Lesson 3.3.2.4

3.3.2.4 Chlorination of alkanes Quiz: AQA Chemistry, Unit 3

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.3.2.4, Chlorination of alkanes: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Chemistry (7405), Unit 3: Organic chemistry, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which condition is required for chlorine to react with methane in free-radical substitution?

    • Ultraviolet light
    • Aqueous solution
    • High pressure
    • Zeolite catalyst

  2. What type of mechanism is the reaction of methane with chlorine?

    • Elimination
    • Electrophilic addition
    • Free-radical substitution
    • Nucleophilic substitution

  3. Which step is the initiation step in the chlorination of methane?

    • Cl + Cl -> Cl2
    • CH3 + Cl -> CH3Cl
    • CH4 -> CH3 + H radicals
    • Cl2 -> 2Cl radicals

  4. Which process occurs during a termination step in free-radical substitution?

    • Radicals combining
    • Homolytic fission
    • Heterolytic fission
    • Radical propagation

  5. Which product is formed in a propagation step in the chlorination of methane?

    • CH4
    • Ethane only
    • HCl
    • Cl2

  6. What process causes chlorination of methane to produce a mixture of products?

    • Homolytic fission
    • Chain termination
    • Further substitution
    • Electrophilic addition

  7. What is the name of the product formed from CH4 + Cl2 with one substitution?

    • Dichloromethane
    • Tetrachloromethane
    • Chloroethane
    • Chloromethane

  8. Which compound is formed when all four hydrogens of methane are replaced by chlorine?

    • Tetrachloromethane
    • Dichloroethane
    • Trichloroethene
    • Chloromethane

  9. Which equation represents a termination step in methane chlorination?

    • CH4 + Cl• -> CH3• + HCl
    • CH4 + Cl2 -> CH3Cl + HCl
    • Cl2 -> 2Cl•
    • •CH3 + •CH3 -> C2H6

  10. What characterizes a propagation step in free-radical substitution?

    • Regenerating a radical
    • Absorbing UV light
    • Forming two radicals
    • Destroying all radicals

  11. What is the overall equation for the monochlorination of methane?

    • 2CH4 + Cl2 -> 2CH3• + 2HCl
    • CH4 + Cl2 -> CH3Cl + HCl
    • CH3Cl + HCl -> CH4 + Cl2
    • CH4 + 2Cl2 -> CH2Cl2 + 2HCl

  12. What is the role of UV light in the chlorination of methane?

    • Break C-H bonds
    • Protonate chloromethane
    • Break Cl-Cl bonds
    • Ionise methane molecules

  13. Which product is the most useful as a solvent in the chlorination series?

    • Methane
    • Ethene
    • Methanol
    • Tetrachloromethane

  14. Which feature defines a free radical chemical species?

    • Lone electron pair
    • Negative charge
    • Unpaired electron
    • Positive charge

  15. Which equation represents a propagation step during chlorination of chloromethane?

    • •CH3 + •Cl -> CH3Cl
    • CH3Cl + Cl2 -> CH2Cl2 + HCl
    • Cl2 -> 2Cl•
    • CH3Cl + •Cl -> •CH2Cl + HCl

  16. What reactant condition promotes multiple substitution during the chlorination of methane?

    • Dark conditions
    • Excess chlorine
    • Excess methane
    • High pressure

  17. Which structural feature makes free radicals extremely reactive?

    • High electronegativity
    • Delocalised pi network
    • Net ionic charge
    • Unpaired electron

  18. Which compound is a by-product in the chlorination of methane at every substitution step?

    • HCl
    • Cl2
    • CH4
    • CCl4 only

  19. Why is the chlorination of methane classified as a chain reaction?

    • Heat is absorbed
    • Ions are generated
    • Radicals are regenerated
    • Molecules collide directly

  20. Why are propagation steps far more frequent than termination steps in alkane chlorination?

    • Slow molecular collision
    • Low radical concentration
    • High activation energy
    • Strong carbon-hydrogen bonds

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