Chapter 29 - Polymerisation

Question 1

what is a condensation reaction

Answer 1

when two molecules react together and produce a small molecule such as water or hydrogen chloride

Question 2

what kind of molecules can react to form condensation polymers

Answer 2

amides and carboxylic acids
amines and alcohols and haloalkanes
all these molecules must have two functional groups

Question 3

what is terylene (PET) made of

Answer 3

benzene-1,4-dioic acid and ethane-1,2-diol

Question 4

why are polyesters and polyamides often preferred over polyalkenes

Answer 4

polyesters and polyamides can be hydrolysed and are biodegradable

Question 5

what is nylon-6,6 made of

Answer 5

1,6-diaminohexane and hexane-1,6-dioic acid

Question 6

what is kevlar made of

Answer 6

benzene-1,4-diamine and benzene-1,4-dioic acid

Question 7

why is kevlar so strong

Answer 7

because of the rigid chains and ability of the flat aromatic rings to pack together close, held by strong intermolecular forces

Question 8

what are polypeptides

Answer 8

polyamides made from a single amino acid monomer, many different ones
each amino acid has both an amine and carboxylic acid group

Question 9

why are polyalkenes non biodegradable

Answer 9

because the c-c and c-h bonds are highly unreactive and nothing in the natural environment will break these bonds easily

Question 10

why is burning polymer waste unfavorable

Answer 10

polyalkenes: because the level of carbon dioxide increases upon burning, and carbon monoxide can be produced
other polymers may release toxic products such as styrene vapor

Question 11

why are condensation plymers biodegradable

Answer 11

because they can be hydrolyzed by the addition of water
however the reaction is very slow under normal conditions

Question 12

why is recycling favourable

Answer 12

crude oil is saved from being extracted and refined, this is important because it is non-renewable and an energy intensive process
is plastics arent recycled they typically end up in landfills

Question 13

disadvantages of recycling

Answer 13

plastics need to be collected, transported and sorted. this uses energy and manpower and is expensive

Question 14

what are macromolecules

Answer 14

giant molecules made up of chains of smaller ones