Unit 3 Flashcards
7 factors that influence the design of a chemical process
- Cost of feedstock
- Availability of feedstock
- Sustainability of feedstock
- Product Yield
- Opportunities for recycling
- Energy requirements
- Marketability of by-products
Feedstock
A substance from which other chemicals can be produced
Role of nitrogen in feedstock
Used to produce ammonia
Importance of Ethanol
Used to make ester ethyl ethanoate
Information on the cost of feedstock (Cheap)
-Nitrogen is obtained from air, salts are obtained from sea water which is cheap and plentiful
Information of the availability of feedstock
Metal ores have to be mined and transported a long way, adding cost and environmental considerations
Sustainability of feedstock
- How long a feedstock is likely to last
- If it’s a limited supply it can only be produced from one raw material, the cost will be high
Raw Materials
A naturally occurring substance that can be converted into feedstock
Important Raw Materials
Fossil fuels, metal ores, air and water, biomass (Animals and plant material)
High product yield
Allows more profit to be made
Opportunities for recycling
Recycling unreacted reactants saves money and reduced waste
Energy requirements
- The heat produced during exothermic reactions can be used to heat reaction vessels and buildings which save money
- Using a catalyst lowers the temperature and cost of heating
- Endothermic reactions require heating which is costly
Marketability of by-products
- Useful by-products are sold to increase profit
- Toxic by-products can be costly to dispose of safely
Environmental Considerations
Strict codes of conduct must be followed to ensure that chemicals and processes used have minimum impact on the environment
Three main environmental considerations
- Minimising Waste
- Avoiding use of production of toxic substances
- Designing biodegradable products
GFM Triangle of Knowledge
m = n x GFM
Volume Triangle of Knowledge
n = c x v
How to change the volume if given in ml or cm3
Divide by 1000
Triangle of Knowledge for molar volume
v = n x Vmol
Atom Economy
(Mass of Desired Products / Total mass of reactants) x 100
Advantages of a higher AE
Lower the waste, more ‘green’, more efficiently expensive raw materials are used
Percentage Yield
(Actual Yield/Theoretical Yield) x 100
In PY, reasons why it wouldn’t be 100%
- The product may be lost during purification
- The reaction may have side reactions which compete with the desired products
Displacement Reactions
An element higher up the electrochemical series displaces an element lower in the series from a solution of it’s ions
Reducing Agents
- Allows other substances to get reduced
- The reducing agents gets oxidised and donates (lose) electrons
Oxidising Agents
- Allows other substances to get oxidised
- The oxidising agent get reduced and accepts electrons