Section 2 - Alkanes and Halogenoalkanes Flashcards
What are alkanes?
Saturated hydrocarbons
Give the general formula for alkanes:
CnH2n+2
What is the general formula for cycloalkanes?
CnH2n
What is crude oil/petroleum made up of?
A mixture of hydrocarbons - mostly alkanes.
How do you separate crude oil?
Through fractional distillation
Describe the process of fractional distillation:
- Crude oil vaporised at 350oc
- Oil goes into a fractioning column which is hot at the bottom and cool at the top
- The various alkanes have diff bpts and condense off at different levels
- The alkanes with the lowest bpts don’t condense and leave the top of the column as gases
- The alkanes with the highest bpts don’t vaporise and form a gooey residue at the bottom
For each fraction, give the number of carbons and uses:
Gases
1-4 carbons
liquified petroleum gas, camping gas
For each fraction, give the number of carbons and uses:
Petrol - 400c
5-12 carbons
petrol
For each fraction, give the number of carbons and uses:
Naphtha - 110oc
7-14 carbons
processed to make petrochemicals
For each fraction, give the number of carbons and uses:
Kerosene (paraffin) - 180oc
11-15 carbons
jet fuel, petrochemicals, central heating fuel
For each fraction, give the number of carbons and uses:
Gas oil (diesel) - 250oc
15-19 carbons
diesel fuel, central heating fuel
For each fraction, give the number of carbons and uses:
Mineral Oil - 340oc
20-30 carbons
lubricating oil
For each fraction, give the number of carbons and uses:
Residue - Fuel Oil
30-40 carbons
ships, power stations
For each fraction, give the number of carbons and uses:
Residue - Wax, grease
40-50 carbons
candles, lubrication
For each fraction, give the number of carbons and uses:
Residue - Bitumen
50+ carbons
roofing, road surfacing
What is cracking?
Breaking long-chain alkanes into smaller hydrocarbons (including alkenes) by breaking the C-C bonds.
Give the features of thermal cracking:
- takes place at high temp (up to 1000oc)
- takes place at high pressure (up to 70 atm)
- produces a lot of alkenes
Give the features of catalytic cracking:
- uses a zeolite catalyst
- uses a high temp (around 450oc)
- slight pressure (1-2 atm)
- produces a lot of aromatic hydrocarbons and motor fuels
What is an advantage of thermal cracking?
Alkenes are used to make lots of valuable products like polymers (plastics).
What is an advantage of catalytic cracking?
Using a catalyst cuts costs because it lowers the temperature and pressure required
It also speeds up the reaction saving time and money
What is a combustion reaction?
Burning hydrocarbons with plenty of oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water.
What is complete combustion?
When enough oxygen is available that only carbon dioxide and water are produced
What is incomplete combustion?
When not enough oxygen is available to react with the fuel so harmful by-products are produced
Give an advantage and disadvantage of burning fossil fuels:
Produces a lot of energy BUT produces lots of pollutants
Why is it bad when carbon monoxide is produced during incomplete combustion?
- it is poisonous
- it binds to the same sites on haemoglobin molecules in red blood cells as oxygen molecules so oxygen can’t be carried round the body
What is a solution to the production of carbon monoxide?
Catalytic converters can remove CO from exhaust gases in cars
Why is it bad when carbon particles (soot) are produced during incomplete combustion?
- causes breathing problems
- can build up in engines preventing them from working
Why is carbon dioxide bad for the environment?
- it is a greenhouse gas
- greenhouse gases absorb infrared energy and emit some of it back to Earth, keeping it warm
- this process is called global warming
What are unburnt hydrocarbons?
Fuel molecules that aren’t burn in engines.
How are oxides of nitrogen formed?
When the high pressure and temperature in the engine causes nitrogen and oxygen from the air to react
What is formed when unburnt hydrocarbons and nitrigen oxides react in the presence of sunlight?
Ground level ozone - O3
What is the problem with ground level ozone?
- major component of smog
- irritates people’s eyes
- aggravates respiratory systems
- causes lung damage
What can prevent the production of nitrogen oxides and unburnt hydrocarbons?
Catalytic converters
Why is sulfur dioxide bad for the environment?
Reacts with water to form acid rain
How is sulfur dioxide produced?
Some fossil fuels contain sulfur which form SO2 when burnt
What is bad about acid rain?
- destroys trees and vegetation
- corrodes buildings and statues
- kills fish in lakes
How can sulfur dioxide be removed from power station flue gases?
- powered calcium carbonate or calcium oxide is mixed with water to make an alkaline slurry
- when the flue gases mix with the slurry, sulfur dioxide reacts with the calcium compounds to form a harmless salt - calcium sulfate
What is a free radical?
A particle with an unpaired electron.
How do free radicals form?
When a covalent bond splits equally, giving one electron to each atom.
What is a photochemical reaction?
A reaction that it started by ultraviolet light.
What are chlorofluorocarbons?
Halogenoalkane molecules where all of the hydrogen atoms have been replaced by chlorine and fluorine atoms.
What does ozone do in the upper atmosphere?
Prevents a lot of UV radiation from reaching earth.
Why is UV radiation bad?
It can cause sunburn or even skin cancer.
How do CFCS damage the ozone layer?
They are broken down into chlorine radicals. These attack the ozone and break it down into O2 which creates holes in the ozone layer.
CFCs are unreactive, non-flammable and non-toxic, what were they used for?
- coolant gases in fridges
- solvents
- propellants in aerosols
What are some safer alternatives to CFCs?
hydroflurorocarbons and hydrocarbons.
What are halogenoalkanes?
Alkanes with halogen atoms.
Is the carbon halogen bond polar or impolar?
Polar
Why are carbons in halogenoalkanes prone to attack from nucleophiles?
They have a delta-positive charge.
What is a nucleophile?
A lone pair donor.
What is a nucelophilic substitution reaction?
When a nucleophile reacts with a polar molecule by replacing its functional group.
What is formed when halogenoalkanes react with hydroxides?
Alcohols
What is formed when halogenoalkanes react with cyanide?
Nitriles
What is formed when halogenoalkanes react with ammonia?
Amines
What are the conditions for the nucleophilic substitution reaction of halogenoalkanes with hydroxides?
- warm
- aqueous NaOH or KOH
What are the conditions for the nucleophilic substitution reaction of halogenoalkanes with cyanide?
- warm
- ethanolic KCN
- reflux
What are the conditions for the nucleophilic substitution reaction of halogenoalkanes with ammonia?
- warm
- ethanolic , excess ammonia
What determines the reactivity of halogenoalkanes?
The carbon-halogen bond strength.
Does the order of bond strength increase or decrease?
C-F
C-Cl
C-Br
C-I
Decreases
What is formed when halogenoalkanes undergo elimination?
Alkenes
What are the conditions for the elimination reaction of halogenoalkanes with hydroxide ions?
- warm
- ethanolic hydroxide ions
- reflux
What is formed when halogenoalkanes are reacted with hydroxide ions in aqueous conditions?
Alcohol
What is formed when halogenoalkanes are reacted with hydroxide ions in anhydrous conditions?
Alkenes
What does OH act as in a nucleophilic substitution reaction?
Nucleophile
What does OH act as in an elimination reaction?
Base