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Organic Chemistry Flashcards

1
Q

What is organic chemistry?

A

The chemistry of carbon compounds

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2
Q

What is the significance of carbon’s ability to form strong covalent bonds?

A

It enables the formation of long chains of carbon atoms and a vast number of compounds

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3
Q

How many covalent bonds does carbon always form?

A

Four covalent bonds which can be single, double or triple bonds

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4
Q

What is a functional group?

A

A specific atom or group of atoms that confer certain physical and chemical properties onto a molecule

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5
Q

What defines a homologous series in organic chemistry?

A

Organic compounds with the same functional group but different numbers of carbon atoms

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6
Q

What is the general formula for alkanes?

A

CnH2n+2

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7
Q

What does a structural formula provide?

A

Enough information to make the structure clear, omitting most actual covalent bonds

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8
Q

What are the characteristics of a homologous series?

A
  • Each member has the same functional group
  • Each member has the same general formula
  • Each member has similar chemical properties
  • Each subsequent member differs by -CH2
  • Members have gradually changing physical properties
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9
Q

What is crude oil?

A

A finite resource consisting of a complex mixture of different hydrocarbon compounds

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10
Q

How is crude oil formed?

A

From the effects of high pressures and temperatures on the remains of biomass over millions of years

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11
Q

What are alkanes?

A

A group of saturated hydrocarbons with only single carbon-carbon bonds

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12
Q

What is the state of alkanes at room temperature?

A

They are generally gases

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13
Q

What is fractional distillation?

A

A process to separate crude oil into fractions containing hydrocarbons of similar chain lengths

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14
Q

What happens to hydrocarbons with high boiling points during fractional distillation?

A

They condense at the bottom of the column

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15
Q

What is the significance of the temperature gradient in fractional distillation?

A

It allows hydrocarbons to be separated based on their boiling points

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16
Q

What are petrochemicals?

A

Products obtained from crude oil, including fuels, polymers, lubricants, solvents, detergents, and adhesives

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17
Q

What is viscosity?

A

The ability of a substance to flow; thicker liquids have higher viscosity

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18
Q

How does the size of a hydrocarbon affect its boiling point?

A

The bigger the hydrocarbon, the higher its boiling point due to increased intermolecular forces

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19
Q

What are the products of complete combustion of hydrocarbons?

A

Water and carbon dioxide gas

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20
Q

What is cracking in the context of hydrocarbons?

A

An industrial process used to break long chain hydrocarbons into smaller, more useful molecules

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21
Q

What are the conditions for catalytic cracking?

A

Heating hydrocarbons to around 470 – 550°C and passing vapours over a hot powdered catalyst

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22
Q

What does thermal cracking produce?

A

More ring structures and unsaturated compounds

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23
Q

What is the difference between alkanes and alkenes?

A

Alkanes are saturated with only single bonds, while alkenes are unsaturated with double bonds

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24
Q

What is the general trend in the physical properties of hydrocarbons?

A

Properties such as viscosity, flammability, and boiling point depend on the molecular size

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25
Fill in the blank: The process of cracking involves breaking long chain hydrocarbons into _______.
[smaller chain hydrocarbons]
26
True or False: Crude oil is an infinite resource.
False
27
What is the general formula for alkenes?
CnH2n
28
What is cracking in the context of hydrocarbons?
The process of breaking down larger hydrocarbon molecules into smaller ones.
29
What is produced when decane is cracked?
Octane and ethene
30
What is the significance of the Law of Conservation of Mass in cracking?
The number of carbon and hydrogen atoms in the reactant must equal the total in the products.
31
What type of hydrocarbons are produced from cracking?
A mixture of alkanes and alkenes
32
What is an example of a reaction equation for cracking?
C6H14 ⟶ C4H10 + C2H4
33
How many carbon atoms are in hexane?
6
34
How many hydrogen atoms are in hexane?
14
35
What is the formula for the unknown product when cracking eicosane?
C18H38
36
Is the unknown product from cracking eicosane an alkane or an alkene?
Alkane
37
Why are alkenes generally more desirable than alkanes?
They are more reactive due to the presence of the carbon-carbon double bond.
38
What is the test for alkenes using bromine water?
The solution loses its color/decolourises in the presence of an alkene.
39
What happens when bromine water is added to an alkane?
The solution remains orange.
40
What is the color of bromine water?
Orange
41
What type of bond do alkenes contain that alkanes do not?
Carbon-carbon double bond (C=C)
42
Fill in the blank: Alkenes are a homologous series of hydrocarbon compounds with at least one _______ between two of the carbon atoms.
double bond
43
True or False: All alkanes are saturated and alkenes are unsaturated.
True
44
What are two useful reactions involving alkenes?
Bromination and polymerisation
45
What is the main feature that allows us to distinguish alkenes from alkanes?
The presence of the C=C double bond.
46
What is the main reason alkenes are more reactive than alkanes?
The carbon-carbon double bond contains an area of high electron density.
47
What is the functional group present in all alkenes?
A double carbon bond (C=C) ## Footnote This double bond allows alkenes to react in ways that alkanes cannot.
48
List the names and molecular formulas of the first four alkenes.
* Ethene: C2H4 * Propene: C3H6 * But-1-ene: C4H8 * Pent-1-ene: C5H10
49
What type of compounds are alkenes classified as due to their C=C bond?
Unsaturated compounds
50
What happens to the carbon-carbon double bond during addition reactions of alkenes?
The double bond opens up, forming single bonds and allowing additional atoms to bond.
51
Describe the combustion of alkenes.
Alkenes undergo complete and incomplete combustion, producing water and carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide and soot.
52
What is produced during complete combustion of butene?
Carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O)
53
What is produced during incomplete combustion of butene?
Carbon monoxide (CO) and water (H2O), and possibly soot.
54
At what temperature and using what catalyst do hydrogenation reactions of alkenes occur?
At 150 ºC using a nickel catalyst.
55
What is the product of hydrogenation of ethene?
Ethane
56
What are the conditions for the hydration of alkenes?
* Temperature: around 330ºC * Pressure: 60 – 70 atm * Catalyst: concentrated phosphoric acid
57
What is the result of the hydration of ethene?
Ethanol
58
What functional group characterizes all alcohols?
Hydroxyl group (-OH) ## Footnote This group is responsible for the characteristic reactions of alcohols.
59
List the names and formulas of the first four alcohols.
* Methanol: CH3OH * Ethanol: C2H5OH * Propanol: C3H7OH * Butanol: C4H9OH
60
What process is used to produce ethanol from sugar or starch?
Fermentation
61
What are the products of fermentation of glucose?
Ethanol (C2H5OH) and carbon dioxide (CO2)
62
What happens to yeast when the concentration of alcohol reaches around 15%?
The yeast are killed off.
63
What do alcohols produce when they undergo combustion?
Carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O)
64
What is produced when alcohols react with sodium metal?
Hydrogen gas and a metal salt
65
What is the oxidation product of ethanol?
Ethanoic acid
66
What is the functional group of carboxylic acids?
-COOH
67
What is a characteristic property of carboxylic acids in water?
They form weakly acidic solutions.
68
What is produced when carboxylic acids react with carbonates?
A metal salt, water, and carbon dioxide gas.
69
What is the reaction between alcohols and carboxylic acids called?
Esterification
70
What do esters smell like and where are they commonly used?
Sweet smelling; used in food flavorings and perfumes.
71
How do carboxylic acids differ from mineral acids in terms of ionization?
Carboxylic acids only partially ionize in water.
72
What is the equilibrium reaction for ethanoic acid in water?
CH3COOH ⇌ H+ + CH3COO–
73
What do acids release in water that gives them characteristic properties?
Hydrogen ions ## Footnote This is fundamental to the definition of acids in aqueous solutions.
74
What is the dissociation equation for hydrochloric acid in water?
HCl ⟶ H+ + Cl- ## Footnote This represents the complete ionization of a strong acid.
75
What is the pH range of solutions formed by carboxylic acids?
Between 3 and 7 ## Footnote This indicates that carboxylic acids are weak acids.
76
What is the dissociation equilibrium for ethanoic acid?
CH3COOH ⇌ H+ + CH3COO– ## Footnote This shows the partial ionization characteristic of weak acids.
77
What percentage of ethanoic acid molecules remain undissociated in solution?
Around 95% ## Footnote This highlights the weak nature of ethanoic acid in solution.
78
Why do carboxylic acids show slow or barely noticeable reactions at room temperature?
Most molecules are undissociated ## Footnote The equilibrium position favors the undissociated form.
79
True or False: Carboxylic acids fully dissociate in water.
False ## Footnote They are classified as weak acids due to partial dissociation.
80
Fill in the blank: Carboxylic acids form _______ with their ions.
an equilibrium ## Footnote This is a key concept in understanding their behavior in solution.
81
What reaction characteristic is noted about carboxylic acids compared to strong acids like HCl?
Higher pH in aqueous solutions ## Footnote This is due to their weak dissociation compared to strong acids.
82
What is polymerisation?
The process of linking together large numbers of smaller molecules called monomers to form polymers.
83
What are polymers?
Large molecules of high relative molecular mass made by linking monomers.
84
What is a monomer?
A smaller molecule that serves as a repeat unit in polymer formation.
85
What are synthetic polymers?
Polymers that are manufactured, such as resins, plastics, and nylon.
86
What are natural or biological polymers?
Polymers produced by nature.
87
What is addition polymerisation?
A process where addition polymers are formed by the joining of monomers with C=C bonds.
88
How do addition polymers form?
By the breaking of one bond in each C=C bond and forming a bond with an adjacent monomer.
89
What prefix is used to name polymers?
The prefix 'poly-' is added to the name of the monomer.
90
What is the repeat unit in a polymer?
The part of the polymer that is repeated, represented by a specific formula.
91
What is condensation polymerisation?
A process where two different monomers link together with the removal of a small molecule, usually water.
92
What do condensation polymers produce during formation?
A polymer molecule and one water molecule per linkage.
93
What are polyesters?
Polymers formed from two different monomers that produce water.
94
What is an ester linkage?
A bond formed between a carboxylic acid and an alcohol, resulting in the loss of water.
95
What are amino acids?
Small molecules containing amino (NH2) and carboxylic acid (COOH) functional groups.
96
What are polypeptides?
Condensation polymers formed from amino acid monomers joined by peptide links.
97
What is a peptide link?
The bond that forms between the amino group of one amino acid and the acid group of another.
98
How many naturally occurring amino acids are there?
Twenty.
99
What is DNA?
Deoxyribonucleic acid, a large molecule essential for life that encodes genetic information.
100
What are the four monomers that make up DNA?
Nucleotides containing bases A, T, C, and G.
101
What shape does DNA form?
A double helix shape.
102
What are other examples of natural polymers?
* Proteins * Starch * Cellulose
103
What is the monomer for starch and cellulose?
Sugar.
104
True or False: Proteins are condensation polymers made from amino acids.
True.
105
Fill in the blank: For every ester linkage formed in condensation polymerisation, one molecule of _______ is formed.
water.

GCSE Chemistry (12 decks)

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