Polymers Flashcards
Polymers
what is polymerisation?
a polymerisation reaction involves joining together a large number of small molecules (monomers), to form a very large molecule (polymer) ONLY
what are the two different types of poltmers?
- addition polymers and condensation polymers
What is Addition polymerisation?
Many monomers join together to form a long molecule (polymers) ONLY
How do alkenes undergo addition polymerisation?
Many alkene monomers join together to form a long-chain polymer ONLY
Are there any waste products during addition polymerisation?
there are no waste products - only the polymer is formed
what does the addition polymerisation of alkenes occur in? Wjhat is formed during this reaction?
in the presence of a catalyst and the alkene monomers link together to form saturated addition polymers
what are addition polymers also known as?
chain growth polymers
why are addition polymers also known as chain growth polymers?
because they are made by the addition of monomers to the reactive end of the growing chain
Addition polymers are formed via which mechanism?
via free radical mechanism
what are the reaction conditions for addition polymerisation?
-High pressure and free radical initiator
How can addition polymerisation also proceed through?
Cation and anion species. this type of mechanism depends on the structure and the type of catalyst used
how is poly(ethene) formed?
ethene molecules link together to form poly ethene (in the presence of a catalyst)
Addition polymers formed from alkenes are?
saturated compounds
why are addition polymers chemically unreactive/inert?
the carbon-carbon bonds are non-polar and can not be hydrolysed
why is this a useful property for the resultant polymer?
since it can not be attacked by acids, alkalis and oxidising agents
draw an equation to show the polymerisation of a SECTION of poly(ethene)?
what are polymers usually represented by?
a repeating unit
what is the repeating unit of poly(ethene)
the repeating unit of poly(ethene) has no brackets
so what is the polymerisation of poly(ethene shown as)
what does n stand for?
n - represents a large whole number
n - is the number of individual molecules (monomers) that join together to form a polymer
Different addition polymers can be made from..?
monomers in which some or all of the hydrogen atoms in ethene have been replaced
draw the structure to show how monomers can be represented by?
What can R be?
RHC=CH2
where R = H, CH2, C6H5, CL, CN, OCOCH3
Why can different polymers be used to make a range of commercial products?
because each polymer has it’s own physical properties, so different polymers can be used to make a range of commercial products
draw the addition polymerisation of phenylethene, chloroethene and methyl-2-methylpropenoate
Problems with disposal
why are poly(alkenes) are problem when it comes to disposal?
because the carbon carbon bonds in the molecule are non-polar and therefore chemically inert and cannot undergo hydrolysis so when placed in rubbish dumps they will not decay over the years (non-biodegradable)
what is a solution to this?
one solution is to use more polymers that are biodegradable so that they will decompose in landfill sites. some plastics have been designed that are completely biodegradable.
But what is the problem with biodegradable plastic?
biodegradable polymers are more expensive than traditional synthetic plastics
which type of polymers undergo hydrolysis?
poly(esters) and poly(amides) because they are biodegradable by enzyme action
Give another possible solution to disposal of polymers?
Incineration
explain what incineration does (advanatges)
incineration is the burning of polymers.
- this significantly reduces the volume of waste.
- and can also be sued to recover energy (the heat produced can be used to make steam turbines drive to produce electricity)
what are the disadvantages of incineration?
- produces grennhouse gases (carbon footprint) and other toxic gases (e.g hydrogen cyanide)
Toxic substances from flue gases can be removed but what is the downside?
but this requires very high temperature decomposition, which means a high cost process a + equipment
which process is expensive but is a better alternative to landfill and incineration?
Recycling
why is recycling good?
helps to conserve supplies of non-renewable crude oil