Hydrocarbons Flashcards
What does a complete combustion produce?
Carbon dioxide and water
What is cracking?
When a hydrocarbon is broken down into smaller and more useful molecules
What is catalytic cracking?
Uses a temperature of about 550 degrees Celsius and is passed over a catalyst
What is steam cracking?
A long chain of hydrocarbons are heated with steam to 850 degrees Celsius
Formula for alkenes:
C(n) H(2n)
What are alkenes used for?
Creating polymers
Are alkenes saturated or unsaturated?
Unsaturated (they have a double carbon bond)
Are alkanes saturated or unsaturated?
Unsaturated (carbons are only joined by single bonds)
Which are more reactive, alkanes or alkenes?
Alkenes
What are polymers?
A large molecule formed from many identical smaller molecules (monomers)
Why are polymers solid at room temp?
The intermolecular forces are strong
What does fractional distillation do?
Separates the different compounds in crude oil
What is crude oil?
A finite resource found in rocks (remains of ancient biomass mainly consisting of plankton that was buried in mud)
Why are hydrocarbons a good fuel?
Alkanes burn well and are relatively Unreactive
What is incomplete combustion?
When there isn’t enough oxygen to allow the fuel to react completely so carbon monoxide and soot are formed
