Non-metals and their compounds: WAEC Chemistry Past Questions and Answers

What the WAEC syllabus covers in Non-metals and their compounds

Our summary: Carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, water, the halogens, nitrogen, sulphur and the noble gases: how they are made, how they behave and what they are used for.

• Carbon: allotropes of carbon ((1) Graphite, diamond and amorphous carbon; (2) Structures, properties and uses. (3) The uses of the allotropes should be correlated with their properties and structures. (4) Combustion of allotropes.)
• Carbon: coal: types; destructive distillation of coal and uses of the products (Different types should include anthracite, peat and lignite.)
• Carbon: coke: classification and uses; manufacture of synthetic gas and uses (Water gas and producer gas.)
• Carbon: oxides of carbon: carbon (IV) oxides ((1) Laboratory preparation. (2) Properties and uses. (3) Test for carbon (IV) oxides.)
• Carbon: oxides of carbon: carbon (II) oxides (Properties and uses only.)
• Carbon: trioxocarbonate (IV) salt ((1) Properties: solubility, action of heat, reaction with dilute acid. (2) Uses.)
• Oxygen: laboratory and industrial preparation
• Oxygen: properties and uses (Test for oxygen will be required.)
• Oxygen: binary compounds of oxygen: acidic, basic, amphoteric and neutral oxides
• Hydrogen: laboratory preparations
• Hydrogen: properties and uses (Test for hydrogen will be required.)
• Water and solution: composition of water (Test for water will be required. Reference should be made to the electrolysis of acidified water.)
• Water and solution: water as a solvent
• Water and solution: hardness of water, causes and methods of removing it ((1) Advantages and disadvantages of hard water and soft water. (2) Experiments to compare the degrees of hardness in different samples of water.)
• Water and solution: treatment of water for town supply
• Halogens (Redox properties of the elements; displacement reaction of one halogen by another.)
• Halogens: chlorine: laboratory preparation; properties and reactions (Properties should include: (a) variable oxidation states; (b) reaction with water and alkali (balanced equation required).)
• Hydrogen chloride gas: laboratory preparation
• Hydrogen chloride gas: properties and uses ((1) Test for HCl gas. (2) Fountain experiment.)
• Uses of halogen compounds (Uses should include silver halide in photography and sodium oxochlorate (I) as a bleaching agent.)
• Nitrogen: preparation and properties (Both laboratory and industrial preparations from liquefied air are required.)
• Nitrogen: uses of nitrogen
• Compounds of nitrogen: ammonia ((1) Laboratory and industrial preparations. (2) Properties and uses. (3) Test for ammonia. (4) Fountain experiment.)
• Compounds of nitrogen: trioxonitrate (V) acid ((1) Laboratory preparation. (2) Properties and uses.)
• Compounds of nitrogen: trioxonitrate (V) salts ((1) Action of heat will be required. (2) Test for trioxonitrate (V) ions.)
• Sulphur: allotropes and uses
• Sulphur: compound of sulphur
• Sulphur: trioxosulphate (IV) acids and its salts
• Sulphur: tetraoxosulphate (VI) acid: industrial preparation, reactions and uses (Contact process should be discussed.)
• The noble gases: properties and uses

Syllabus content © The West African Examinations Council (WASSCE (harmonised West African syllabus)).