Chapter 11 (Chemistry only) Flashcards
What is a polymer?
Polymers are long chain molecules made up of smaller molecules called monomers.
Give three examples of natural polymers?
Cotton, silk, wool, cellulose, DNA, sugars (polysaccharides), proteins
Give three examples of synthetic (man-made) polymers?
Nylon, polyester, polystyrene, polyethene, PVC
How would you name the polymer produced from ethene?
Polyethene
What is the main raw material for synthetic polymers?
Crude oil - alkene molecules
What are the problems relating to plastics?
- landfill
- incineration - produces energy and less waste goes to landfill but it also produces greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide
- most plastics do not breakdown- can’t be recycled
- produced from a finite (non-renewable) raw material
What is addition polymerisation?
The joining together of monomers to form a polymer chain
What is condensation polymerisation?
The joining together of monomers that results in the loss of a small molecule such as water during the reaction
What are the monomers in proteins?
Amino acids
Is the process of making proteins and DNA an example of addition or condensation polymerisation?
Condensation
What are the monomers in DNA ?
Nucleotides -
What are repeating units?
A repeating unit is a part of a polymer whose repetition would produce the complete polymer chain
What are nucleotides formed from?
A nitrogenous base attached to a pentose sugar and a phosphate group
Describe the process by which a synthetic polymer is formed?
The joining together of unsaturated monomers (alkenes) to form a polymer chain. The monomers join up by the opening of the double bond in the alkene allowing them to join up to form a long carbon
Describe the structure of DNA
A double helix formed from two polymer chains. The double helix is held together by intermolecular forces between the bases on the nucleotides
