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3.1 States of matter

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Question 7
H

Camping stoves burn alkane gases. The table shows the melting points and boiling points of four alkanes.

AlkaneFormulaMelting point / °CBoiling point / °C
methaneCH4\mathrm{CH_{4}}CH4​−182−162
ethaneC2H6\mathrm{C_{2}H_{6}}C2​H6​−183−89
propaneC3H8\mathrm{C_{3}H_{8}}C3​H8​−188−42
butaneC4H10\mathrm{C_{4}H_{10}}C4​H10​−138−1
a.

Give the state of butane at −10 °C.

[1]
b.

Give the name of the one alkane in the table that is a gas at −100 °C.

[1]
c.

Describe the trend in the boiling points of the alkanes as the number of carbon atoms increases.

[1]
d.

Explain this trend in boiling points.

[2]
e.

A student writes: "When butane boils, the covalent bonds between the carbon atoms and hydrogen atoms break." Explain why the student is wrong.

[2]
f.

Suggest why a butane camping stove does not work well on a day when the air temperature is −5 °C.

[1]
Markscheme

3.1 States of matter Questions

  1. GCSE
  2. /Chemistry
  3. /3.1 States of matter

53 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Chemistry 3.1 States of matter, covering 3.1.1 The three states of matter and changes of state. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.

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