Polymers and ethanol Flashcards
Polymers have many useful applications and new uses are being developed. Give some examples.
New packaging materials Waterproof coatings for fabrics Dental polymers Wound dressings Hydrogels Smart materials (including shape memory polymers)
Are polymers biodegradable? What does this result as?
Many are not.
So they are not Brocken down by microbes and this can lead to problems with waste disposals
What are plastic bags made of?
They are made from polymers and cornstarch so that they can be Brocken down more easil.
Biodegradable plastics made from cornstarch are being developed
What can alkenes be used to make?
They are used to make polymers, such as poly(ethene) and ploy(propene). In these reactions, many small molecules (monomers) join together to form very large molecules (polymers)
How can you make ethanol?
By hydration of ethene with steam in the presence of a catalyst
By fermentation with yeast, using renewable resources. This can be represented by:
Sugar (gives you) CO2+ ethanol
What can hydrocarbons be cracked into and what sit the process?
To produce smaller, more useful substances
This process involves heating the hydrocarbon to vaporise them. The vapours are either passed over a hot catalyst or mixed with steam and heated to a very high temperature so that thermal decomposition reactions then occur.
What are the products of cracking?
Include alkanes and unsaturated hydrocarbons called alkenes.
How can unsaturated hydrocarbons be represented?
C3H6
H H H
l l l
H - C - C = C
l l l
H H H
What are some products of cracking useful for?
Fuels
How can you test for alkenes?
Bromine water, turing it from orange to colourless
What are polymers?
Many units joined in a long chain of molecules
What are monomers?
Singing units alkenes
What is polymerisation?
Turning monomers into polymers
Many single units join together to form a long chain molecule
E.g. Ethene – polyethene
