Polymerisation of alkenes, Ethanol Production & Classification and reactions

Anisa Chowdhury

Reference to the Specification

Addition Polymerisation of alkenes

Addition Reaction

MANY MONOMERS

SINGLE POLYMER
The addition polymer formed is a saturated compound without a double bond.
Repeating unit

The monomer used is an unsaturated alkene containing a double C=C bond.

E.G

Examples and uses of Poly(alkenes)

H H n H C C H H C H C H n H

E.G. Ethene poly(ethene) Polyethene is most widely used in plastic shopping bags. Used to also make bottles, cling film &cable insulation
H H n H C C H H H n CH3 C C CH3

E.G. Propene poly(propene) Polypropene is used in biros, straws, chairs, buckets and plastic food containers. It can be recycled commercially.

Recycling Polymers
Lots of crude oil is used to make polymers = waste to throw away

Reuse Polymers
e.g. making more durable plastic bags that can be used again

Incineration. Burning
polymers release thermal energy for generating electricity. But releases co2 so contributes to global warming

Reprocessing scraps from

manufacturing processes So can melt and re-use for manufacturing processes

Poly(propene) > recycled via feedstock recycling = decomposing at high temps to produce naptha

Ethanol Production
fermentation of sugars
Optimum temp = 36 degrees (High temps denature enzyme and kills yeast)

C6H12O6 2C2H5OH + 2CO2

Disadvantages:
it requires fairly high technology it uses a lot of energy the ethene comes from crude oil, which is a non-renewable resource

Advantages: it is a relatively fast process it is a continuous flow process, which means that ethene can be entered into the vessel continuously and the reaction never has to be stopped it produces pure ethanol

Ethanol as a biofuel
Ethanol is a useful fuel; it burns with a clean flame and is increasingly used in cars:
C2H6O(l) + 3O2(g) 3CO2(g) + 3H2O(g) Ethanol produced by fermentation = renewable fuel

Biofuels are carbon-neutral = there are no net annual carbon (greenhouse gas) emissions to the atmosphere

Primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols

Primary alcohols are those in which the carbon attached to the OH is attached to 0 or 1 other carbon atom. Eg propan-1-ol

H H C H

H C H

H C H OH

OH H

C H

C
H

C H

Primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols

H OH H

Secondary alcohols are those in which the carbon attached to the OH is attached to 2 other carbon atoms. In other words, they are molecules in which the functional group is not at the end of the chain.

Eg propan-2-ol

C H

C
H

C H

Primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols

Tertiary alcohols are those in which the carbon atom attached to the OH is attached to 3 other carbon atoms. In other words, they are molecules in which the functional group is attached to a carbon which also has a branch attached to it. Eg 2-methypropan-2-ol

OH H

C H

C C H

C H
H

mild oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols

If a primary alcohol is mixed with an oxidising agent, two hydrogen atoms can be removed and an aldehyde will be formed: Eg CH3CH2OH + [O] CH3CHO + H2O
H H H H OH

O C H

C H

C H

[O]

C H

H2O

Ethanol An aldehyde is a molecule containing the following group:

O C

Ethanal

H
If a secondary alcohol is mixed with an oxidising agent, two hydrogen atoms can be removed and a ketone will be formed: Eg CH3CH(OH)CH3 + [O] CH3COCH3 + H2O
OH CH3 CH CH3

[O]

CH3

C
CH3

H2O

Propan-2-ol A ketone is a molecule containing the following group:

O C

propanone

Tertiary alcohols are not readily oxidised since they do not have available H atoms to give up. Aldehydes and ketones are collectively known as carbonyls and can be represented by the general formula CnH2nO

O R C R
In aldehydes, one of the R groups is a H atom. In ketones, neither of the R groups is a H atom.
Further oxidation of aldehydes

If an aldehyde is mixed with an oxidising agent, an oxygen atom can be added to the group and a carboxylic acid will be formed: Eg CH3CHO + [O] CH3COOH Ethanal Ethanoic acid

A carboxylic acid is a molecule containing the following group:

Ketones cannot be oxidised into carboxylic acids since there is no C-H bond into which an oxygen atom can be inserted.

Summary of oxidation reactions of alcohols and carbonyls

primary alcohols secondary alcohols tertiary alcohols X [O] [O]

aldehydes

ketones

[O]

carboxylic acids

Tests to distinguish between aldehydes and ketones

Tollens reagent
- Tollens reagent, is an oxidising agent and will react with aldehydes on boiling:
Fehlings solution
- Fehlings solution contains Cu2+ ions. - Aldehydes are reducing agents but ketones are not. - Cu2+ is an oxidising agent and will react with aldehydes on heating.

o In the presence of aldehydes, the colourless Ag+ ions (Tollens reagent) in are reduced to metallic silver, which forms on the surface of the test tube

o In the presence of aldehydes, the blue Cu2+ is reduced to the red copper (I) oxide, Cu2O. The presence of a brick red precipitate of Cu2O indicates that an aldehyde is present.

Thank You for Listening