Deck 10: Chemistry of Explosions

Question 1

Where did Richard Reid hide explosives on himself when trying to blow up an aircraft?

A)In his luggage
B)His shoes
C)In his underwear
D)In his carry-on bag

Answer 1

B

Question 2

What is one common technique used to determine if explosives are in luggage at airports?

A)Using trained animals at all stations in the airport
B)Checking each bag by hand
C)Checking by X-rays
D)Both b and c

Answer 2

D

Question 3

What prompted the early installation of metal detectors in airports?

A)Bombs made by terrorists and carried aboard
B)The use of box cutters by hijackers
C)Potential hijackers using guns
D)Terrorists using explosives

Answer 3

C

Question 4

What is the difference between hydrocarbon combustions and nitroglycerin explosions?

A)The total combustive power
B)The spread of heat as the reaction occurs
C)The speed of the process
D)The activation energy

Question 5

How is energy released in an explosion?

A)Through gaseous products
B)Thermal energy
C)Kinetic energy of flying debris
D)All of the above

Question 6

What do high explosives need to detonate them?

A)A hardened, metal container
B)A tremendous amount of pressure
C)Both a and b
D)None of the above

Question 7

Which of the following is a good detonator?

A)Pb(NO₃)₂
B)Pb(N₃)₂
C)Pb(NO₂)₂
D)PbNO₃

Question 8

What functional group is often contained in organic explosives?

A)-NO₂
B)-NO₃
C)-SO₂
D)-SO₃

Question 9

What does the combustion of explosives produce?

A)Carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide
B)Nitrogen and water vapor
C)Both of the above
D)None of the above

Question 10

In the explosive conversion of solid organic material into gases, what else is produced?

A)A low compression zone
B)A fire wave
C)A blast wave
D)An electromagnetic wave

Question 11

What are most plastic explosives?

A)Mixtures of traditional explosives with rubber and oils
B)Mixtures of low explosives with accelerants
C)Pure high explosives and wood fillers
D)Pure organics with diesel fuel and oils

Question 12

What is given off in any reaction that is classified as an explosion?

A)Noise and light
B)Gaseous chemical products and energy
C)Heat and smoke
D)Gaseous chemical products and smoke

Question 13

PETN is the acronym for what explosive?

A)Pentaethylene glycol
B)Phospho-nitroglycerin
C)Phosphor-ethyl tetranitrate
D)Pentaerythritol tetranitrate

Question 14

Heat or a shockwave is/are required to initiate what kind of explosives?

A)Low explosives
B)High explosives
C)Organic explosives
D)Nitro-based explosives

Question 15

What is the advantage of a plastic explosive over a traditional explosive, such as a stick of dynamite?

A)Plastic explosives are easier to detonate.
B)Plastic explosives tend to be safer.
C)The plastic explosive is moldable, for a variety of uses.
D)None, as both explode when triggered.

Question 16

Explosions are much more than specialized combustion reactions.

Question 17

What is the oxygen source in many explosive reactions?

A)Nitro groups
B)Potassium nitrate
C)Nitrate groups
D)None of the above

Question 18

What is a neutral oxygen balance?

A)Sufficient oxygen within an explosive molecule to oxidize the carbon and nitrogen atoms completely.
B)Sufficient oxygen within an explosive molecule to oxidize the carbon and hydrogen atoms completely.
C)Sufficient oxygen within an explosive molecule to reduce the carbon and hydrogen atoms completely.
D)Sufficient oxygen within an explosive molecule to reduce the carbon and nitrogen atoms completely.

Question 19

What kind of oxygen balance does RDX have?

A)Positive
B)Negative
C)Neutral
D)Not enough information to tell

Question 20

TNT has what kind of oxygen balance?

A)Positive
B)Neutral
C)Negative
D)Not enough information to tell

Question 21

What kind of oxygen balance does an explosive with the general formula C_xH_yN₃O₆ have?

A)Positive
B)Negative
C)Neutral
D)Not enough information to tell

Question 22

Typically, explosions depend on oxygen from the air as the oxygen source.

Question 23

What is the oxygen source in the unbalanced reaction of gunpowder, KNO_3(s) + C_(s) + S_(s) →?

A)Potassium nitrate
B)Potassium ion
C)Charcoal
D)Sulfur

Question 24

When TNT detonates, what happens to the carbon atoms?

A)They burn.
B)They are reduced to powder.
C)They reduce.
D)They oxidize.

Question 25

What causes the muzzle flash when a gun is fired?

A)Oxidation of the inorganic materials within gunpowder
B)The oxygen balance of gunpowder
C)Carbon monoxide combusting with atmospheric oxygen
D)Carbon reacting with excess accelerant in the gunpowder formulation

Question 26

What does the kinetic theory of gases state about the kinetic energy and temperature of the particles in a gas?

A)Average kinetic energy is inversely proportional to the temperature of the gas.
B)Average kinetic energy is proportional to the temperature of the gas.
C)Average potential energy is proportional to the temperature of the gas.
D)Average potential energy is inversely proportional to the temperature of a gas.

Question 27

Gas particles are extremely small and have relatively large distances between them.

Question 28

How do gas particles in a closed container react in relation to one another?

A)They are dependent on one another.
B)They are attracted to one another.
C)They are repelled by one another.
D)They are independent of one another.

Question 29

The average kinetic energy of gas particles is proportional to the temperature of the gas, according to which theory?

A)Gay-Lussac's law
B)Avogadro's law
C)The ideal gas law
D)The kinetic-molecular theory of gases

Question 30

In what kind of motions do gas particles move?

A)Continuous, directed motion
B)Continuous, random, straight line motion
C)Random, but directed motion
D)Random, non-continuous, straight line motion

Question 31

How compressible are gases when compared to liquids and solids?

A)Harder to compress
B)Slightly more compressible
C)Far more compressible
D)Roughly equal in compressibility

Question 32

How strong are intermolecular forces in gases?

A)Stronger than intermolecular interactions between liquids or solids
B)Generally as strong as intramolecular attractions such as covalent bonds
C)Similar in strength to the energy of the gas particles
D)Far less strong than the energy of the gas particles

Question 33

What provides the energy needed to ignite a fuel-air explosive?

A)A detonator
B)An ignition cap
C)A blasting cap or primer
D)A simple flame

Question 34

The lower explosion limit (LEL) for a fuel is what?

A)The lowest ratio of fuel to water at which a mixture can propagate a flame
B)The lowest ratio of fuel to air at which a mixture can propagate a flame
C)The lowest ratio of air to combustible solid at which a mixture will combust
D)The lowest ratio of air to liquid at which a solid mixture will combust

Question 35

What is the UEL of natural gas?

A)15%
B)25%
C)35%
D)50%

Question 36

What is a thermobaric bomb?

A)A military explosive that is below its UEL
B)A military fuel-air explosive bomb
C)A military fuel-air explosive, ignitable mixture
D)A military explosive that is below its LEL

Question 37

When energy is added to a gaseous system, what happens to the particles of that system?

A)Nothing, really. They remain in motion.
B)The kinetic energy of the particles increases, but in an exponential relationship.
C)The kinetic energy of the particles decreases, to compensate.
D)The kinetic energy of the particles increases as well.

Question 38

Why can't gases be compressed well into containers?

A)Because their kinetic energy is usually too high.
B)Because of the interference caused by particle size.
C)Because the lower explosive limit of most gases.
D)They CAN be compressed, because there are large distances between the gas molecules.

Question 39

Why do gas mixtures explode below the fuel-to-air lower explosion level (LEL)?

A)Because of the pressures involved at that level.
B)Because all the fuel is in a vapor phase.
C)They don't explode below the LEL.
D)Both A and B are correct.

Question 40

What is Avogadro's Law?

A)Equal volumes of gases at the same temperature and pressure contain the same number of gas particles.
B)Equal pressures of gases at the same temperature contain the same number of gas particles.
C)Equal temperatures of gases at the same pressure contain the same number of gas particles.
D)Equal volumes of gases at the same temperature and pressure contain the same volume of gas particles.

Question 41

When gases react according to a balanced chemical equation, such as:
2H₂(g) + O₂ (g) → 2 H₂O(g), what do the coefficients represent?

A)The gas masses that react
B)The gas pressures that react
C)The gas volumes that react
D)None of the above

Question 42

According to the following gaseous reaction H₂ (g) + Cl₂ (g) → 2 HCl (g), if a liter of hydrogen and a liter of chlorine react, what is the volume of the final mixture?

A)½ liter
B)1 liter
C)2 liters
D)Not enough information to tell

Question 43

What is the volume of the product in the following reaction:
O₂ (g) + 2H₂ (g) → 2 H₂O (g) if the reactants are 1 liter of oxygen and 2 liters of hydrogen?

A)2 liters
B)3 liters
C)1 liter
D)Not enough information to tell

Question 44

If 1 liter of oxygen and 1 liter of nitrogen react according to the following equation:
O₂(g) + N₂(g) → 2 NO(g), how much product will form?

A)Cannot tell from the information given
B)No product forms
C)1 liter
D)2 liters

Question 45

When a gas sample in a closed container has its pressure increased by a factor of two, what happens to its volume?

A)It increases by a factor of 2.
B)It decreases by a factor of 2.
C)It neither decreases nor increases.
D)None of the above.

Question 46

What of the following is the best statement of Boyle's Law?

A)The pressure of a gas is directly proportional to its volume.
B)The pressure of a gas is inversely proportional to its volume.
C)The volume of a gas is directly proportional to its temperature.
D)The volume of a gas is inversely proportional to its temperature.

Question 47

A 4 L container of gas at 760 torr is compressed to 2.5 L. What is its new pressure?

A)7,600 torr
B)1,216 torr
C)0.013 torr
D)475 torr

Question 48

A 2 L container of gas at 1,060 torr is expanded to 6.5 L. What is its new pressure?

A)326 torr
B)13,780 torr
C)3,445 torr
D)81.5 torr

Question 49

What is the new pressure when a 10 L container of gas at 3,500 torr is compressed down to 2.5 L?

A)1,400 torr
B)250 torr
C)8,750 torr
D)14,000 torr

Question 50

Of the following, which is the best expression of Gay-Lussac's Law?

A)The temperature of a gas is inversely related to its pressure.
B)The pressure of a gas can be directly related to its temperature.
C)The pressure of a gas is directly related to its temperature, when all other factors are equal.
D)The pressure of a gas is inversely related to its temperature when all other factors are equal.

Question 51

When the temperature of a gas rises by a factor of 3, what should happen to the pressure of the gas, all other factors being constant?

A)It should rise by a factor of 3.
B)It should decrease by a factor of 3.
C)The pressure should remain unchanged.
D)Not enough information to tell.

Question 52

What happens to the pressure of a gas when the temperature rises if there are no other factors that change?

A)Nothing.
B)It rises as well.
C)It decreases.
D)None of the above.

Question 53

What happens to the volume of a gas when its temperature increases by a factor of 5?

A)It decreases by a factor of 5.
B)It increases by a factor of 5.
C)It increases by a factor of 10.
D)It decreases by a factor of 10.

Question 54

What happens to the temperature of a gas when its volume increases by a factor of 3?

A)It too increases by a factor of 3.
B)It stays the same.
C)It decreases by a factor of 3.
D)Not enough information to tell.

Question 55

What happens to the volume of a gas when its temperature doubles?

A)Nothing.
B)It increases to twice the original.
C)It decreases to ½ of the original.
D)Not enough information to tell.

Question 56

What happens to the temperature of a gas when its volume increases by a factor of 4, and its pressure changes?

A)It increases by a factor of 4.
B)It decreases by a factor of 4.
C)It increases by a factor of 2.
D)Not enough information to tell.

Question 57

Why doesn't density of a gas depend on temperature?

A)Because the kinetic-molecular theory states that particles are far apart.
B)Because the kinetic energy of a gas system doesn't change with temperature.
C)The density of a gas does depend on temperature.
D)Because the kinetic-molecular theory states that gas particles are extremely small.

Question 58

What happens to the pressure of a gas when its volume decreases, all other factors being equal?

A)The pressure increases.
B)The pressure decreases.
C)The pressure remains equal.
D)The pressure remains equal or decreases.

Question 59

With all other factors remaining constant, how does the temperature of a gas shift when the pressure increases?

A)It remains constant.
B)It decreases.
C)It increases.
D)It increases or decreases, depending on how great the shift is.

Question 60

When the volume of a gas decreases, what happens to its temperature if all other factors remain unchanged?

A)It remains constant.
B)It increases.
C)It decreases.
D)A pressure value is also needed to answer this.

Question 61

The gas laws relate temperature, pressure, number of moles, and volumes of various gases, regardless of what gases are being considered.

Question 62

What happens to the pressure of a gas when the volume of the system is halved, assuming all other factors remain constant?

A)It too is halved.
B)It doubles.
C)There is no change.
D)The number of moles of the gas must decrease as well.

Question 63

What happens to the pressure of a closed, gaseous system when it is heated?

A)It increases.
B)It decreases.
C)It does not change.
D)There isn't enough information to tell.

Question 64

When the temperature of a gas increases, how does the pressure increase?

A)Inversely
B)Exponentially
C)Logarithmically
D)Proportionately

Question 65

How many liters of a gas are equal to one mole of the gas?

A)24.4 L
B)6.02 × 10²³ liters
C)1 liter
D)22.4 liters

Question 66

If 200 g of CaCO₃ decomposes to form CO₂ gas and CaO solid, how many liters of CO₂ will form?

A)200 L
B)44.8 L
C)100 L
D)22.4 L

Question 67

If 12.0 atm of nitrogen gas in a 14.0 L container is compressed to 3.5 L, what is the resulting pressure?

A)48.0 atm
B)6.0 atm
C)3.5 atm
D)3.0 atm

Question 68

If a 20.0 L container of oxygen has a pressure of 15.0 atm, what will the volume be if the pressure is changed to 7.5 atm?

A)10.0 L
B)40.0 L
C)15.0 L
D)23.6 L

Question 69

If a gas system at 25°C has a pressure of 23.0 atm, what pressure will the system change to if the temperature rises to 35.0°C?

A)38.0 atm
B)0.03 atm
C)32.2 atm
D)16.4 atm

Question 70

If a gas at a pressure of 13.0 atm has a temperature of 27°C, what will its temperature be if the pressure changes to 39.0 atm?

A)81.0°C
B)42.5°C
C)39.0°C
D)18.8°C

Question 71

What volume will a gas occupy if at 25°C and 100 L its temperature is changed to 35°C?

A)150 L
B)140 L
C)60.0 L
D)30.0 L

Question 72

5.00 L of chlorine gas is at 15°C. What temperature will the gas have when the volume changes to 12.5 L?

A)12.5°C
B)25.0°C
C)37.5°C
D)42.5°C

Question 73

The equation: V₁n₂ = V₂n₁ is an expression of what gas law?

A)Charles'
B)Boyle's
C)Avogadro's
D)Gay-Lussac's

Question 74

Why does one mole of a gas occupy 22.4 L, no matter what the gas happens to be?

A)Because gas laws are all the same.
B)Because gas particles actually occupy very little of that volume.
C)Because all gas particles in any gas are of high enough energy.
D)None of the above; rather, there are different volumes for different gases.

Question 75

Which gas law can be expressed as P₁T₂ = P₂T₁?

A)Boyle's
B)Charles'
C)Gay-Lussac's
D)None of the above.

Question 76

The explosion of what solid material inflates automobile airbags?

A)Sodium azide, PbN₃
B)Sodium azide, PbN₂
C)Sodium azonide, PbN₃
D)Sodium azonide, PbN₂

Question 77

When combined, what gas laws are simply called "the combined gas law"?

A)Charles', Gay-Lussac's, and Avogadro's
B)Boyle's, Avogrdro's, and Gay-Lussac's
C)Boyle's, Charles', and Gay-Lussac's
D)Avogadro's, Boyle's, and Charles'

Question 78

In the ideal gas law, what is R?

A)The gas constant, 8.021 L^.atm/mol^.K
B)The universal gas constant, 8.314 L^.atm/mol^.K
C)The gas constant, 8.314 L^.atm/mol^.K
D)The universal gas constant, 0.082 L^.atm/mol^.K

Question 79

How can the combined gas law be used when the temperature of a system is kept constant?

A)Both temperature variables can be removed from the equation.
B)Both sides of the equation are multiplied by zero.
C)Both sides of the equation are multiplied by the one temperature.
D)Both temperature variables can be considered to be the standard temperature.

Question 80

If a gas at 15 atm occupying 5.0 L at 25°C is pressurized to 25 atm at 10 L, what will the new temperature of the gas be?

A)0.012°C
B)83.3°C
C)3.0°C
D)75.0°C