Unit 3: section by 2 - Alkanes and halogenoalkanes MDY * Flashcards
Alkanes and petroleum alkanes as fuels chloroalkanes and CFCs halogenoalkanes
what is the general formula for alkanes?
CnH2n+2
what do alkanes contain?
only carbon and hydrogen - they’re hydrocarbons
how many bonds does a carbon have in an alkane?
every carbon has 4 single bonds with other atoms, carbons can only have 4 bonds so alkanes are saturated
what are cycloalkanes?
they have a ring of carbon atoms with 2 hydrogens attached to each carbon
it is also saturated
what is the general formula for cycloalkanes?
CnH2n
assuming they have only 1 ring
what is petroleum?
crude oil, extracted from the ground with oil wells
what does crude oil contain?
a mixture of hydrocarbons, mostly alkanes
how is crude oil separated?
by fractional distillation at an oil refinery
how is fractional distillation carried out?
crude oil vaporised at about 350*C
vapour is passed into a tower which is hot at the bottom and cooler at the top (temperature gradient)
as vapour goes up fractioning column it cools
molecules condense at different heights in the tower as they have different boiling points
how are fractions collected?
large hydrocarbons don’t vaporise at all, they collect at the bottom as a gooey residue
alkane molecules have different chain lengths, so they have different boiling points, so each fraction condenses at a different temperature
hydrocarbons with the lowest boiling points don’t condense, they’re drawn off as gas at the top of the column
what sized hydrocarbons does each fraction collect?
20*C = 1-4 = fuel gas 40*C = 5-12 = gasoline 110*C = 7-14 = naphtha 180*C = 11-15 = kerosene 250*C = 15-19 = diesel 340*C = 20-30 = lubricating oil 30 - 50+ = residue
what are the uses of fuel gas?
liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)
camping gas
what are the uses of gasoline?
petrol as fuel for cars
what are the uses of naptha?
its processed to make petrochemicals
what are the uses of kerosene?
jet fuel
petrochemicals
central heating fuel
what are the uses of diesel?
diesel fuel
central heating fuel
what are the uses of lubricating oil?
lubricating oil
what does residue contain?
30-40 = fuel oil 40-50 = wax, grease 50+ = roofing, = bitumen
what are the uses of fuel oil?
ships, power stations
what are the uses of wax, grease?
candles, lubrication
what are the uses of bitumen?
roofing, road surfacing
what is the supply and demand like for hydrocarbons?
there is high supply of large hydrocarbons and low supply of short hydrocarbons
there is high demand for small hydrocarbons and low demand for large hydrocarbons
what is cracking?
breaking long-chain alkanes into smaller hydrocarbons. it involves breaking the C-C bonds
what are the 2 types of cracking?
thermal cracking
catalytic cracking
what are the conditions for thermal cracking?
high temperatures (up to 1000*C) high pressure (up to 70 atm) this is because bonds in hydrocarbons are so strong
what are the conditions for catalytic cracking?
high temperature (about 450*C) slight pressure zeolite catalysts (hydrated aluminosilicate)
what does thermal cracking produce?
lots of alkenes - these are used to make lots of valuable products like polymers e.g. poly(ethene)
and straight chain alkanes
what does catalytic cracking produce?
branched hydrocarbons
cyclic hydrocarbons
aromatic hydrocarbons like benzene
these are useful as fuels
what are the advantages of using zeolite in catalytic cracking?
zeolites have microscopic pores and channels so they have large surface area
it cuts costs, because the reaction can be done at a low temperature and pressure.
catalyst also speeds up reaction, saving time
what determines where in the fractioning column hydrocarbons condense?
the larger the hydrocarbon the higher the boiling point because it has more electrons so has stronger Van der Waals forces between
how is crude oil formed?
sea plants and animals died and were buried on the ocean floor
overtime they were covered by sand and silt
over millions of years enormous heat and pressure turn them into oil and gas
how is crude oil obtained?
we drill through layers of sand, silt and rock to reach the rock formations that contain oil and gas deposits
why do branched chain alkanes have lower boiling points than their straight chain isomers?
because branches mean alkanes can’t lie flat so there are weaker van der Waals forces between hydrocarbons
what is a complete combustion reaction?
if you burn (oxidise) alkanes (and other hydrocarbons) with plenty of oxygen, you get carbon dioxide and water
e.g.
C3H8 + 5O2 –> 3CO2 +4H2O
what are the only products of complete combustion?
water and carbon dioxide are the only products
how do alkanes make great fuels?
burning just a small amount releases a large amount of energy
it burns very exothermically with oxygen from the air
where are alkanes burnt?
in power stations, central heating systems and to power car engines
what is the downside of burning alkanes?
it produces lots of pollutants
what happens if there’s not enough oxygen for hydrocarbons to burn in?
incomplete combustion.
this produces carbon monoxide, carbon and unburnt hydrocarbons
as well as the original products
what is the disadvantage of carbon monoxide as a product of incomplete combustion?
carbon monoxide gas is poisonous
and colourless and odourless
what does carbon monoxide do?
it binds irreversibly to haemoglobin so oxygen can’t be carried around the body
results in suffocation
what is the problem of soot as a product of incomplete combustion?
pass deep into lungs and aren’t removed so cause breathing problems
build up in engines
contribute to global dimming
how does burning fossil fuels contribute to global warming?
burning fossil fuels produces carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas
what do greenhouse gases do?
greenhouse gases in our atmosphere are really good at absorbing infrared energy (heat). they emit some of the energy they absorb back towards the earth. this is called the greenhouse effect
what is global warming?
by increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, we are making the Earth warmer
how are oxides of nitrogen (NOx) produced?
when the high pressure and temperature in a car engine and sparks cause the nitrogen and oxygen atoms from the air to react