Unit 3: Section 3 - Alkenes and alcohols MDY * Flashcards
Alkenes Addition polymers Alcohols Ethanol production Oxidation of alcohols
what is the general formula of alkenes?
CnH2n
what do all alkenes have?
at least one C=C double covalent bond. they are unsaturated because they can make more bonds with extra atoms in addition reactions.
what makes alkenes reactive?
there are 2 pairs of electrons in the C=C double bond, so it has a high electron density
what happens in an electrophilic addition reaction?
the double bonds in an alkene open up and atoms are added to the carbon atoms
why do electrophilic reactions happen?
because the double bond has got lots of electrons and are easily attacked by electrophiles
what are electrophiles?
electron-pair acceptors, they usually have fewer electrons than usual so they’re attracted to areas with lots
examples of electrophiles:
positively charged ions e.g. H+
polar molecules, the 𝛿+ end is attracted to the electrons
How can you test for alkenes?
using bromine water
what is the test for alkenes with bromine water?
when an alkene is shaken with bromine water the solution goes from orange to colourless.
this is because electrophilic addition occurs and forms colourless dibromoalkanes
which carbocations are more stable?
the more alkyl groups attached the more stable a carbocation is because the alkyl groups feed electrons towards the positive charge.
primary carbocation = least stable
tertiary carbocation = most stable
which carbocations are more stable?
the more alkyl groups attached the more stable a carbocation is because the alkyl groups feed electrons towards the positive charge.
primary carbocation = least stable
tertiary carbocation = most stable
what happens when alkenes react with cold concentrated sulfuric acid?
an electrophilic addition reaction takes place to form alkyl hydrogen sulphates
what happens when the product of the reaction between cold sulfuric acid and an alkene is warmed with water?
an alkyl hydrogen sulfate is formed and is then warmed with water to form an alcohol and the sulfuric acid acts as a catalyst
what are polymers?
long chain molecules formed when lots of small molecules, called monomers join together. they can be natural and synthetic
what are natural polymers?
e.g. DNA and proteins
natural polymers like silk, cotton and rubber have been used for hundreds of years
what are synthetic polymers?
e.g. poly(ethene)
19th century - properties of natural polymers modified, like hardening rubber
20th century - synthetic polymers like nylon and Kevlar invented
what are addition polymers?
polymers formed from alkenes whose double bonds opened up to join together to make long chains. these addition polymers are called polyalkenes
what are polyalkene chains
saturated molecules, where the main carbon chain is non-polar, this makes addition polymers very unreactive
what are polyalkene chains?
saturated molecules, where the main carbon chain is non-polar, this makes addition polymers very unreactive
what properties do polyalkenes have?
they are usually non-polar so the chains are held together by van der Waals
the longer the polymer chains and the closer together they can get the stronger the van der Waals
so polyalkenes made up of long, straight chains tend to be strong and rigid, short branched chains are weaker and more flexible
what does adding a plasticiser to a polymer do?
the plasticiser molecules get between the polymer chains and push them apart. this reduces the strength of intermolecular forces between the chains so they can slide more and are more flexible
what is PVC?
poly(chloroethene), its formed from chloroethene
what properties does PVC have?
long closely packed polymer chains, making it hard and brittle. rigid PVC is used to make drainpipes and window frames
what properties does plasticised PVC have?
its much more flexible than rigid PVC. its used to make electrical cable insulation, flooring tiles and clothing
How to draw the repeating unit of a polymer from its monomer:
draw the 2 alkene carbons
replace the double bond with a single bond
add a single bond coming out of each carbon
then fill in the rest of the groups as they surrounded the double bond
how to draw the repeating unit from its polymer:
for an addition polymer, the repeating unit should be 2 carbons long.
once you have the repeating unit add the double bond and remove the single bonds from the sides
what is the functional group in an alcohol homologous series?
the hydroxyl group
-OH
what are primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols?
primary - the C the -OH is bonded to, is bonded to 1 other carbon
secondary - the C the -OH is bonded to, is bonded to 2 other carbons
tertiary - the C the -OH is bonded to, is bonded to 3 other carbons
how can alkenes be formed from alcohols?
alcohols can be dehydrated in an elimination reaction to form alkenes
CnH2n+1OH –> CnH2n +H2O
how does the dehydration of alcohol produce alkenes from renewable resources?
alcohol can be obtained by fermentation of glucose.
this means polymers can be produced without using oil
what is one of the main industrial uses for alkenes?
as a starting material for polymers
How do you dehydrate ethanol to form ethene?
ethanol is heated with a concentrated sulphuric or phosphoric acid catalyst.
the product is usually in a mixture with water, acid and reactant in it so the alkene has to separate out
C2H5OH –H2SO4–> C2H4 + H2O
describe the mechanism for the elimination of water from ethanol:
lone pair of electrons from oxygen bond to an H+ from the acid. alcohol is protonated, giving O positive charge
O+ pulls electrons away from carbon, and an H2O is formed, forming a carbocation
the electrons between an adjacent carbon and hydrogen are pulled towards the carbocation, forming a double bond and an H+
describe the mechanism for the electrophilic addition reaction of bromine with an alkene:
the double bond repels the electrons in Br2, polarising it
pair of electrons in double bond attracts Br 𝛿+ and forms bond. this repels electrons in Br-Br bond until it breaks
a carbocation intermediate is formed that the Br- is attracted to
describe the mechanism for the electrophilic addition reaction of bromine with an alkene:
the double bond repels the electrons in Br2, polarising it
pair of electrons in double bond attracts Br 𝛿+ and forms bond. this repels electrons in Br-Br bond until it breaks
a carbocation intermediate is formed that the Br- is attracted to
what can be formed in the dehydration of more complicated alcohols?
it has more than 1 possible product as the double bond can be formed on either side of the carbon with the -OH
how can the products of the dehydration of alcohol be separated to get a pure alkene?
distillation uses the fact that different chemicals have different boiling points to separate them. often further separation and purification is needed.
what’s an example of how an alkene is produced from an alcohol?
producing cyclohexene from cyclohexanol
what are the steps of the separation of alkene from the products of alcohol dehydration?
stage 1 - distillation
stage 2 - separation
stage 3 - purification
what happens in distillation in producing cyclohexene from cyclohexanol?
- add conc. H2SO4 and H3PO4 to a round-bottom flask containing cyclohexanol. swirl with 2-3 carborundum boiling chips
- gently heat to around 83*C using water bath or electric heater
- chemicals with boiling points up to 83*C will evaporate. warm gas rises out of flask into condenser, turning it into a liquid.
- product can be collected in a cooled flask
what happens in separation in producing cyclohexene from cyclohexanol?
- product collected from distillation will contain purities
- transfer product mixture to a separating funnel and add water to dissolve water soluble impurities and create aqueous solution
- allow mixture to settle into layers. drain aqueous lower layer, leaving impure cyclohexene