Topic 7: organic chemistry Flashcards
what is crude oil
crude oil is a mixture of compounds; a fossil fuel consisting of the remains of ancient biomass
what is a finite resource
cannot be replaced as it it is used up
what is a hydrocarbon
a compound made up exclusively of hydrogen and carbon atoms
what are alkanes
saturated hydrocarbons of a general formula
what is a homologous series
a series of compounds with same general formula, same functional groups and similar chemical properties
describe the combustion of hydrocarbons
- exothermic reaction occurring when hydrocarbons are reacted with oxygen
- complete combustion produces carbon dioxide and water
- incomplete combustion produces carbon and carbon monoxide + water
describe the physical properties of alkanes
- first few in series are gases, then change to liquids, then to solids
- in general, boiling points and viscosity increase as molecules get bigger
- volatility and flammability decrease as molecules get bigger
- poor reactivity
explain how fractional distillation of crude oil takes place
- crude oil is heated and vaporised
- vapour rises up the fractional column
- the column is hotter at the bottom and cooler at the top
- hydrocarbons cool as they go up the column and condense at different heights, as they have different boiling points
- large molecules, high boiling points, collected at the bottom
- small molecules, low boiling points, collected at the top
- this gives fractions, which can be used in various ways
what is cracking
when large hydrocarbons are thermally broken down into smaller and useful molecules
what type of reaction is cracking
thermal decomposition
what are the conditions for cracking
reactant heater to vapour, passed over a hot catalyst or heated to vapour, mixed with steam and heated to high temperatures
how are the products of cracking used
the products are alkanes and alkenes - used as polymers and starting materials for synthesis
what is an alkene
an unsaturated hydrocarbon
what bond do an alkene have
c=c bond
what is the general formula for alkenes
CnH2n
what is the test of alkenes
add bromine water
colour change occurs from orange to colourless