Topic 7 (Organic Chemistry) Flashcards
What is a hydrocarbon
Any compound formed from carbon and hydrogen only
What is the general formula for an alkane
CnH2n+2
What are the first four alkanes
Methane
Ethane
Propane
Butane
What happens as a hydrocarbon chain gets longer
As hydrocarbons get longer they
•become more viscous
•have higher boiling points
•become less flammable
What is complete combustion
Complete combustion occurs when there is plenty of oxygen
Hydrocarbon + Oxygen->
Carbon Dioxide + Water
What is crude oil
Crude oil is a fossil fuel made from the remains of plants that died millions of years ago
How if fractional distillation used to separate hydrocarbons
•The oil is heated until it is mostly gas, the gases enter the fractionating column
•The fractionating column is hottest at the bottom and coolest at the top
•The longer chain hydrocarbons have the highest BP so they condense back into liquids lower down the column whilst the shorter chain hydro carbons rise
•This means you end up with different crude oils in separate column at the end of the process shortest chains at the top longest chains at the bottom
What is cracking
Cracking is the process of splitting up long chain hydrocarbons into smaller ones
What are the two types of cracking
Steam Cracking
Catalytic Cracking
When cracking a long chain hydrocarbon what are the products
Smaller chain hydrocarbon and an alkene
What is the general formula for alkenes
CnH2n
Why are there less hydrogens in an alkene than in an alkane
In an alkene there is a double carbon bond and as carbon can only have 4 bonds this takes away 2 hydrogens
When alkenes burn what are you likely to see
Yellow Smoky Flame
What is incomplete combustion
Alkene + Oxygen ->
Carbon+Carbon Dioxide+Carbon Monoxide+Water
How do alkenes react
Addition reactions, when something reacts with an alkene the carbon double bond opens up and a new atom is added to each carbon