Organic Chemistry Flashcards
What is a hydrocarbon?
Alkenes and alkanes are made of only Hydrogen and Carbon atoms
They are used for fuels
What happens if you increase the chain of a hydrocarbon?
- More viscous (sticky)
- Less volatile (higher boiling point)
- Less flammable
Equation for the combustion of hydrocarbons?
Hydrogen + Oxygen —-> Carbon dioxide + Water
What is crude oil?
Crude oil is a fossil fuel buried deep under ground
It is made of plankton and dead animals.
It is also non-renewable
Fractional Distillation of crude oil:
- The oil is heated until it is a gas
- The column temperature gradient (bottom hottest, top coolest)
- As the travel up they condense and separate
Uses of cracking alkanes?
1) Transport
2) Making new compounds (polymers e.g)
Shorter chain alkanes are more useful so we crack longer chain alkanes to form shorter ones
How do we crack alkanes?
A thermal decomposition reaction
Cracking long chain alkanes makes a short chain alkane and an alkene
Method of cracking:
- Heat long chain hydrocarbons to vaporise them
- Vapour is passed along a hot catalyst (catalytic cracking)
or - Pass vapour and mix with steam and then heat to very high temperatures (steam cracking)
What is an alkene?
Alkenes have a double C=C bond
This allows alkenes to open up and bond with other compounds
Alkenes are much more reactive than alkanes
CnH2n+2
Alkenes combust completely. What is this equation?
Alkene + oxygen —-> Carbon + Carbon Monoxide + Carbon dioxide + Water
How do we form an Alcohol?
Alkene + Steam —-> Alcohol
(water)
What is hydrogenation of alkenes?
R H H H
\ / | |
C = C + H2 —-> R - C - C - H
/ \ | |
H H H H
What happens to a halogen + alkenes?
H H H Br
\ / | |
C = C + Br2 —-> H - C - C - H
/ \ | |
H H H H
What is the test for alkenes?
Mix an alkene with Bromine water and the solution should turn orange to colourless
What are addition polymers?
Long chains of joined monomers
Polymerisation usually happens under high pressure and a catalyst