O1: Alkanes + Halogenoalkanes Flashcards
Are alkanes un-saturated or saturated?
Saturated hydrocarbons
What does saturated hydrocarbon mean?
Contain only single bonds
What are some uses of alkanes?
-Fuels
-Lubricants
-Crude oil
What is the general formula for Alkanes?
CnH2n+2
Describe the boiling point trends of alkanes
The greater the chain length, the greater the number of electrons, and VDW forces.
Therefore as chain length increases, boiling point increases.
Why do branched chained alkanes have lower boiling points than straight chain?
They cannot pack together as closely (as straight chain) so the VDW forces are less effective.
Are alkanes soluble in water, why/why not?
They are insoluble- water molecules are held together by H bonds which are much stronger than VDW forces between alkane molecules, however alkanes do mix with other relatively non-polar liquids.
How do alkanes react?
-Unreactive
-Have strong C-C and C-H bonds
-However can burn and will react with halogens under suitable conditions
-Require lots of oxygen to burn, or else carbon monoxide is produced.
What is fractional distillation?
Separating a liquid (crude oil) by their boiling points into fractions
What is cracking?
Breaking longer chains into smaller, more useful ones.
As Mr increases, what happens to the boiling points (fractional distillation)?
The greater the Mr, the greater the boiling point.
Crude oil can contain other compounds such as sulphur, why is this a problem?
Because when burnt it will make sulphur dioxide, then mixes with oxygen high in the atmosphere to make sulphur trioxide, which reacts with water to make sulphuric acid (acid rain).
Briefly describe the process of fractional distillation
- Crude oil heated in a furnace, vapourises
- Goes into fractionating column where it is cooler at the top than the bottom.
- Vaporises and travels up, then condense at their boiling point into liquid.
- Shorter chain are more at the top as they have lower boiling points.
List the fractions of crude oil that condense in order.
Top:
Petroleum gases
Naphtha (petrol)
Kerosene
Diesel oil
Lubricating oil
Fuel oil
Bitumen
Bottom:
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Why do we crack longer chain hydrocarbons?
Shorter chain hydrocarbons are more useful in industry (e.g naphtha) and yet we have a lot more longer chains.
We crack to break the longer ones in to shorter ones.
What is thermal cracking?
Heating alkanes to a high temperature: 700-1200K
Under a high pressure: 1000kPa
Produces a high % of alkenes due to it producing free radicals originally.
What is catalytic cracking?
A high temperature of 720K and a zeolite catalyst, and low pressures
Produces motor fuels and aromatic hydrocarbons, branched and cycloalkanes
When in Bromine water, how do alkanes and alkenes react?
Alkanes: orange > orange
Alkenes: orange > colourless
Why are shorter chain alkanes good fuels?
They are unreactive, but if burned in plenty of Oxygen they will produce CO2 and H2O. This gives out a lot of heat energy.
What is incomplete combustion?
When an alkane is burned in a limited supply of oxygen, that produces a poisonous gas called carbon monoxide, and water
When hydrocarbon based fuels are burnt, the produce polluting products, list some
-Carbon monoxide > poisonous gas
-Nitrogen oxides > acid rain (nitric acid)
-Sulphur dioxide > acid rain
-Carbon particulates > asthma and cause cancer, smog
-Unburnt hydrocarbons > greenhouse gas, add to photochemical smog
-Carbon dioxide > greenhouse gas
-Water vapour > greenhouse gas
What is ‘Flue gas desulfurisation’?
Process of removing sulphur dioxide from flue gases (given out by power stations).
-Lime water is sprayed inro flue gas to form calcium sulfite, and oxidised inro calcium sulphate and gypsum.
What can a catalytic converter do?
Catalyses unburnt hydrocarbons into H2O and CO2, and nitric oxide into nitrogen and CO2, using a platinum and rhodium catalyst.
How is a halogenoalkane formed?
Mixing an alkane and halogen into bright sunlight, or photoflood lamp. A substitution reaction occurs.
What is a substitution reaction?
A reaction which occurs when one functional group is swapped for another.
e.g hydrogen is swapped with chlorine.
What is a photochemical reaction?
Caused by UV light- the reaction cam repeat itself until the hydrocarbons have been replace and we are left with tetrachloromethane.
Conditions: UV light, room temperature.
What is a free radical?
An uncharged molecule (typically highly reactive and short-lived) having an unpaired valency (outer) electron.
e.g Cl-Cl»_space; 2•Cl
The Cl-Cl has 2 arrows outward from the bond with a singular head