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Lecture - 7-8
Lecture - 7-8
Medium molecules
• When hydrocarbons burn
they are reacting with
oxygen in the air. In general,
the smaller the molecule
the better it will mix and
then react with the air.
Cracking
• Slight pressure
• High Temperature ... 450°C
• Zeolite catalyst
• Carbocation Mechanism
• Heterolytic fission
• Produces branched and cyclic alkanes, aromatic
hydrocarbons
• used for motor fuels
•
• ZEOLITES are crystalline aluminosilicates; clay like
substances
Catalytic Cracking
• Large hydrocarbons are broken into smaller molecules using heat
and a catalyst.
• This process is known as catalytic cracking.
• The small molecules produced are then separated by distillation.
Catalytic Cracking
• In the catalytic cracker long chain molecules
are ‘cracked’. An example of such a reaction is:
And
1 2 3 4 5 thousands lots
more..
This is called addition polymerisation and is written as:
Polypropene
• Ethene is only one alkene. Other unsaturated molecules such
as propene, vinyl chloride and styrene can also be
polymerised to produce a range of plastics. E.g. propene
PTFE
• Tetrafluoroethane is another alkene that is
made into an important plastic used to coat
non-stick pans: polytetrafluoroethane or PTFE.
Activity
• styrene
• ethene
• p.v.c.
• propane
• How might you test to see if polystyrene still
• contained some unsaturated monomer
(styrene)?