Polymers

Question 1

what are the repeating units of addition polymers?

Answer 1

monomers

Question 2

how does addition polymerisation occur

Answer 2

by breaking the double bonds in the unsaturated monomers, and joining them to form a polymer chain

Question 3

what property makes it important to recycle addition polymers

Answer 3

addition polymers are chemically inert, and so difficult to breakdown. they are non-biodegradeable

Question 4

what is different about the monomers used to make condensation polymers?

Answer 4

they don’t have a double bond. the monomers dont have to be the same.

Question 5

give three common types of condensation polymers

Answer 5

polypeptides, polyamides and polyesters (polyamides and polypeptides both have the functional group
-CONH-

Question 6

name the general name of the two compounds that react under a condensation reaction to form a polyester

Answer 6

a dicarboxylic acid and a diol

Question 7

give a common example of a polyester

Answer 7

PET

Question 8

give 2 uses of PET

Answer 8

• used to make fibres to make clothes

- used to make bottles

Question 9

name the two compounds used to make PET

Answer 9

benzene-1,4-dicarboxylic acid and ethan-1,2-diol

Question 10

what is the general name given to the two compounds that react to form polyamides

Answer 10

dicarboxylic acids and diamines

Question 11

give a common example of a polyamide

Answer 11

Kevlar

Question 12

name the two monomers used to make Kevlar

Answer 12

Benzene-1,4-dicarboxylic acid and Benzene-1,4-diamine

Question 13

give two uses of Kevlar

Answer 13

• used in bullet proof vests-very strong material

- used in lightweight mountaineering ropes

Question 14

what monomers are used to make Polypeptides

Answer 14

amino acids react together in a condensation reaction, releasing a water molecule

Question 15

why can the polymer formed also be called a polyamide

Answer 15

because the amino acid monomers contain a carboxylic group and an amine group

Question 16

what is formed when concentrated acid is used to break down the polymers

Answer 16

a protonated zwitterion is formed. the acidic condition gives rise to a NH4 group with a positive charge

Question 17

what is the strongest intermolecular force in addition polymers, and why

Answer 17

the strongest intermolecular is usually van der waals, because they are usually long chain, non polar hydrocarbons

Question 18

why do the hydrocarbon chains tend to have high melting and boiling points?

Answer 18

because they have a large surface area for many van der waals to act across

Question 19

what type of bonding is characteristic of condensation polymers

Answer 19

polar bonding

Question 20

what is the strongest type of intermolecular in polyamides

Answer 20

hydrogen bonding between the H and O

Question 21

what feature of condensation polymers makes them biodegradeable

Answer 21

they are made up of chains containing polar bonds-polar atoms can be readily attacked by nucleophiles and so the polymers can be broken up and the constituent monomers reformed-hydrolysis

Question 22

give 2 advantages and disadvantages of recycling polymers

Answer 22

1) less need for resources to be extracted if they are reused
2) less landfill
1) takes time and energy
2) expensive process and changes the property of the plastic