scratch almost every other mineral. It is commonly used as an abrasive, on everything from sandpaper to large machines used in machining metals, plastics, and wood. Some emery is a mix of corundum and other substances, and the mix is less abrasive, with an average hardness near 8.0.



  1. Ruby and sapphire are oxides of









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    Aluminium forms one stable oxide, known by its mineral name corundum. Sapphire and ruby are impure corundum contaminated with trace amounts of other metals. Corundum is a crystalline form of aluminium oxide (Al2O3) with traces of iron, titanium and chromium. It is a rock-forming mineral. It is one of the naturally clear transparent materials, but can have different colours when impurities are present. Transparent specimens are used as gems, called ruby if red and padparadscha if pink-orange. All other colours are called sapphire, e.g., “green sapphire” for a green specimen. Because of corundum’s hardness (pure corundum is defined to have 9.0 Mohs), it can scratch almost every other mineral. It is commonly used as an abrasive, on everything from sandpaper to large machines used in machining metals, plastics, and wood. Some emery is a mix of corundum and other substances, and the mix is less abrasive, with an average hardness near 8.0.

    Correct Option: D

    Aluminium forms one stable oxide, known by its mineral name corundum. Sapphire and ruby are impure corundum contaminated with trace amounts of other metals. Corundum is a crystalline form of aluminium oxide (Al2O3) with traces of iron, titanium and chromium. It is a rock-forming mineral. It is one of the naturally clear transparent materials, but can have different colours when impurities are present. Transparent specimens are used as gems, called ruby if red and padparadscha if pink-orange. All other colours are called sapphire, e.g., “green sapphire” for a green specimen. Because of corundum’s hardness (pure corundum is defined to have 9.0 Mohs), it can scratch almost every other mineral. It is commonly used as an abrasive, on everything from sandpaper to large machines used in machining metals, plastics, and wood. Some emery is a mix of corundum and other substances, and the mix is less abrasive, with an average hardness near 8.0.


  1. The gas used in the artificial ripening of fruits is









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    Ripening is a process in fruits that causes them to become more palatable. In general, a fruit becomes sweeter, less green, and softer as it ripens. Even though the acidity of fruit increases as it ripens, the higher acidity level does not make the fruit seem tarter, which can lead to the misunderstanding that the riper the fruit the sweeter. Ripening agents speed up the ripening process. They allow many fruits to be picked prior to full ripening, which is useful, since ripened fruits do not ship well. For example, bananas are picked when green and artificially ripened after shipment by being gassed with ethylene. Calcium carbide is also used for ripening fruit artificially in some countries. Calcium carbide reacts with water to produce acetylene, which acts as an artificial ripening agent. Industrial-grade calcium carbide may contain traces of arsenic and phosphorus which makes it a human health concern. The use of this chemical for this purpose is illegal in most countries.

    Correct Option: A

    Ripening is a process in fruits that causes them to become more palatable. In general, a fruit becomes sweeter, less green, and softer as it ripens. Even though the acidity of fruit increases as it ripens, the higher acidity level does not make the fruit seem tarter, which can lead to the misunderstanding that the riper the fruit the sweeter. Ripening agents speed up the ripening process. They allow many fruits to be picked prior to full ripening, which is useful, since ripened fruits do not ship well. For example, bananas are picked when green and artificially ripened after shipment by being gassed with ethylene. Calcium carbide is also used for ripening fruit artificially in some countries. Calcium carbide reacts with water to produce acetylene, which acts as an artificial ripening agent. Industrial-grade calcium carbide may contain traces of arsenic and phosphorus which makes it a human health concern. The use of this chemical for this purpose is illegal in most countries.



  1. Helium gas is used in gas balloons instead of hydrogen gas because it is









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    Because of the Archimedes’ principle, a lifting gas is required for aerostats to create buoyancy. Its density is lower than that of air (about 1.29 kg/m3, 1.29 g/ L). Only certain lighter than air gases are suitable as lifting gases. Hydrogen and helium are the most commonly used lift gases. Although helium is twice as heavy as (diatomic) hydrogen, they are both so much lighter than air that this difference is inconsequential. Both provide about 9.8 N of lift (1 Newton is the force required to accelerate 1 kg at 1 m/sec2) per cubic meter of gas at STP. Helium is the second lightest gas. For that reason, it is an attractive gas for lifting as well. A major advantage is that this gas is noncombustible. Today helium is used instead of hydrogen, since it is inert so non-flammable which makes things a lot safer. Hydrogen can ignite very easily when mixed with the oxygen of the surrounding air.

    Correct Option: C

    Because of the Archimedes’ principle, a lifting gas is required for aerostats to create buoyancy. Its density is lower than that of air (about 1.29 kg/m3, 1.29 g/ L). Only certain lighter than air gases are suitable as lifting gases. Hydrogen and helium are the most commonly used lift gases. Although helium is twice as heavy as (diatomic) hydrogen, they are both so much lighter than air that this difference is inconsequential. Both provide about 9.8 N of lift (1 Newton is the force required to accelerate 1 kg at 1 m/sec2) per cubic meter of gas at STP. Helium is the second lightest gas. For that reason, it is an attractive gas for lifting as well. A major advantage is that this gas is noncombustible. Today helium is used instead of hydrogen, since it is inert so non-flammable which makes things a lot safer. Hydrogen can ignite very easily when mixed with the oxygen of the surrounding air.