Organic Chemistry
Fuels, C1–C3 hydrocarbons and alcohols, ethanoic acid, addition polymers and plastics recycling.
The lessons below are in teaching order. Work through them in turn, then come back after practice and use the outcomes on this page to choose what to review. Finishing a topic records participation only. Check your progress to see what you can answer independently and what to review next.
Lessons in order
- Organic Chemistry
11. Organic Chemistry
Learning goals
- name natural gas, mainly methane, and crude oil as non-renewable sources of energy
- describe crude oil as a mixture of hydrocarbons and its separation by fractional distillation to yield fractions which have competing uses as fuels and as a source of chemicals (see also 1.2(a))
- describe biofuel (exemplified by bioethanol from sugarcane) as a renewable alternative to natural gas and crude oil
- describe how biofuel, when compared to fossil fuels, is more environmentally sustainable in terms of the offset in carbon dioxide emission during burning by that taken in during plant growth (see also 12(e)).
- describe a homologous series as a group of compounds with a general formula, similar chemical properties and showing a gradation in physical properties as a result of increase in the size and mass of the molecules, e.g. melting and boiling points; viscosity
- describe the alkanes as a homologous series of saturated hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH2n+2
- draw the structures of unbranched alkanes, C1 to C3, and name the unbranched alkanes methane to propane
- describe alkanes (exemplified by methane) as being generally unreactive except in terms of combustion and substitution by chlorine
- describe the alkenes as a homologous series of unsaturated hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH2n
- draw the structures of unbranched alkenes, C2 and C3, and name the unbranched alkenes ethene and propene
- describe the manufacture of alkenes and hydrogen by cracking hydrocarbons and recognise that cracking is essential to match the demand for fractions containing smaller molecules from the refinery process
- describe the difference between saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons from their molecular structures and by using aqueous bromine
- describe the reactions of alkenes (exemplified by ethene) in terms of combustion, polymerisation (see also 11.4(b)) and the addition with bromine and hydrogen
- state the meaning of polyunsaturated when applied to food products
- describe the manufacture of margarine by the addition of hydrogen to unsaturated vegetable oils to form a solid product.
- describe the alcohols as a homologous series containing the –OH group
- draw the structures of unbranched alcohols, C1 to C3, and name the unbranched alcohols methanol to propanol
- describe the reactions of alcohols in terms of combustion and oxidation to carboxylic acids
- describe the formation of ethanol by fermentation of glucose
- describe the carboxylic acids as a homologous series containing the –CO2H group
- describe the formation of ethanoic acid by the oxidation of ethanol by atmospheric oxygen or acidified potassium manganate(VII).
- describe polymers as large molecules built up from small units (monomers), different polymers having different units
- describe the formation of poly(ethene) as an example of addition polymerisation of ethene as the monomer (see also 11.2(i))
- state some uses of poly(ethene) as a typical plastic, e.g. plastic bags; clingfilm
- deduce the structure of the addition polymer product from a given monomer and vice versa
- describe the pollution problems caused by the disposal of non-biodegradable plastics
- describe two methods of recycling plastics as — physical method (exemplified by melting small pieces of poly(ethene) waste into pellets)
- describe two methods of recycling plastics as — chemical method (exemplified by cracking of plastic waste into fuel)
- discuss the social, economic and environmental issues of recycling plastics.