chemistry topic 7 organic chemistry Flashcards
what is a hydrocarbon?
any compound that is formed from carbon and hydrogen atoms only
what is the general alkane formula?
CnH2n+2
what are the first four alkanes ?
methane ethane propane butane
what does it mean when the hydrocarbons are shorter regarding their viscosity?
their less viscous
the shorter a hydrocarbon chain the more volatile it is what does this mean?
it turns into a gas at a lower temperature (lower its boiling point)
the shorter a hydrocarbon is the easier it is to set fire to it? what is the word for this?
flammable
what is the equation for the complete combustion of any hydrocarbon with oxygen?
hydrocarbon + oxygen = carbon dioxide + water
what happens to the carbon and hydrogen from the hydrocarbon in combustion?
they are oxidised ( gain oxygen)
what are hydrocarbons used as?
fuels
why are hydrocarbons used as fuels?
due to the amount of energy released when they combust completely
what is used to separate crude oil?
fractional distillation
what is crude oil?
a fossil fuel formed by the remains of plants and animals , mainly plankton
where is crude oil found and drilled up from?
rocks
what is fractional distillation used to do?
separate hydrocarbon fractions
what is crude oil a mixture of?
loads of different hydrocarbons
what happens first in fractional distillation?
the oil is heated until most of it has turned into gas
in fractional distillation where do the new gases go?
into the fractionating column
in fractional distillation, what do the longer hydrocarbons have?
high boiling points
in fractional distillation, where do the long hydrocarbons condense back into liquids in drain out of the column?
they drain out of the column early on , when they’re near the bottom
in fractional distillation, what do the shorter hydrocarbons have ?
lower boiling points
in fractional distillation, where do the shorter hydrocarbons condense and drain out?
much later on, near the top of the column where its cooler as they don’t have boiling points as high
what is the end result of fractional distillation?
each fraction contains a mixture of hydrocarbons that all contain a similar amount of carbon atoms
what does oil provide the fuel for?
most modern transport
what industry uses hydrocarbons to make new compounds for use in things like polymers, solvents etc?
the petrochemical industry
what are two examples of families in the homologous series?
alkanes and alkenes
why are short hydrocarbon chains good for making fuels in high demand?
they are highly flammable
why are long chain hydrocarbon not useful for making fuels in high demand?
they form thick gloopy liquids like tar
as a result of long chain hydrocarbons being not useful what normally happens?
they are turned into smaller , more useful ones by a process called cracking
what is cracking?
a thermal decomposition reaction
what is cracking via thermal decomposition?
breaking down molecules by heating them
what happens first in cracking via thermal decomposition?
heat and turn the long chain hydrocarbons into gas
in thermal decomposition, what happens to the vapour(gas)?
the vapour can be passed over a catalyst
what happens when the gas passes over the catalyst?
the long chain molecules split apart on the surface on the specks of catalyst
what type of cracking is this when using a catalyst?
catalyst cracking
what is steam cracking?
when you vaporise the hydrocarbons, mix them with steam and heat to a very high temperature
why are alkenes unsaturated?
they have a double carbon-carbon bond
what are the first four alkenes?
ethane, propene, butane and pentene
what is the general formula for alkenes?
CnH2n
in alkenes how many double bonds does there have to be?
1
when you burn alkenes in air instead of oxygen what happens?
incomplete combustion
what is incomplete combustion?
as well as carbon dioxide and water produced from combustion you can also get carbon and carbon monoxide
what does incomplete combustion result in?
a smoky yellow flame and less energy being released compared to complete combustion of the same compound
the equation for incomplete combustion always has to be what?
balanced
what happens when orange bromine water is added to a saturated compound?
no reaction will happen and it will stay bright orange
what are plastics made up of?
long-chain molecules called polymers
what are polymers normally based on?
carbon based
what are most monomers made up of?
alkenes
what do the monomers that make up addition polymers have?
a double covalent bond
what is addition polymerisation?
lots of unsaturated alkenes can open up their double bonds and join together to form polymer chains
what is the formula of ethene?
C2H4
what is the formula of propene?
C3H6
what is the formula of butene?
C4H8
what is the formula of pentene?
C5H10
in a large amount of oxygen what do alkenes do?
combust completely
when alkenes are burned in air what tends to happen?
incomplete combustion
what is produced from complete combustion of alkenes?
only water and carbon dioxide
what is produced from incomplete combustion of alkenes?
carbon dioxide water carbon monoxide and carbon
what is the standard equation for the incomplete combustion of alkenes?
alkene + oxygen = carbon+ carbon monoxide+ carbon dioxide+ water
what does incomplete combustion result in ?
a smoky yellow flame, and less energy being released in comparison to complete combustion of the same compound