2.7 Alcohols and Carboxylic acids Flashcards
Two main methods of producing alcohols
Hydration and fermentation
Hydration of alkenes
- produces alcohols from alkenes in the presence of an acid catalyst
- very high percentage yield - 1 product
- industrial process- high yield
- catalyst - phosphoric acid - increases rate without affecting yield
- 300 degrees celsius- compromise temperature as forward is exothermic so high yield would need a low temperature but would lead to a slow rate of reaction
- high pressure (60-70atm)- less moles of product so high yield favoured by high pressure, increases rate of reaction expensive when too high
Fermentation - sugars are converted to alcohol
• catalysed by enzyme present in yeast
• sugar is dissolved in water
• yeast is added and mixture is left in a warm place
• production of alcoholic drinks
• cheaper than hydration - lower temperature needed
• lower percentage yield than hydration
Eg glucose –> ethanol and carbon dioxide
After fermentation describe and explain how ethanol can be separated from the aqueous mixture left in the fermentation vessel
By fractional distillation as it has a boiling temperature of 80 degrees C
What is a biofuel
Fuel that has been produced using a biological source
Advantages of biofuels
- renewable - grow trees, animal waste material
- greenhouse gases - although they produce CO2 when burned they take some in during photosynthesis- carbon neutral overall
- economic and political security- countries without their own source of fossil fuels are affected bu changes in price + availability
Disadvantages of biofuels
- land-use- deforestation to create land to grow plants for biofuels
- use of resources- need lots of water and fertiliser , short supply of water and water pollution
- carbon neutrailty?- building factories and transport raw material - CO2 production
Alcohol dehydration to form alkenes
- water molecule is eliminated from the molecule and double bond is formed
- need a dehydrating agent/catalyst eg heated Al2O3 or concentrated H2SO4
How can addition polymers be produced from fermentation without the need for crude oil?
Fermentation produces the primary alcohol which can be dehydrated to produce an alkene which is used in the production of addition polymers
Primary alcohol
-OH joined to C that is not joined to more than 1 other C atom
Secondary alcohol
-OH is joined to C that is joined to 2 other C atoms
Tertiary alcohol
-OH joined to C that is joined to 3 other C atoms
Primary
Primary
Secondary