organic chemistry (paper 2) Flashcards
test - 16th April
Alkane general formula
CnH2N+2
names of alkanes
Methane
Ethane
Propane
Butane
Pentane
molecular formula for ethane + definition
C2H6 - actual number of atoms of each element in a compound
empirical formula for ethane + definition
CH3 - simplest whole number ratio number of atoms of each element in a compound
structural formula for ethane + definition
CH3CH3 - written representation of how the carbon atoms are arranged
isomerism definition
molecules with the same formula but different structural formulae
what is the homologous series
The homologous series is a group of compounds which have the same general formula e.g. CnH2n+2 for alkanes
hydrocarbon definition
atoms that only consist of carbon and hydrogen
organic chemistry definition
molecules that contain carbon
saturated definition
only consists of single covalent bonds
unsaturated definition
contains double or triple bonds between carbon atoms
fraction definition
group of molecules with similar boiling points
compare long chain hydrocarbons to short chain hydrocarbons (5-6 marker)
- short chain hydrocarbons are more useful than long chain molecules as they ignite more easily so can be used as fuels e.g. petrol
- however there is a much greater supply for then longer hydrocarbons
- to meet the demand for the smaller hydrocarbons, long hydrocarbons are split into smaller molecules by a process called cracking
what is crude oil
a mixture of molecules (mainly hydrocarbons)
describe the process of fractional distillation (6 marks)
- the process which separates crude oil out
- crude oil is heated up until it vaporizes
- vapors rise up the column until they reach a temperature just below their boiling point where they condense different molecules at different temperatures due to different boiling points
- the column is cooler on the top than the bottom