Cambridge International AS & A Level

CHEMISTRY 9701/12
Paper 1 Multiple Choice May/June 2025
1 hour 15 minutes

You must answer on the multiple choice answer sheet.

*1956815279*

You will need: Multiple choice answer sheet

Soft clean eraser
Soft pencil (type B or HB is recommended)

INSTRUCTIONS
 There are forty questions on this paper. Answer all questions.
 For each question there are four possible answers A, B, C and D. Choose the one you consider correct
and record your choice in soft pencil on the multiple choice answer sheet.
 Follow the instructions on the multiple choice answer sheet.
 Write in soft pencil.
 Write your name, centre number and candidate number on the multiple choice answer sheet in the
spaces provided unless this has been done for you.
 Do not use correction fluid.
 Do not write on any bar codes.
 You may use a calculator.

INFORMATION
 The total mark for this paper is 40.
 Each correct answer will score one mark.
 Any rough working should be done on this question paper.
 The Periodic Table is printed in the question paper.
 Important values, constants and standards are printed in the question paper.

This document has 16 pages.

IB25 06_9701_12/5RP
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1 Consider the following statements.

1 Silicon dioxide has a higher melting point than sulfur dioxide.

2 Ammonia has a higher boiling point than phosphine, PH3.

Which statements are correct?

A both statement 1 and statement 2

B statement 1 only
C statement 2 only
D neither statement 1 nor statement 2

2 How many neutrons are contained in an atom of iron with a mass number of 60?

A 26 B 30 C 34 D 60

3 The diagram shows a Boltzmann distribution of molecular energies for a gaseous reaction at two
different temperatures and two different activation energies.

T1
T2

proportion
of molecules
EA(1) EA(2)

energy / kJ mol–1

Which combination of temperature and activation energy will give the highest reaction rate?

A T1 and EA(1) B T1 and EA(2) C T2 and EA(2) D T2 and EA(1)

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4 The reaction between sulfur dioxide and oxygen has the equation shown.

2SO2(g) + O2(g) 2SO3(g) H = –197 kJ mol–1

1.0 mol of SO2 and 1.0 mol of O2 are placed in a closed container and heated to a constant
temperature.

At this temperature, 0.8 mol of SO3 are present in the equilibrium mixture.

Which statement is correct?

A The equilibrium partial pressure of SO2 is greater than the equilibrium partial pressure of O2.
B Kp has units of mol dm–3.
C At a lower temperature, the equilibrium amount of SO3 is lower than 0.8 mol.
D The mole fraction of SO3 is less than 0.8.

5 ‘Red lead’ is a red pigment with the formula Pb3O4. Every formula unit of ‘red lead’ is the same.

Each formula unit contains three lead ions and four oxide ions. Lead has two different oxidation
states in ‘red lead’.

What are the oxidation states of lead in ‘red lead’?

A +1 and +2 B +1 and +3 C +2 and +4 D +2 and +6

6 Some standard enthalpy of combustion data are given.

standard enthalpy change

substance
of combustion / kJ mol–1

C(s) –394
H2(g) –286
CH3OH(l) –726

Using these data, what is the enthalpy change of formation of methanol?

A –240 kJ mol–1 B –46 kJ mol–1 C 46 kJ mol–1 D 240 kJ mol–1

7 Which row is correct?

smallest largest
bond angle bond angle

A H2O NH3 BF3

B BF3 NH3 H2O
C NH3 H2O BF3
D H2O BF3 NH3

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8 In the Haber process, the reaction between the two gaseous reactants requires the use of a
catalyst that contains a transition element.

What is the metal and in which mole ratio do the gases react?

metal mole ratio

A Fe 1:2
B Fe 1:3
C V 1:2
D V 1:3

9 Aqueous hydrogen peroxide, H2O2, decomposes into water and oxygen in the presence of a
suitable catalyst.

50 cm3 of a 0.50 mol dm–3 solution of hydrogen peroxide produced 120 cm3 of oxygen in
2.0 minutes.

The volume of gas was measured at room conditions.

What is the average rate of decomposition of hydrogen peroxide during this 2.0 minute period?

A 0.000083 mol dm–3 s–1

B 0.00083 mol dm–3 s–1
C 0.0017 mol dm–3 s–1
D 0.10 mol dm–3 s–1

10 The average intermolecular forces in water are much stronger than the average intermolecular
forces in steam.

The average intermolecular forces in ice are slightly stronger than the average intermolecular
forces in water.

Enthalpy changes are associated with the equilibrium processes shown.

H2O(l) H2O(g) Hb

H2O(s) H2O(l) Hm

Which statements are correct?

1 Hb and Hm are both negative.

2 Hb is greater than Hm.

3 The intermolecular forces in ice and water are of the same type.

A 1, 2 and 3 B 1 and 2 only C 1 and 3 only D 2 and 3 only

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11 An experiment is carried out to determine the value of x in hydrated lithium hydroxide,

LiOH•xH2O. A sample of the solid is heated in a crucible over a Bunsen flame.

Complete dehydration takes place; decomposition does not occur.

mass of empty crucible / g = Q

mass of crucible with LiOH•xH2O / g = R
mass of crucible and residue after heating / g = S

Which equation gives the correct value of x?

S–R R –S 23.9( R – S ) 23.9( S – R )
A B C D
18 18 18(S – Q ) 18(S – Q )

12 A sample of an ideal gas occupies 240 cm3 at 37 °C and 100 kPa.

How many moles of gas are present in the sample?

A 9.32  10–6 B 9.32  10–3 C 0.0781 D 78.1

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13 Under certain conditions, CCl 4 and H2O react as shown. The activation energy for the reaction is
+62 kJ mol–1.

CCl 4 + 2H2O  CO2 + 4HCl H = –61.5 kJ mol–1

Which enthalpy profile diagram best fits this reaction?

A B

CCl 4 + 2H2O CO2 + 4HCl

enthalpy CO2 + 4HCl enthalpy

CCl 4 + 2H2O

reaction path reaction path

C D

CO2 + 4HCl CCl 4 + 2H2O

enthalpy enthalpy CO2 + 4HCl

CCl 4 + 2H2O

reaction path reaction path

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14 A helium ion contains two protons, two neutrons and one electron.

This helium ion and a proton are passed separately through a uniform electric field.

The particles are travelling at the same velocity.

Which arrow describes the path of each particle?

1 5

+ 2 4 –

helium ion proton

A 1 2
B 2 1
C 4 5
D 5 4

15 The skeletal formulae of arginine and lysine are shown.

arginine lysine

NH O O
H 2N
H 2N N OH OH
H
NH2 NH2

Which row is correct?

substance empirical formula Mr

A arginine C3H7N2O 174

B arginine C3H8N2O 176
C lysine C3H7NO 144
D lysine C3H8NO 146

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16 The oxide and chloride of an element X are separately mixed with water. The two resulting
solutions have the same effect on litmus.

What could element X be?

A Al B Ca C Na D P

17 Why do the halogens become less volatile as Group 17 is descended?

A The halogen–halogen bond energy decreases.

B The halogen–halogen bond energy increases.
C The number of electrons in each molecule increases.
D The van der Waals’ forces between molecules become weaker.

18 Compound M is a white solid. It is the chloride of a Period 3 element.

Information about some reactions starting with compound M is given in the table.

reaction observation
compound M + non-polar solvent colourless solution
compound M added a little at a time to water steamy fumes, Q
colourless solution, R
fumes Q tested with moist blue litmus paper paper turns red
solution R + a few drops of NaOH(aq) white precipitate
+ excess NaOH(aq) dissolves to give a colourless solution

What is compound M?

A aluminium chloride
B magnesium chloride
C phosphorus pentachloride
D sodium chloride

19 Which statement about strontium and its compounds is correct?

A Strontium hydroxide is more soluble than barium hydroxide.

B Strontium sulfate is more soluble than magnesium sulfate.
C Strontium nitrate has a lower thermal stability than calcium nitrate.
D Strontium is a stronger reducing agent than magnesium.

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20 Sodium bromide is warmed with concentrated sulfuric acid.

Which row describes the change in the oxidation number of the sulfur and the role of the bromide
ions in the reaction?

change in
role of
oxidation number
bromide ions
of sulfur

A +6 to +4 oxidising agent
B +6 to +4 reducing agent
C +4 to 0 oxidising agent
D +4 to 0 reducing agent

21 A reaction occurs when ammonium chloride is added to calcium hydroxide.

What is the role of the ammonium ions in this reaction?

A acid
B base
C oxidising agent
D reducing agent

22 Elements Y and Z are both in Period 3. Element Y has the smallest atomic radius in Period 3.

There are only two elements in Period 3 that have a lower melting point than element Z.

Elements Y and Z react together to form compound R.

Which compound could be R?

A MgCl 2 B MgS C Na2S D PCl 3

23 1.0 g of each of four different compounds of Group 2 elements are thermally decomposed. The
residue in each decomposition is the oxide of the Group 2 element.

The volume of gas produced from each reaction is measured at room conditions.

Which substance produces the greatest volume of gas?

A calcium carbonate
B calcium nitrate
C strontium carbonate
D strontium nitrate

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24 Sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere can form acid rain. This occurs in two steps.

1 oxidation of SO2 to SO3

2 formation of dilute H2SO4

Which row identifies the atmospheric catalyst for step 1 and the reagent for step 2?

catalyst reagent

A O2 H2O
B O2 O2
C NO2 H2O
D NO2 O2

25 Which statement about the mechanism of an SN1 reaction of a halogenoalkane is correct?

A A nucleophile is substituted by an electrophile.

B One intermediate is formed from two reacting molecules.
C The intermediate is stabilised by adjacent alkyl groups.
D The intermediate is uncharged.

26 The repeat unit of a polymer is shown.

H H H H

C C C C

H Cl H OH n

Three statements about this polymer are listed.

1 Its disposal is hazardous because it produces toxic gases when burned.

2 Two different monomers are used to make this polymer.
3 The monomer for this polymer is 3-chlorobut-2-ene-1-ol.

Which statements are correct?

A 1 and 2 B 1 and 3 C 1 only D 2 only

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27 Methanoic acid, HCO2H, has acidic properties similar to those of other carboxylic acids. In
addition, it can be oxidised by the same oxidising agents that are capable of oxidising aldehydes.

Which pair consists of two compounds that will give the same observations with Fehling’s
reagent?

A HCO2H and CH3CO2H

B HCO2H and CH3CO2CH3
C HCO2H and CH3CH2COCH3
D HCO2H and CH3CH2CHO

28 Which row gives pentanenitrile as one product?

reagents and
halogenoalkane
conditions

A Br heat with HCN

heat with KCN using

B Br ethanol as solvent

C Br heat with HCN

heat with KCN using

D Br ethanol as solvent

29 An ester, R'CO2R", is hydrolysed in alkaline conditions. R' and R" are different alkyl groups.

Which row identifies the two products formed?

product 1 product 2

A R'CO2H R"OH
B R'CO2– R"OH
C R'CO2H R"O–
D R'CO2– R"O–

30 Which compound cannot be oxidised by acidified potassium dichromate(VI) solution but does
react with sodium metal?

A (CH3)3COH
B CH3COCH2CH3
C CH3CH2CH2CH2OH
D CH3CH2CH(OH)CH3

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31 Butan-2-one reacts with alkaline I2(aq). An excess of dilute sulfuric acid is then added to the
reaction mixture.

The organic products of this reaction sequence are triiodomethane and product M.

What is product M?

A ethanoate ion
B ethanoic acid
C propanoate ion
D propanoic acid

32 Four reagents are listed.

1 aqueous KCl
2 dilute HCl

3 liquid SOCl 2
4 solid PCl 5

Which reagents, when added to ethanol, will rapidly produce a gas that turns blue litmus red?

A 1 and 2 B 1 and 3 C 2 and 4 D 3 and 4

33 Four drops of 1-chlorobutane, 1-bromobutane and 1-iodobutane are put separately into three
test-tubes containing 1.0 cm3 of aqueous silver nitrate at 60 °C. In each case, a hydrolysis
reaction occurs.

H2O(l) + R–X(l) + Ag+(aq)  R–OH(aq) + AgX(s) + H+(aq)

R represents C4H9 and X represents the halogen atom.

The rate of formation of cloudiness in the test-tubes is in the order RCl < RBr < RI.

Why is this?

A The bond energy of R–X decreases from RCl to RI.

B The first ionisation energy of the halogen decreases from Cl to I.

C The solubility of AgX(s) decreases from AgCl to AgI.

D The R–X bond polarity decreases from RCl to RI.

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34 Propanoic acid reacts with LiAl H4 to give organic product P.

Methanoic acid reacts with organic product P, in the presence of a few drops of concentrated
sulfuric acid, to give organic product Q.

What are the skeletal formulae of the two organic products?

organic product P organic product Q

O
A OH
O
O
B OH
O
O
C O
O
O
D O
O

35 Samples of the gases CH3Cl and Cl 2 are mixed together and irradiated with ultraviolet light.

Which compound is produced by a termination step in the reaction?

A HCl B CH2=CH2 C CH2Cl CH2Cl D H2

36 Propan-1-ol, C3H7OH, is dehydrated by passing its vapour over hot aluminium oxide to give a
hydrocarbon.

Which structural formula represents the product obtained when the hydrocarbon reacts with
bromine?

A B

H H H H Br H

H C C C Br H C C C H

H H H H H H

C D

H H Br H Br Br

H C C C Br H C C C H

H H H H H H

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37 Alkane S has molecular formula C4H10.

S reacts with Cl 2(g) in the presence of sunlight to produce only two different monochloroalkanes,
C4H9Cl. Both of these monochloroalkanes are treated with hot ethanolic KOH. They both produce
the same alkene T, and no other organic products.

What is produced when T is treated with hot concentrated acidified KMnO4?

A CO2 and CH3CH2CO2H

B CO2 and CH3COCH3
C HCO2H and CH3COCH3
D CH3CO2H only

38 Including structural isomers and stereoisomers, how many isomers are there of C2H2Br2?

A 2 B 3 C 4 D 5

39 Which compound exhibits stereoisomerism?

A 1,1-dichloropropene
B 2,3-dichloropropene
C 1,2-dichloropropane
D 1,3-dichloropropane

40 The mass spectrum of CH3Cl shows a molecular ion peak, M+, at the m / e value of 50 with a
relative abundance of 18.0%.

Other peaks are present in the mass spectrum.

What is seen in the mass spectrum at the m / e value of 52?

A a peak with relative abundance of 4.5%

B a peak with relative abundance of 6.0%
C a peak with relative abundance of 18.0%
D a peak with relative abundance of 54.0%

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Important values, constants and standards

molar gas constant R = 8.31 J K–1 mol–1

Faraday constant F = 9.65  104 C mol–1
Avogadro constant L = 6.022  1023 mol–1
electronic charge e = –1.60  10–19 C
molar volume of gas Vm = 22.4 dm3 mol–1 at s.t.p. (101 kPa and 273 K)
Vm = 24.0 dm3 mol–1 at room conditions
ionic product of water Kw = 1.00  10–14 mol2 dm–6 (at 298 K (25 C))
specific heat capacity of water c = 4.18 kJ kg–1 K–1 (4.18 J g–1 K–1)

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To avoid the issue of disclosure of answer-related information to candidates, all copyright acknowledgements are reproduced online in the Cambridge
Assessment International Education Copyright Acknowledgements Booklet. This is produced for each series of examinations and is freely available to download
at www.cambridgeinternational.org after the live examination series.

Cambridge Assessment International Education is part of Cambridge Assessment. Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of the University of Cambridge
Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which is a department of the University of Cambridge.

© UCLES 2025 9701/12/M/J/25

© UCLES 2025
The Periodic Table of Elements
Group
1 2 13 14 15 16 17 18
1 2
H He
hydrogen helium
Key 1.0 4.0
3 4 atomic number 5 6 7 8 9 10
Li Be atomic symbol B C N O F Ne
lithium beryllium name boron carbon nitrogen oxygen fluorine neon
6.9 9.0 relative atomic mass 10.8 12.0 14.0 16.0 19.0 20.2
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Na Mg Al Si P S Cl Ar
sodium magnesium aluminium silicon phosphorus sulfur chlorine argon
23.0 24.3 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 27.0 28.1 31.0 32.1 35.5 39.9
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
K Ca Sc Ti V Cr Mn Fe Co Ni Cu Zn Ga Ge As Se Br Kr
potassium calcium scandium titanium vanadium chromium manganese iron cobalt nickel copper zinc gallium germanium arsenic selenium bromine krypton
39.1 40.1 45.0 47.9 50.9 52.0 54.9 55.8 58.9 58.7 63.5 65.4 69.7 72.6 74.9 79.0 79.9 83.8
37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54
16

Rb Sr Y Zr Nb Mo Tc Ru Rh Pd Ag Cd In Sn Sb Te I Xe
rubidium strontium yttrium zirconium niobium molybdenum technetium ruthenium rhodium palladium silver cadmium indium tin antimony tellurium iodine xenon
85.5 87.6 88.9 91.2 92.9 95.9 – 101.1 102.9 106.4 107.9 112.4 114.8 118.7 121.8 127.6 126.9 131.3

9701/12/M/J/25
55 56 57–71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86
lanthanoids
Cs Ba Hf Ta W Re Os Ir Pt Au Hg Tl Pb Bi Po At Rn
caesium barium hafnium tantalum tungsten rhenium osmium iridium platinum gold mercury thallium lead bismuth polonium astatine radon
132.9 137.3 178.5 180.9 183.8 186.2 190.2 192.2 195.1 197.0 200.6 204.4 207.2 209.0 – – –
87 88 89–103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118
actinoids
Fr Ra Rf Db Sg Bh Hs Mt Ds Rg Cn Nh Fl Mc Lv Ts Og
francium radium rutherfordium dubnium seaborgium bohrium hassium meitnerium darmstadtium roentgenium copernicium nihonium flerovium moscovium livermorium tennessine oganesson
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71
lanthanoids La Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu
lanthanum cerium praseodymium neodymium promethium samarium europium gadolinium terbium dysprosium holmium erbium thulium ytterbium lutetium
138.9 140.1 140.9 144.2 – 150.4 152.0 157.3 158.9 162.5 164.9 167.3 168.9 173.1 175.0
89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103
actinoids Ac Th Pa U Np Pu Am Cm Bk Cf Es Fm Md No Lr
actinium thorium protactinium uranium neptunium plutonium americium curium berkelium californium einsteinium fermium mendelevium nobelium lawrencium
– 232.0 231.0 238.0 – – – – – – – – – – –