C1.5 Useful substances from Crude oil Flashcards
1
Q
How can we separate substances in crude oil?
A
Fractional Distillation: collected in fractions as they have different boiling points
2
Q
What is cracking?
A
breaking down large crude oil fractions into smaller more useful hydrocarbons - vaporise and use a catalyst
3
Q
What is polymerisation?
A
joining small molecules- MONOMERS- to make large molecules-POLYMERS. eg. ethane–>poly(ethene)
4
Q
What is a smart polymer?
A
light or temperature sensitive
5
Q
What is PET used for and why?
A
bottles- strong,light,waterproof,transparent
6
Q
What does biodegradable mean?
A
Starch/micro-organisms break it down quicker
7
Q
What are the arguments against growing crops for fuel and plastics?
A
raises food costs
destroys land
food shortages
