Organic Chemistry Flashcards
What is crude oil?
A non-renewable resource (finite) formed from the fossilised remains of ancient plankton.
What are the characteristics of hydrocarbons with short chains?
Lower boiling points.
Lower viscosity.
More flammable.
What are the characteristics of hydrocarbons with longer chains?
Higher boiling points
Higher viscosity.
Less flammable.
Crude oil is a mixture of different…
…compounds that aren’t chemically combined.
What are hydrocarbons?
Molecules made up of only hydrogen and carbon atoms which differ in size, causing different properties.
Where is crude oil found?
Rocks.
What features of alkanes make them useful fuels?
Burn well and are quite unreactive.
What are alkanes?
They are saturated hydrocarbons where each carbon atoms is bonded to four hydrogen atoms.
What is the general formula of an alkane?
CnH(2n+2)
Why are alkanes called saturated hydrocarbons?
Only contain single bonds with other atoms.
What are the smallest hydrocarbons?
Methane, ethene, propane and butane.
Most compounds in crude oil are ________ and most of these molecules are _____.
Hydrocarbons,
Alkanes.
What is fractional distillation?
The process of separating crude oil (using their different boiling points) into groups of hydrocarbons with similar numbers of carbon atoms. The groups are called ‘fractions’.
Describe the evaporation process of fractional distillation:
Crude oil is heated until it evaporates.
Crude oil vapour is put into a fractionating column at the bottom and rises upwards.
Describe the condensation process of fractional distillation.
The temperature is highest at the bottom of the column.
Long-chain hydrocarbons condense at the bottom and are collected as liquids. Shorter-chain hydrocarbons condense at the top of the column where the temperatures are lower.
What do fractions processed after fractional distillation used for?
Fuels (petrol, diesel).
Petrochemical industry can use these as feedstock for making solvents, detergents, lubricants etc.
Why are there many organic (carbon-containing) compounds?
Because carbon atoms can form families of similar compounds. These groups are called homologous series.
Name an example of a homologous series:
Alkanes are a family of similar compounds.
They all have the same general formula (CnH(2n+2)) and, consequently, they have similar properties.
The equations for the combustion (burning) of hydrocarbons depend on the…
…amount of oxygen that is available.
If alkanes are burned without enough oxygen, what can be created?
Carbon monoxide 2C +O2 –> 2CO
What is carbon dioxide?
A colourless, odourless toxic gas.
The combustion (burning) of hydrocarbons when there is good air supply involve:
Energy release.
The oxidisation of both carbon and hydrogen to produce carbon dioxide and water.
Heavy fractions of crude oil do not make good fuels because;
They do not ignite easily.
Have low volatility.
Have high boiling points.
What is cracking?
The process that breaks down long-chain (large) hydrocarbons into shorter-chain (smaller), more useful molecules.
Cracking is an example of…
…a thermal decomposition reaction.
Cracking can be done by:
Catalytic cracking.
Steam cracking.
What is the process of catalytic cracking?
Vaporised heavy hydrocarbons are passed over a hot catalyst. The products include alkanes and alkenes.
Hexane –> butane + ethene.
What is the process of steam cracking?
Vaporised heavy hydrocarbons are mixed with steam in high temperature environments. The products include alkanes and alkenes.
Decane –> octane + ethene.
What are the uses of alkenes?
Being combined to make polymers and starting materials for chemicals like ethanol.
What is a functional group?
A group of atoms that determine (decide) how an organic compound will react.
The functional group of alkenes is…
…C=C (a carbon-carbon double bond).
Addition reactions are…
…normal for alkane.