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Home Revision AQA A-Level Chemistry Past-paper questions Bonding

AQA 7404/7405 · Real past-paper questions · AQA’s mark schemes

Bonding: AQA A-Level Chemistry past-paper questions

58 questions, 118 marks (54 AS, 4 A-level only), from 2017–2025. Each has AQA’s mark scheme a tap away. Free, no sign-up.

Joe White · AQA AS & A-Level Chemistry (7404/7405) · Not affiliated with or endorsed by AQA

How AQA examines bonding

58 questions, 48 of them multiple choice. When bonding is asked at length, it is asked to be explained: “Explain” is the most common command word here, and the written parts are mostly 2 or 3 marks.

Those marks go to naming the right force or bond and saying what it acts between. Ionic lattices are held by attraction between oppositely charged ions; giant covalent structures by many strong covalent bonds; simple molecules melt at low temperature because only weak forces between the molecules break. Shapes come from counting bonding pairs and lone pairs around the central atom. Bonding also turns up inside organic questions, which is why some of these questions also draw on aromatic chemistry, alcohols, alkanes and alkenes.

Multiple choice (48)

Q1[1 mark]

June 2025 · AS Paper 1 · Q11

Which diagram best shows the arrangement and the relative sizes of the ions in solid sodium chloride?

  1. + − − +
  2. + − − +
  3. − + − +
  4. + − − +

Q2[1 mark]

June 2025 · AS Paper 1 · Q19

Which of these molecules is polar?

  1. BF3
  2. CO2
  3. CCl4
  4. SCl2

Q3[1 mark]

June 2025 · Paper 3 · Q27

Which species has a tetrahedral shape?

  1. SF4
  2. FeCl4−
  3. XeF4
  4. ICl4−

Q4[1 mark]

June 2024 · AS Paper 2 · Q17

Which of these alkanes has the highest boiling point?

  1. Decane
  2. Hexane
  3. 2,3-dimethyloctane
  4. 2,3-dimethylbutane

Q5A2[1 mark]

June 2024 · Paper 3 · Q11

Which substance does not have any bond angles of 120°?

  1. Benzene
  2. Boron trifluoride
  3. Cyclohexane
  4. Graphite

Q6[1 mark]

June 2024 · Paper 3 · Q13

Which compound forms the greatest number of hydrogen bonds per molecule in the liquid state?

  1. CH3CH2COOH
  2. CH3CH2OCH3
  3. CH3CH2CHO
  4. CH3CH2CH2OH

Q7[1 mark]

June 2024 · Paper 3 · Q12

Which molecule does not have a permanent dipole?

  1. NH3
  2. PCl3
  3. SCl2
  4. SiCl4

Q8[1 mark]

June 2024 · Paper 3 · Q10

Which diagram shows the formation of a dative covalent bond?

  1. H + H N H H
  2. H F H N B F H F
  3. H + H O H
  4. H H H N A g + N H H H

Q9[1 mark]

June 2024 · Paper 3 · Q9

What is the formula of ammonium ethanedioate?

  1. NH4(C2O4)2
  2. (NH4)2C2O4
  3. NH4C2O4
  4. (NH4)2(C2O4)3

Q10[1 mark]

June 2024 · AS Paper 1 · Q11

Which involves the formation of a dative covalent bond?

  1. PCl3 + Cl2 → PCl5
  2. Na+ + H− → NaH
  3. Mg + Cl2 → MgCl2
  4. BH3 + H− → BH4−

Q11[1 mark]

June 2024 · AS Paper 1 · Q15

Which element has the lowest melting point?

  1. Na
  2. Mg
  3. K
  4. Ca

Q12[1 mark]

June 2023 · Paper 3 · Q15

What happens when water is vaporised?

  1. Covalent bonds break within molecules.
  2. Intermolecular forces are overcome.
  3. The enthalpy of the molecules decreases.
  4. The disorder of the molecules decreases.

Q13[1 mark]

June 2023 · AS Paper 2 · Q15

Which reaction results in an overall change in shape around a carbon atom?

  1. oxidation of propanal with acidified potassium dichromate(VI)
  2. polymerisation of tetrafluoroethene
  3. reaction of bromoethane with an excess of concentrated ammonia
  4. reaction of methane with an excess of chlorine in ultraviolet radiation

Q14[1 mark]

June 2023 · Paper 3 · Q9

Which substance has significant electron delocalisation?

  1. graphite
  2. iodine
  3. sodium chloride
  4. tetrachloromethane

Q15[1 mark]

June 2023 · AS Paper 1 · Q14

Which molecule can accept an electron pair during the formation of a coordinate bond?

  1. NH3
  2. AlCl3
  3. SiH4
  4. PCl3

Q16[1 mark]

June 2023 · AS Paper 1 · Q13

Which molecule has a permanent dipole?

  1. NCl3
  2. CCl4
  3. PF5
  4. SF6

Q17[1 mark]

June 2022 · AS Paper 2 · Q16

Which reaction does not result in a change in the shape around a carbon atom?

  1. chloromethane with aqueous sodium hydroxide
  2. ethene with bromine
  3. propane with excess oxygen
  4. propan-1-ol with acidified potassium dichromate(VI)

Q18[1 mark]

June 2022 · AS Paper 2 · Q13

Which compound has the highest boiling point?

  1. CH3COCH2CH3
  2. CH3CH2CH2CH2OH
  3. CH3CH2CH2CHO
  4. CH3CH2CH2CH2CH3

Q19[1 mark]

June 2022 · AS Paper 1 · Q15

The equation for a reaction is AsH3 + H+ → AsH4+ What type of interaction forms in this reaction?

  1. Co-ordinate bond
  2. Dipole–dipole force
  3. Hydrogen bond
  4. Ionic bond

Q20A2[1 mark]

June 2022 · Paper 3 · Q8

Which substance has no delocalised electrons?

  1. graphite
  2. methylbenzene
  3. poly(propene)
  4. sodium

Q21A2[1 mark]

November 2021 · Paper 3 · Q15

In which molecule are all the atoms in the same plane?

  1. CH3CHO
  2. CH3NH2
  3. C6H5Cl
  4. C6H5CH3

Q22A2[1 mark]

November 2021 · Paper 3 · Q24

Which polymer has hydrogen bonding between the polymer chains?

  1. Kevlar
  2. PVC
  3. poly(phenylethene)
  4. Terylene

Q23[1 mark]

November 2021 · Paper 3 · Q16

Which molecule has a permanent dipole?

  1. BF3
  2. NH3
  3. SiCl4
  4. SO3

Q24[1 mark]

November 2021 · Paper 3 · Q12

Which statement about inorganic ionic compounds is always correct?

  1. They dissolve in water to give neutral solutions.
  2. They release energy when they melt.
  3. They contain metal cations.
  4. They form giant structures.

Q25[1 mark]

November 2021 · AS Paper 1 · Q15

Which bond has the most unsymmetrical electron distribution?

  1. H–O
  2. H–S
  3. H–N
  4. H–P

Q26[1 mark]

November 2021 · AS Paper 1 · Q14

Which species has a square planar shape?

  1. NH4+
  2. SF4
  3. XeF4
  4. PCl4+

Q27[1 mark]

November 2021 · AS Paper 1 · Q13

Which molecule is not able to form a co-ordinate bond with another species?

  1. BH3
  2. CH4
  3. NH3
  4. H2O

Q28[1 mark]

November 2021 · Paper 3 · Q14

In which substance do covalent bonds break when it melts?

  1. hexane
  2. ice
  3. iodine
  4. silicon dioxide

Q29[1 mark]

November 2021 · Paper 3 · Q13

Which species has a lone pair of electrons on the central atom?

  1. CO2
  2. SO2
  3. PCl6−
  4. SO42−

Q30[1 mark]

November 2021 · Paper 3 · Q22

Which substance contains delocalised electrons?

  1. cyclohexane
  2. graphite
  3. iodine
  4. sodium chloride

Q31[1 mark]

November 2020 · AS Paper 1 · Q23

Which molecule has a permanent dipole?

  1. CF4
  2. PCl5
  3. CO2
  4. Cl2O

Q32[1 mark]

November 2020 · AS Paper 1 · Q10

Which species contains bonds that have different polarities?

  1. NH4+
  2. CCl4
  3. CH3Cl
  4. H3O+

Q33[1 mark]

November 2020 · AS Paper 1 · Q11

Which compound has hydrogen bonding?

  1. NaH
  2. NH3
  3. HI
  4. SiH4

Q34[1 mark]

November 2020 · AS Paper 1 · Q16

Which compound contains a co-ordinate bond?

  1. HF
  2. NH3
  3. CHCl3
  4. NH4Cl

Q35[1 mark]

June 2019 · Paper 3 · Q31

Which is not responsible for conducting electricity?

  1. The sodium ions in molten sodium chloride
  2. The electrons between layers of carbon atoms in graphite
  3. The bonding electrons in a metal
  4. The lone pair electrons in liquid water molecules

Q36[1 mark]

June 2019 · AS Paper 1 · Q11

Which substance has delocalised electrons?

  1. graphite
  2. iodine
  3. sodium chloride
  4. tetrachloromethane

Q37[1 mark]

June 2019 · AS Paper 1 · Q12

Which species is not pyramidal in shape?

  1. PF3
  2. H3O+
  3. CH3−
  4. BF3

Q38[1 mark]

June 2019 · AS Paper 1 · Q13

Which change occurs when water is vaporised?

  1. An exothermic change occurs.
  2. Covalent bonds are broken.
  3. Intermolecular forces are overcome.
  4. The total energy of the molecules decreases.

Q39[1 mark]

June 2019 · AS Paper 2 · Q21

Which compound has the highest boiling point?

  1. CH3CH2CH2Br
  2. CH3CH2CH2F
  3. CH3CH2CHO
  4. CH3CH2COOH

Q40[1 mark]

June 2019 · Paper 3 · Q31

Which is not responsible for conduction of electricity?

  1. The sodium ions in molten sodium chloride
  2. The electrons between layers of carbon atoms in graphite
  3. The bonding electrons in a metal
  4. The lone pair electrons on water molecules

Q41[1 mark]

June 2018 · AS Paper 1 · Q10

Which row shows the bonding in ammonium chloride?

Dative

Covalent Ionic covalent

  1. Covalent: ✓ · Dative covalent: ✗ · Ionic: ✗
  2. Covalent: ✓ · Dative covalent: ✓ · Ionic: ✗
  3. Covalent: ✓ · Dative covalent: ✓ · Ionic: ✓
  4. Covalent: ✗ · Dative covalent: ✗ · Ionic: ✓

Q42[1 mark]

June 2018 · AS Paper 2 · Q10

Which molecule does not have a permanent dipole?

  1. CH3Br
  2. CH2Br2
  3. CHBr3
  4. CBr4

Q43[1 mark]

June 2018 · AS Paper 2 · Q13

Which compound has the highest boiling point?

  1. butanal
  2. butan-2-ol
  3. but-2-ene
  4. 1-fluorobutane

Q44[1 mark]

June 2018 · Paper 3 · Q30

Which species has a shape that is influenced by the presence of one or more lone pairs of electrons around the central atom?

  1. AlCl3
  2. ClF3
  3. IF6+
  4. PCl6−

Q45[1 mark]

June 2017 · AS Paper 1 · Q18

Which species has one or more bond angle(s) of 90°?

  1. CH4
  2. NH4+
  3. ClF4−
  4. AlCl4−

Q46[1 mark]

June 2017 · AS Paper 1 · Q9

Which is the correct crystal structure for the substance named?

Substance Structure

  1. Substance: Iodine · Structure: Simple molecular
  2. Substance: Diamond · Structure: Ionic
  3. Substance: Sodium chloride · Structure: Giant covalent
  4. Substance: Graphite · Structure: Metallic

Q47[1 mark]

June 2017 · AS Paper 2 · Q13

Which is the most likely bond angle around the oxygen atom in ethanol?

  1. 104.5º
  2. 109.5º
  3. 120º
  4. 180º

Q48[1 mark]

June 2017 · Paper 3 · Q5

Which compound has the highest boiling point?

  1. CH3CH2CH2OH
  2. CH3CH2CHO
  3. CH3COCH3
  4. CH3COOCH3

Structured questions (10)

Q49[6 marks]

June 2025 · AS Paper 2 · Q3

Molecules of CCl4 and CHCl3 have similar tetrahedral shapes.

The boiling point of CCl4 is 77 °C

The boiling point of CHCl3 is 61 °C

Explain why CCl4 has a higher boiling point than CHCl3

Your answer should

  • explain why these molecules have a tetrahedral shape
  • explain why the molecules of each compound are polar or non-polar
  • compare the intermolecular forces in these compounds.

Q50[10 marks]

June 2024 · AS Paper 1 · Q3

This question is about structure and bonding.

(a) Define electronegativity.

1 mark

(b) Explain why the C–Cl bond is polar.

2 marks

(c) Although the C–Cl bond is polar, CCl4 is a non-polar molecule.

Explain why.

2 marks

(d) There are van der Waals forces between non-polar molecules.

Explain what causes these forces.

3 marks

Barium reacts with oxygen to form barium oxide.

Barium oxide has a high melting point and an ionic lattice structure similar to that of sodium chloride.

(e) Draw a 3D diagram to show how the particles are arranged in a barium oxide lattice.

You should draw eight particles.

2 marks

Q51[6 marks]

June 2024 · AS Paper 1 · Q5

SF6 and SF3+ have different shapes and different bond angles.

Deduce the shape of SF6 and the shape of SF3+

State the bond angle in SF6 and the bond angle in SF3+

Justify the bond angles by referring to electron pairs.

Q52[10 marks]

June 2023 · Paper 3 · Q5

The molar enthalpy of vaporisation (ΔHvap) of a liquid is the enthalpy change when one mole of liquid is converted to vapour at the boiling point of the liquid.

A student does an experiment to determine ΔHvap for water.

The student:

  • places a large beaker on a balance
  • pours 500 cm3 of water into the beaker
  • uses a 2.4 kW heater to raise the temperature of the water to 100 °C
  • records the mass of the beaker and hot water
  • uses the 2.4 kW heater to boil the water for 100 s
  • records the mass of the beaker and remaining water.

The loss in mass is 103 g

(a) Calculate ΔHvap for water.

[1 kW = 1 kJ s−1]

ΔHvap kJ mol−1

3 marks

The table below shows some data about three compounds that all contain the same number of electrons.

CompoundCH3CH2OHCH3CH2NH2CH3OCH3
Boiling point / K352290248

(b) All three compounds in the table above are polar.

Ethanol is the most polar and ethylamine is the least polar.

Explain why all three molecules are polar and why ethylamine is the least polar.

In your answer refer to the shapes around, and relative electronegativities of, the most electronegative atoms.

4 marks

(c) Explain the trend in the boiling points of the three compounds.

Refer to the intermolecular forces in all three compounds in your answer.

3 marks

Q53[6 marks]

June 2023 · AS Paper 1 · Q5

This question is about the shapes of molecules.

Discuss the difference between the shapes of CF4 and XeF4 In your answer you should:

  • name the shape of each molecule
  • explain the shape of each molecule
  • explain the bond angle(s) in each molecule.

Q54[6 marks]

June 2023 · AS Paper 2 · Q6

This question is about intermolecular forces in some organic compounds.

The table below gives some information about three organic compounds.

Compounddichloromethanetetrachloromethanepropan-1-ol
Boiling point / °C407797
Polarity of moleculespolarnon-polarpolar

(a) State why the C–Cl bonds in dichloromethane and tetrachloromethane are polar.

1 mark

(b) Suggest why tetrachloromethane molecules are non-polar.

1 mark

(c) Explain why tetrachloromethane has a higher boiling point than dichloromethane.

2 marks

(d) Propan-1-ol has a higher boiling point than the other two compounds because of hydrogen bonding.

Describe the hydrogen bonding in propan-1-ol.

2 marks

Q55[10 marks]

June 2022 · AS Paper 1 · Q4

This question is about intermolecular forces.

(a) Complete the diagram to show how one molecule of ammonia can form a hydrogen bond with one molecule of ethanol.

Include all lone pairs of electrons and partial charges on atoms involved in the hydrogen bond.

H H H C C O H H H

3 marks

The table below shows the electronegativity values of atoms of some elements.

AtomHCNOBr
Electronegativity2.12.53.03.52.8

(b) Define the term electronegativity.

1 mark

(c) Deduce the two atoms from the table above that will form the most polar bond.

1 mark

(d) The C–Br bond is polar.

Explain why CBr4 is not a polar molecule.

2 marks

(e) Suggest, in terms of the intermolecular forces for each compound, why CBr4 has a higher boiling point than CHBr3

3 marks

Q56[3 marks]

June 2022 · AS Paper 1 · Q3

This question is about shapes of molecules.

Complete the table below by drawing the shapes of both the AsF5 and KrF2 molecules, showing all lone pairs of electrons that influence the shape.

Deduce the bond angle(s) in AsF5

AsF5KrF2
Diagram of shape
Bond angle(s)

Q57[8 marks]

November 2021 · AS Paper 1 · Q2

This question is about magnesium and its compounds.

(a) State one observation when magnesium reacts with steam.

Give an equation, including state symbols, for this reaction.

Observation

Equation

2 marks

(b) Describe the bonding in magnesium.

2 marks

(c) Explain, in terms of structure and bonding, why magnesium chloride has a high melting point.

3 marks

(d) Give one medical use for magnesium hydroxide.

1 mark

Q58[5 marks]

November 2020 · AS Paper 1 · Q6

This question is about shapes of molecules and ions.

Draw the shape of NCl3 and of NCl4+

Include any lone pairs of electrons that influence the shape.

Name the shape of NCl3

State and explain the bond angle in NCl4+

Shape of NCl3 Shape of NCl4+

Name of shape of NCl3

Bond angle in NCl4+

Explanation of bond angle in NCl4+

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