Alkanes Flashcards
What is an alkane?
What’s its General Formula?
A saturated hydrocarbon.
C(n) H(2n+2)
Explain a hydrocarbons solubility in water
Not soluble in water
C and H have similar electronegativities within the c-h bonds and symmetrical structure which results in a non polar molecule
Non polar molecules are not soluble in a polar solvent like water
Which Intermolecular forces do alkanes have?
VDW only
(Not polar so no permanent dipole & doesnt form H-O, H-F, H-N so no Hydrogen bonding either)
What reactions will alkanes undergo?
Combustion and Reactions with Halogens
What is Crude Oil?
a Mixture of saturated hydrocarbon chains lengths each with similar boiling points and properties
Name all of the Crude oil fractions from Highest to lowest Boiling point (8)
Gases - Cooking gas - 20
Petrol- Automotive Fuel - 70
Naphtha - Chemicals -120
Kerosene - Jet fuel- 180
Diesel - Trucks - 260
Lubricating Oil- oils for cars and machines - 300
Fuel oil- Tanker Ships - 350
Bitumen Residue - Tarmac
How does Fractional Distillation Work (4 points)
Crude oil is heated until mostly vapour
Vapours pass into fractionating column and tower
vapours rise through trays and bubble caps
Vapours of lower boiling point due to smaller hydrocarbon chains raise higher so condense in higher trays of temperature closest to its boiling point
What is Fracking
What are the pros/cons
1)Natural gas held in shale rock
Drill into shale, forced pressurised water and sand until fractures occur and collect said gas
2)pro- reduces foreign import of gas and electricity for home heating
Con - Can cause seismic disturbances, can cause chemically contaminated water
What is cracking
Conversion of a long chain alkane to Shorter chain alkane with the byproduct of an alkene
By breaking a c-c bond
What are the conditions of thermal cracking?
700-1200K
7000 kPa of pressure
Process can only be operated for very short windows of time to prevent carbon and hydrogen decomposition.
What are the Products of thermal cracking
. High number of alkenes
. Unselective of desired chain length (c-c bond can break at any point —> high number of shorter carbon chains
.can also produce H2
What are the conditions for Catalytic Cracking?
720K
Slightly higher pressure then an atmosphere
Zeolite Catalyst ( SiO2 & Al3O3) in a honeycomb structure to give a large surface area
What are the Products of Catalytic Cracking?
Mixture of:
Branched Alkanes
Cyclo Alkanes
Aromatic Compounds
Mostly Gaseous Chain lengths ( < 5)
What is Incomplete combustion and what are the common products of it?
Combustion reactions in a limited supply of oxygen
CO- Carbon Monoxide - Poisonous
C-Carbon-particulates-soot - asthma cancer and global dimming
What hydrocarbon chains are likely to incompletely combust?
Longer Chains