Topic 7: Organic Chemistry Flashcards
What is a hydrocarbon?
Any compound that is formed from carbon and hydrogen atoms only
What is the general formula for alkanes?
CⁿH²ⁿ⁺²
Are alkanes saturated or unsaturated?
Saturated
Why are alkanes said to be saturated?
Each carbon atom forms 4 single covalent bonds
Do alkanes contain single or double bonds?
Single
What is a homologous series?
A group of organic compounds that react in a similar way
What are the first 4 alkanes?
- Methane
- Ethane
- Propane
- Butane
What is the trend as hydrocarbon chains get longer?
i) Viscosity
ii) Boiling point
iii) Flammability
i) Become more viscous (gloopy)
ii) Boiling point increases
iii) Become less flammable
What is the equation for the complete combustion of a hydrocarbon?
Hydrocarbon + oxygen —> carbon dioxide + water
During combustion, what happens to both carbon and hydrogen?
They are oxidised
Why are hydrocarbons used as fuels?
Due to the amount of energy they release when they combust completely
Describe how crude oil was formed [2]
- Formed from the remains of plants and animals, mainly plankton, that died millions of years ago and were buried in mud
- Over millions of years, with high temperatures and pressures, the remains turned to crude oil
Why is crude oil described as a non-renewable fuel?
It is being used up much faster than it is being formed
Why is crude oil described as a finite resource?
One day it will run out
What is crude oil made up of?
A mixture of lots of different hydrocarbons, most of which are alkanes
How are the different compounds in crude oil separated?
Fractional distillation
Describe how different compounds in crude oil are separated by fractional distillation [7]
- Oil is heated until it has turned into a gas
- The gas is fed into a fractionating column
- In the column there is a temperature gradient (it’s hot at the bottom and gets cooler as you go up)
- The longer hydrocarbons have high boiling points. They condense back into liquids and drain out of the column early on, when they’re near the bottom
- The shorter hydrocarbons have lower boiling points. They condense and drain out much later on, near the top of the column where it’s cooler
- You end up with a crude oil mixture separated out into different fractions
- Each fraction contains a mixture of hydrocarbons that all contain a similar number of carbon atoms, so have similar boiling points
What are the long hydrocarbons in fractional distillation used for?
Heavy fuel oil
What can heavy fuel oil be? [3]
- Heating oil
- Fuel oil
- Lubricating oil
What are the medium hydrocarbons in fractional distillation used for? [3]
- Diesel
- Kerosene
- Petrol
What are the short hydrocarbons in fractional distillation used for?
LPG (liquefied petroleum gas)
What does the petrochemical industry use hydrocarbons for?
Feedstock
Why are long-chain hydrocarbons not very useful?
They form thick, gloopy liquids which cannot be used as fuels
In what process are long-chain hydrocarbons made into short-chain hydrocarbons?
Cracking
In cracking, what other hydrocarbon is produced?
Alkenes
What kind of reaction is cracking?
A thermal decomposition reaction
Define ‘thermal decomposition’
Breaking molecules down using heat
What are the 2 types of cracking?
- Catalytic cracking
- Steam cracking
Describe the process of catalytic cracking [3]
- Heat the long-chain hydrocarbons to vaporise them
- Pass the vapour over hot powdered aluminium oxide catalyst
- The long-chain molecules split apart on the surface of the specks of catalyst
Describe the process of steam cracking [3]
- Heat the long-chain hydrocarbons to vaporise them
- Mix them with steam
- Heat them at very high temperatures
When writing an equation for cracking, what is it important to do?
Balance the number of carbon and hydrogen atoms on both sides
What kind of bond does an alkene have?
C=C double bond
Why are alkenes said to be unsaturated?
The C=C double bond means that alkenes have two fewer hydrogens compared with alkanes containing the same number of carbon atoms
Why are alkenes much more reactive than alkanes?
The C=C double bond can open up to make a single bond, allowing the 2 carbon atoms to bond with other atoms
What are the first 4 alkenes?
- Ethene
- Propene
- Butene
- Pentene
What is the general formula for alkenes?
CⁿH²ⁿ
What is the test to distinguish between alkenes and alkanes?
Bromine water test
What will happen to bromine water in the presence of an alkene?
The solution will lose its orange colour and turn colourless
What will happen to bromine water in the presence of an alkane?
The solution will stay orange
What are the 3 types of addition reactions that alkenes can carry out?
- Addition of hydrogen
- Addition of steam
- Addition of a halogen
Describe what happens in a hydrogenation reaction [2]
- Hydrogen is reacted with an alkene (C=C double bond)
- The C=C double bond is opened up and the equivalent, saturated alkane is formed
What has to be present in a hydrogenation reaction?
A catalyst
What happens when alkenes react with steam?
Water is added across the double bond and an alcohol is formed
How can ethanol (an alcohol) be made?
By mixing steam and ethene and passing it over a catalyst
Describe how you would isolate pure alcohol from ethanol, ethene and water [4]
- Ethanol, ethene and water is present
- The reaction mixture is passed from the reactor into a condenser
- Ethanol and water have a higher boiling point than ethene, so both condense leaving the unreacted ethene
- Ethanol and water is then separated by fractional distillation
What is a polymer?
Large molecule formed when lots of monomers join together
In polymerisation, what two conditions are needed? [2]
- High pressure
- Catalyst
What would be the name for an ethene polymer be?
poly(ethene)
What is the general formula for alcohols?
CⁿH²ⁿ⁺¹OH
What is the functional group for alcohols?
-OH
Name the first 4 alcohols
- Methanol
- Ethanol
- Propanol
- Butanol
What are the properties of alcohols
i) Flammability
ii) Solubility
i) Highly flammable (undergo complete combustion)
ii) Soluble in water - neutral pH
What happens when alcohols are oxidised?
Produce carboxylic acid
What are alcohols used for? [2]
- Solvents in industry
- Fuels
Why are alchols used as solvents in industry?
Because they can dissolve substances that water can’t disslolve e.g. oils and fats
What time of burner is ethanol (alcohol) used as fuel in?
Spirit burner
Positives of spirit burners [2]
- Burns fairly cleanly
- Non-smelly
What are the 3 main uses of ethanol?
- As a chemical feedstock
- As a biofuel
- Used in alcoholic drinks
Advantages of producing ethanol from ethene and steam
The reaction is cheap and efficient
Disadvantages of producing ethanol from ethene and steam
Ethene is made from crude oil, which is non-renewable (could become expensive)
Advantages of producing ethanol from fermentation
Glucose used is renewable - won’t run out
Disadvantages of producing ethanol from fermentation
Process can be slow
Fermentation equation
Glucose —> ethanol + carbon dioxide
What is the functional group for carboxylic acid?
-COOH
What is produced when a carboxylic acid reacts with a carbonate?
Salt + water + carbon dioxide
THINK: alcohols
What is the general formula for carboxylic acids?
CⁿH²ⁿ⁺¹COOH
What is the functional group of an ester?
-COO-
What are esters formed from?
An alcohol and a carboxylic acid
What type of catalyst has to be used to produce an ester?
Acid catalyst
What is produced as a by-product when an ester is formed?
Water
What is ethyl ethanoate (ester) made from?
Ethanoic acid and ethanol
What are esters used in? [2]
- Perfumes
- Food colourings
Why is it called condensation polymerisation?
For each new bond that forms, a small molecule (water) is lost
Why are condensation polymers biodegradable?
Ester links can be broken down by microorganisms
What are the 3 naturally occurring polymers?
- Amino acids
- DNA
- Carbohydrates
What are the 2 functional groups of an amino acid?
- Amino group
- Carboxyl group
What is the name for the polymers that amino acids form?
Polypeptides
What is one or more long-chains of polypeptides known as?
Proteins
What are the two polymer chains in DNA called?
Nucleotides
What small molecules are sugars made from? [3]
- Carbon
- Oxygen
- Hydrogen
What long-chain polymers can sugars form?
Starch