Organic Chemistry Flashcards
(9 cards)
Outline how crude oil is separated into fractions.
- Through fractional distillation
- Crude oil is vaporised
- It is passed into a fractioning column
- The fractioning column is hotter near the bottom and colder near the top
- The vapours rise up the column until they condense
- The fractions are separated according to their boiling points
- Longer chain molecules have higher boiling points (IMF are stronger) so condense near the bottom
What is a fuel?
A substance that releases heat energy when burned.
Name 3 chemicals responsible for climate change and environmental damage, and where they come from
Carbon dioxide: produced when hydrocarbons are burned (combustion)
Sulphur dioxide: produced when sulfur, impurities in fossil fuels, are burned (combustion)
Nitrogen oxides: produced in car engines when temperatures are high enough for nitrogen and oxygen to react
How do sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides harm the environment?
Sulphur dioxide is produced when sulfur in fuels is burned, sulphur dioxide reacts with gases in atmosphere to form sulfuric acid, which causes acid rain.
Nitrogen oxides react with gases in the atmosphere to form nitric acid, which causes acid rain
How does carbon dioxide harm the environment?
It is a greenhouse gas and causes global warming and melting of polar ice caps
What is a functional group
A group of atoms in a molecule which give it its characteristic chemical properties
What is an homologous series?
A series of compounds with the same functional groups, show similar physical properties, and have a gradation in physical properties
What makes something a saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon?
A molecule made of carbon and hydrogen only, and if it has a single bond it is saturated, if it has a carbon double bond it is unsaturated
What are the disadvantages of addition polymers?
Polymers are inert and hence non-biodegradable, meaning they cannot be broken down by microorganisms in the environment. Polymers are made from non-renewable crude oil.
