5.7 Organic Chemistry Flashcards
Alcohols
Alcohols contain the functional group –OH.
The first four members of a homologous series of alcohols are methanol, ethanol, propanol and butanol
Alkanes
Alkanes are the most common hydrocarbon found in crude oil
Alkanes have the general formula C2H2n+2
Alkenes
Alkenes are hydrocarbons with a double bond between two of the carbon atoms in their chain, causing them to be unsaturated.
They have the general formula CnH2n
Carboxylic acids
Carboxylic acids have the functional group –COOH
The first four members of a homologous series of carboxylic acids are methanoic acid, ethanoic acid, propanoic acid and butanoic acid
Catalytic cracking
Long-chain hydrocarbons are heated to turn them into a gas.
The vapour is then passed over a hot powdered aluminium oxide catalyst.
The long chain molecules split apart on the surface of the catalyst
Combustion
Combustion of hydrocarbon fuels releases energy.
During combustion, the carbon and hydrogen in the fuels are oxidised
Complete combustion
Water and carbon dioxide are the only products of the complete
combustion of a hydrocarbon
Crude oil
A finite resource found in rocks.
It is the remains of an ancient biomass consisting mainly of plankton that was buried in mud.
Most of the compounds in crude oil are hydrocarbons.
Cracking
A process that involves breaking down larger hydrocarbons to produce smaller more useful molecules.
Cracking can be done by catalytic cracking or steam cracking
Esters
The product of a condensation reaction between a carboxylic acid and alcohol.
For example: ethanol + ethanoic acid → ethyl ethanoate
Fermentation
A chemical process by which molecules such as glucose are broken down anaerobically.
Ethanol is produced when sugar solutions are fermented using yeast
Fractional distillation
A method of separating a mixture of substances according to their
different boiling points.
Commonly used to separate crude oil into different fractions
Homologous series
A series of compounds with the same functional group and similar
chemical properties
Hydrocarbons
Molecules that are made up of hydrogen and carbon atoms only
Polymers
Large long-chain molecules made up of lots of small monomers joined together by covalent bonds
Polypeptide
A chain of amino acids
Steam cracking
Long-chain hydrocarbons are heated to turn them into a gas.
The hydrocarbon vapour is then mixed with steam and heated to a very high temperature which causes them to split into smaller molecules
