EVALUATION

The chapter-end evaluation tests the full span of material developed across both halves of the unit. Part I (Choose the Best Answer, 19 MCQs) probes: why Sc is a transition element but Zn is not; which d-block element has both a half-filled penultimate and half-filled valence sub-shell; which 3d metal has the most negative M²⁺/M standard electrode potential; matching unpaired-electron counts across different ions; calculating the spin-only magnetic moment of Mn²⁺; the structural basis of transition-metal catalysis; ordering the oxidising power of VO₂⁺, Cr₂O₇²⁻ and MnO₄⁻; what oxalic acid is oxidised to by acidic KMnO₄; a false-statement identification across K₂Cr₂O₇ chemistry; what permanganate ion becomes in acidic medium; stoichiometric calculations for dichromate-iodide and permanganate-oxalate reactions; and, for the f-block, identifying an incorrect statement about lanthanons, diamagnetic lanthanoid ions, the most common lanthanoid oxidation state, an assertion-reason question on Ce⁴⁺ as an oxidant, the most common actinoid oxidation state, which actinoids reach +7, and periodic-table/lanthanoid-contraction reasoning.

Part II (Write Brief Answer, 27 short/long-answer questions) covers: defining transition metals with examples; explaining 4d-series oxidation states; defining inner transition elements and actinides; justifying the periodic-table position of lanthanides and actinides; describing the preparation of potassium dichromate; explaining lanthanide contraction and its effects; six reaction-completion sub-parts spanning dichromate, permanganate and chromate chemistry; defining interstitial compounds; calculating unpaired electrons and spin-only magnetic moment for Ti³⁺ and Mn²⁺; writing electronic configurations for Ce⁴⁺ and Co²⁺; explaining the increasing stability of +2 states across the first half of the 3d series; comparing the stability of Fe³⁺ versus Fe²⁺; explaining the E°(M³⁺/M²⁺) trend across the 3d series; comparing lanthanides and actinides systematically; explaining why Cr²⁺ is strongly reducing while Mn³⁺ is strongly oxidizing; comparing first-series ionization enthalpies; explaining why actinoid contraction exceeds lanthanoid contraction per element; comparing the basicity of Lu(OH)₃ and La(OH)₃; explaining the relative stability of Eu²⁺ ve …