Polymers Flashcards
What is a polymer?
A substance of high average relative
molecular mass made up of small
repeating units.
How are polymers made?
By linking together lots of small
molecules (monomers) to form a long
chain.
What is the name of the process in which ethene
molecules join together to form a polymer?
Addition polymerisation
How can ethene molecules undergo polymerisation
to form the polymer poly(ethene)?
One of bonds in each C=C double bond
breaks and forms a bond with an adjacent
monomer, forming a long chain polymer.
This requires many ethene monomers.
What is the displayed formula of the product formed
from the addition polymerisation of ethene?
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What is the name of the product formed from the
addition polymerisation of ethene?
Poly(ethene)
Can chloroethene undergo addition polymerisation?
If so, what is the product?
Yes because it contains a C=C double
bond
The product is poly(chloroethene) or
PVC.
Name the polymer below and draw the structure of
the monomer:
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Poly(tetrafluoroethene) or PTFE
What properties of poly(propene) makes it suitable
for making buckets and crates?
- Flexible
- Strong
Poly(ethene) is commonly used to make plastic
bags, bottles and coating of electrical wires. Why?
- Inexpensive
- Electrical insulator
- Flexible
What is a common use of poly(chloroethane), PVC,
and what properties make it suitable for this use?
Use for window frame because it is
tough, cheap and a long product life.
What is a common use of poly(tetrafluoroethene),
PTFE, and what properties make it suitable for this
use?
Coating for non-stick pans because it is tough and non-stick
By what process are polyesters formed?
Condensation polymerisation
Why are polyesters condensation polymers?
Because a small molecule (water) is
released when the bond is formed
between two monomers.
What reactants are required to form an polyester?
Molecules with two carboxylic acid groups (-COOH) and molecules with two alcohol groups (-OH).
Describe the formation of a ester bond
The carboxylic acid loses an OH from the COOH group. The alcohol loses a H from the -OH group. The two larger molecules combine, forming an ester bond. The OH- and H+ molecules lost during the bond formation combine to make water.
What are some of problems associated with polymers?
- Crude oil (starting material) is a finite resource.
- Not biodegradable so take up space in landfill and end up in the oceans, causing problems for marine life.
- Produce carbon dioxide if incinerated (and HCl is the polymer contain chlorine).
- Production process requires a lot of energy.
- Recycling requires careful sorting which is time-consuming.
What are the advantages associated with recycling
polymers?
- Provides employment.
- Less crude oil used.
- Less energy used in recycling than in processing new
materials. - Reduces the amount of space needed for landfill and
fewer polymers end up in the ocean.
What are the disadvantages associated with
recycling polymers?
- Labour intensive and expensive to first separate the polymer into different recycling categories.
- Melting polymers produces toxic gases which are harmful for animals and plants.
- Polymers can only be recycled a certain number of times before losing their properties and becoming unusable.
What is starch?
A polymer based on sugars.
In terms of polymers, what is DNA?
A polymer made from four different
monomers called nucleotides.
What are proteins?
Polymers based on amino acids
