10. Organic Chemistry Flashcards
What is crude oil composed of?
Crude oil is a mixture of a vast array of compounds, predominantly hydrocarbons.
How are the components of crude oil separated?
Crude oil is separated into fractions through fractional distillation, where it is evaporated and condensed at various temperatures to isolate components with similar numbers of carbon atoms.
What are the main constituents of crude oil?
Most compounds in crude oil are hydrocarbons, molecules containing only carbon and hydrogen atoms.
What are saturated hydrocarbons, and what is their general formula?
Saturated hydrocarbons, known as alkanes, have the general formula CₙH₂ₙ₊₂.
What properties of hydrocarbons are influenced by their molecular size?
Boiling points
viscosity
flammability
What gases are released into the atmosphere during the combustion of hydrocarbon fuels?
Gases released include carbon dioxide, water vapor, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, and solid particles.
How can ethanol be produced, and what are the methods used?
Ethanol can be produced by reacting ethene with steam or by fermenting sugar.
The former is a continuous process using ethene from crude oil, while the latter is a batch process using renewable resources.
What are biofuels, and what are their advantages and disadvantages?
Biofuels are fuels produced from plant material.
Advantage - renewable resource
Disadvantage - impacts on land use and carbon footprint.
How are hydrocarbons broken down, and what are the products of cracking?
Hydrocarbons are cracked to produce smaller, more useful molecules. Products include alkanes and unsaturated hydrocarbons like alkenes.
What is polymerization, and how are polymers formed?
Polymerization is the process where many small molecules (monomers) join to form large molecules (polymers).
For example, alkenes can be polymerized to form polymers like poly(ethene).
What factors influence the properties of polymers?
Properties of polymers depend on their composition and the conditions under which they are made, leading to variations like low-density and high-density poly(ethene).
What functional group do alcohols contain, and what are some examples?
Alcohols contain the functional group -OH.
Examples include methanol, ethanol, and propanol.
What functional group do carboxylic acids contain, and what are some examples?
Carboxylic acids contain the functional group -COOH.
Examples include methanoic acid, ethanoic acid, and propanoic acid.
What functional group do esters contain, and how are they formed?
Esters contain the functional group -COO-.
They are formed by the reaction between alcohols and carboxylic acids.
What are esters, and what is one common example?
Esters are volatile compounds with distinctive smells, often used as flavorings and perfumes.
One common example is ethyl ethanoate, produced from ethanol and ethanoic acid.
