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Polymers (CIE IGCSE Chemistry: Co-ordinated Sciences (Double Award))

Exam Questions

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Polymers

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Polymers

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14 marks

Cracking is used to convert long chain alkanes into shorter chain alkanes and alkenes. Alkenes are unsaturated compounds.

Decane, C10H22, can be cracked to give propene and one other product.

 
i)
Complete the chemical equation.
 
C10H22 → C3H6 + ...............
 
[1]
 
ii)
What is meant by the term unsaturated?
 
[1]
 
iii)
Describe a test to show that propene is an unsaturated compound.
 
test ......................................................................................................................................
 
result ...................................................................................................................................
 
[2]

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2a1 mark

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Carboxylic acids can be converted into esters.

Polyesters are polymers made from dicarboxylic acids.

Name the other type of organic compound used in the formation of polyesters.

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2b1 mark

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Name the type of polymerisation used in the manufacture of polyesters.

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31 mark

Extended tier only

There are three functional groups in compound A.

q6c-0620-s20-qp-42-1

Compound A can be used as a single monomer to produce two different polymers.

What type of condensation polymer is formed from compound A?

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4a1 mark

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Coal gas is made by heating coal in the absence of air.
The list shows the main gases present in coal gas.


carbon dioxide
carbon monoxide
ethene
hydrogen
methane
nitrogen

Ethene molecules react with each other to form poly(ethene).

What is the name given to this type of chemical reaction?

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4b1 mark

Extended tier only

Which one of the following words describes the ethene molecules in this reaction?
Draw a circle around the correct answer.


elements                 mixtures                 monomers             polymers

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5a1 mark

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Poly(ethene) is made by the polymerisation of ethene.
Which one of the structures represents part of a poly(ethene) molecule?

Tick one box.



q5d-0620_s19_qp_32

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5b1 mark

Nylon is also a polymer.

Part of the structure of nylon is shown.

q5eii-0620_s19_qp_32

How many different types of atom are shown in this structure?

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6a1 mark

Extended tier only

The structures of five alkenes, A, B, C, D and E, are shown.

q5-0620_s19_qp_41-1

Alkene C can be converted into a polymer.

q5g-0620_s19_qp_41

What type of polymerisation occurs?

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6b1 mark

Extended tier only

Suggest the name of the polymer formed.

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6c3 marks

Extended tier only

Complete the chemical equation to show this polymerisation.

q5giii-0620_s19_qp_41

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1a4 marks

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Alkenes are unsaturated hydrocarbons. They show structural isomerism. Alkenes take part in addition reactions and form polymers.

Ethene reacts with each of the following. Give the name and structural formula of each product.

 
i)
steam
 
name of product ..........................................................
 
structure of product
 
[2]
 
ii)
hydrogen
 
name of product ...........................................................
 
structure of product
 
[2]

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1b6 marks

Extended tier only

Islay is an island off the west coast of Scotland. The main industry on the island is making ethanol from barley.

Barley contains the complex carbohydrate, starch. Enzymes catalyse the hydrolysis of starch to a solution of glucose.

Alkenes polymerise by addition.

 
i)
Explain the term polymerise.
 
[2]
 
ii)
What is the difference between addition polymerisation and condensation polymerisation?
 
[2]
 
iii)
Poly(dichloroethene) is used extensively to package food. Draw its structure. The structural formula of dichloroethene is drawn below.
 

poly-dichloroethene

 
[2]

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2a5 marks

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The structure of PLA is given below.

pla

i)
What type of compound contains the group that is circled?

[1]

ii)
Complete the following sentence.

Lactic acid molecules can form this group because they contain both an ............................. group and an ............................. group.

[2]

iii)
Is the formation of PLA, an addition or condensation polymerisation? Give a reason for your choice.

[2]

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2b6 marks

When lactic acid is heated, acrylic acid is formed.

lactic-acid-and-acrylic-acid

i)
Complete the word equation for the action of heat on lactic acid.

lactic acid → ..................................... + ..................................... 

[1]

ii)
Describe a test that would distinguish between lactic acid and acrylic acid.

test ............................................................................................................... 
result for lactic acid ............................................................................................................... 
result for acrylic acid ............................................................................................................... 

[3]

iii)
Describe a test, other than using an indicator, which would show that both chemicals contain an acid group.

test ............................................................................................................... 
result ............................................................................................................... 

[2]

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3a1 mark

Extended tier only

State two uses of synthetic polymers.

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3b5 marks

Extended tier only

The structural formulae of two synthetic polymers are given below.

 
cie-polymer-pdf-1-q2c-image
 
i)
Draw the structural formula of the monomer of polymer A.
 
[2]
 
ii)
Identify the functional group circled in polymer B.
 
[1]
 
iii)
Deduce the two types of organic compound which have reacted to form polymer B.
 
[2]

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3c3 marks

Extended tier only

Explain the difference between addition and condensation polymers. Classify A and B as either addition or condensation polymers.

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47 marks

Extended tier only

Polymers are made by the polymerisation of simple molecules called monomers.

i)
The structural formula of a polymer is given below.
 
cie-polybutene-pdf-1-q4a-image
 
This polymer is made by addition polymerisation. Draw the structural formula of its monomer.
 
[1]
 
ii)
The two monomers shown below form a nylon which is a condensation polymer.
 
cie-nylon-monomers---polymers-pdf-1-q4a-image
 
Draw its structural formula showing one repeat unit of the polymer.
[3]
iii)
Name the natural macromolecule which contains the same linkage as nylon.
 
[1]
 
iv)
Explain the difference between addition polymerisation and condensation polymerisation.
 
[2]
 

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5a3 marks

Extended tier only

i)
Deduce the structural formula of the monomer from that of the polymer.
 
polypropene-polymer
 
structural formula of monomer ..................................................
 
[1]
 
ii)
Deduce the structural formula of the polymer, poly(phenylethene), from the formula of its monomer, phenylethene.
 
polyphenylethene-monomer
 
structural formula of polymer ..................................................
 
[2]

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5b2 marks

Extended tier only

The carbohydrate, glucose, polymerises to form the more complex carbohydrate starch.

If glucose is represented by

 

basic-glucose-representation

 

then the structural formula of starch is as drawn below.

 

basic-glucose-polymer-representation

 

How does the polymerisation of glucose differ from that of an alkene such as phenylethene?

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6a1 mark

Domestic rubbish is disposed of in landfi ll sites. Rubbish could include the following items.

item of rubbish approximate time for
item to break down
newspaper  one month
cotton rag six months
woollen glove one year
aluminium container up to 500 years
styrofoam cup 1000 years

 

Explain why aluminium, a reactive metal, takes so long to corrode.

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6b2 marks

Extended tier only

Both paper and cotton are complex carbohydrates. They can be hydrolysed to simple sugars such as glucose.

The formula of glucose can be represented as:

 

basic-glucose-representation

 

Draw the structural formula of a complex carbohydrate, such as cotton.

Include at least two glucose units.

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76 marks

Extended tier only

i)
There are two types of polymerisation reaction. Give their names and explain the differences between them.
 
[4]
 
ii)
Give the structural formula of a polymer which is formed from two different monomers.
 
[2]

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8a2 marks

Extended tier only

There are two types of polymerisation - addition and condensation.

Explain the difference between them.

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8b2 marks

Extended tier only

Poly(dichloroethene) is used to package food. Draw its structure. The structural formula of dichloroethene is shown below.

 
poly-dichloroethene-q-image
 

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9a
Sme Calculator7 marks

Extended tier only

Enzymes are biological catalysts. They are used both in research laboratories and in industry.

Enzymes called proteases can hydrolyse proteins to amino acids. The amino acids can be separated and identified by chromatography. The diagram below shows a typical chromatogram.

 
chromatography-results-cie
 
i)
The Rf value of a sample = fraction numerator distance space travelled space by space sample over denominator distance space travelled space by space solvent space front end fraction
 
Some Rf values for amino acids are:
 
  • glutamic acid = 0.4
  • glycine = 0.5
  • alanine = 0.7
  • leucine = 0.9
 
Identify the two amino acids on the chromatogram.
 
A is ..............................    B is ..............................
 
[2]
 
ii)
Explain why the chromatogram must be exposed to a locating agent before Rf values can be measured.
 
[1]
 
iii)
Measuring Rf values is one way of identifying amino acids on a chromatogram.
 
Suggest another.
 
[1]
 
iv)
The synthetic polymer, nylon, has the same linkage as proteins. Draw the structural formula of nylon.
 
[3]

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9b5 marks

Fermentation can be carried out in the apparatus drawn below. After a few days the reaction stops. It has produced a 12% aqueous solution of ethanol.

 
fermentation-apparatus
 
i)
Complete the equation.
 
C6H12O6 → .............................. + ..............................
glucose ethanol carbon dioxide 
 
[2]
 
ii)
Suggest a reason why the reaction stops after a few days.
 
[1]
 
iii)
Why is it essential that there is no oxygen in the flask?
 
[1]
 
iv)
What technique is used to concentrate the aqueous ethanol?
 
[1]

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103 marks

Extended tier only

Give the name of the product when but-1-ene reacts with each of the following.

steam .........................................................

hydrogen ....................................................

bromine ......................................................

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11a4 marks

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Ethene reacts with each of the following. Give the name and structural formula of each product.

 
i)
steam
 
name of product ..........................................................
 
structure of product ..........................................................
 
[2]
 
ii)
hydrogen
 
name of product ...........................................................
 
structure of product ..........................................................
 
[2]

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11b6 marks

Extended tier only

Alkenes polymerise by addition.

 
i)
Explain the term polymerise.
 
[2]
 
ii)
What is the difference between addition polymerisation and condensation polymerisation?
 
[2]
 
iii)
Poly(dichloroethene) is used extensively to package food. Draw its structure. The structural formula of dichloroethene is drawn below.
 
poly-dichloroethene
 
[2]

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12a2 marks

What is meant by the term unsaturated hydrocarbon?

unsaturated ..................................................

hydrocarbon ..................................................

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12b3 marks

Describe a test that would distinguish between saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons.

reagent ..................................................

observation (saturated hydrocarbon) ..................................................

observation (unsaturated hydrocarbon) ..................................................

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12c4 marks

Extended tier only

Addition polymers can be made from alkenes. The diagram shows part of an addition polymer.

 
polybut-1-ene
 
i)
Draw a circle on the diagram to show one repeat unit in this polymer.
 
[1]
 
ii)
Give the structure and the name of the monomer used to make this polymer.
 
structure ..................................................
 
name ..................................................
 
[2]
 
iii)
Give the structure of an isomer of the alkene in (e)(ii).
[1]

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13a1 mark

Extended tier only

Alkenes can form polymers.

What type of polymerisation occurs when alkenes form polymers?

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13b1 mark

Extended Only

Part of the structure of a polymer is shown.

q6cii-0620_s19_qp_43

Draw the structure of the alkene from which this polymer can be made. Show all of the atoms and all of the bonds.

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13c2 marks

Extended tier only

Part of the structure of a polyamide is shown.

q6d-1-0620_s19_qp_43

This polyamide is formed from identical monomers. Complete the diagram to show the structure of one monomer. Show all of the atoms and all of the bonds.

 
q6d-2-0620_s19_qp_43

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1a2 marks

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There are two types of polymerisation, addition and condensation.

Explain the difference between these two types of polymerisation.

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1b1 mark

Extended tier only

The polymer known as PVA is used in paints and adhesives. Its structural formula is shown below.

 

pva-polymer

 

Deduce the structural formula of its monomer.

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1c3 marks

Extended tier only

A condensation polymer can be made from the following monomers.

 
HOOC(CH2)4COOH and H2N(CH2)6NH2

 

Draw the structural formula of this polymer.

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2a5 marks

Extended tier only

A South Korean chemist has discovered a cure for smelly socks. Small particles of silver are attached to a polymer, poly(propene), and this is woven into the socks.

i)
Give the structural formula of the monomer.

[1]

ii)
Draw the structural formula of the polymer.

[2]

iii)
Suggest which one, monomer or polymer, will react with aqueous bromine and why?

[2]

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2b3 marks

Extended tier only

To show that the polymer contains silver the following test was carried out. 

The polymer fibres were chopped into small pieces and warmed with nitric acid. The silver atoms were oxidised to silver(I) ions. The mixture was filtered. Aqueous sodium chloride was added to the filtrate and a white precipitate formed.

i)
Why was the mixture filtered?

[1]

ii)
Explain why the change of silver atoms to silver ions is oxidation.

[1]

iii)
Give the name of the white precipitate.

[1]

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3a3 marks

Monomers polymerise to form polymers or macromolecules.

i)
Explain the term polymerise.
 
[1]
 
ii)
There are two types of polymerisation - addition and condensation. What is the difference between them?
 
[2]

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3b6 marks

An important monomer is chloroethene which has the structural formula shown below.

chloroethene
 

It is made by the following method.

 
C2H4 + Cl2 → C2H4Cl2 dichloromethane
 

This is heated to make chloroethene.

 
C2H4Cl2 → C2H3Cl + HCl
 
i)
Ethene is made by cracking alkanes. Complete the equation for cracking dodecane.
 
C12H26 → .................... + 2C2H4
 
[1]
 
Another method of making dichloroethane is from ethane.
 
C2H6 + 2Cl2 → C2H4Cl2 + 2HCl
 
ii)
Suggest a reason why the method using ethene is preferred.
 
[1]
 
iii)
Describe an industrial method of making chlorine.
 
[2]
 
iv)
Draw the structural formula of poly(chloroethene).
 
Include three monomer units.
 
[2]

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4a7 marks

Extended tier only

Synthetic polymers are widely used in the modern world.

Their use has brought considerable advantages to modern life as well as some disadvantages.

 
i)
Suggest two advantages of a plastic bucket compared to a steel bucket.
 
[2]
 
ii)
Name two uses of man-made fibres, such as nylon and Terylene.
 
[2]
 
iii)
Describe the pollution caused by synthetic polymers.
 
[3]

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4b4 marks

Extended tier only

One type of polymer is formed by addition polymerisation.

 
i)
The structural formula of an addition polymer is given below.
 
polypropene-polymer
 
Give the name and structural formula of the monomer.
 
name of monomer ..................................................
 
[1]
 
structural formula of monomer
 
[1]
 
ii)
Draw the structural formula of the addition polymer formed by the polymerisation of phenylethene. The structural formula of phenylethene is given below.
 
polyphenylethene-monomer
 
[2]

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4c4 marks

Extended tier only

Nylon is made by condensation polymerisation. It has the structural formula shown below.

 
nylon-8-6
 
i)
Name the linkage in this polymer.
 
[1]
 
ii)
Name the natural macromolecules which have the same linkage.
 
[1]
 
iii)
Deduce the formulae of the two monomers which reacted to form the nylon and water.
 
monomer ...................................................................................................................
 
monomer ...................................................................................................................
 
[2]

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5a
Sme Calculator4 marks

Cooking products, fats and vegetable oils, are mixtures of saturated and unsaturated esters.

 

The degree of unsaturation can be estimated by the following experiment. 4 drops of the oil are dissolved in 5 cm3 of ethanol. Dilute bromine water is added a drop at a time until the brown colour no longer disappears. Enough bromine has been added to the sample to react with all the double bonds.

 
cooking product mass of saturated fat in 100g of product / g mass of unsaturated fat in 100g of product / g number of drops of bromine water
margarine 35 35 5
butter 45 28 4
corn oil 10 84 12
soya oil 15 70 10
lard 38 56 ....................
 
i)
Complete the one blank space in the table.
 
[1]
 
ii)
Complete the equation for bromine reacting with a double bond.
 
general-alkene-and-br2
 
[2]
 
iii)
Using saturated fats in the diet is thought to be a major cause of heart disease.
 
Which of the products is the least likely to cause heart disease?
 
[1]
 

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5b
Sme Calculator3 marks

Extended tier only

A better way of measuring the degree of unsaturation is to find the iodine number of the unsaturated compound. This is the mass of iodine that reacts with all the double bonds in 100 g of the fat.

Use the following information to calculate the number of double bonds in one molecule of the fat.


Mass of one mole of the fat is 884 g.


One mole of I2 reacts with one mole C=C.


The iodine number of the fat is 86.2 g.


Complete the following calculation.


100 g of fat reacts with 86.2 g of iodine.


884 g of fat reacts with .............................. g of iodine.


One mole of fat reacts with .............................. moles of iodine molecules.


Number of double bonds in one molecule of fat is ..............................

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6a3 marks

Extended tier only

Polymers are extensively used in food packaging. Poly(dichloroethene) is used because gases can only diffuse through it very slowly. Polyesters have a high thermal stability and food can be cooked in a polyester bag.

The structure of poly(dichloroethene) is given below.

polydichlorethene

i)
Draw the structural formula of the monomer.

[1]

ii)
Explain why oxygen can diffuse faster through the polymer bag than carbon dioxide can.

[2]

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6b3 marks

Extended tier only

i)
A polyester can be formed from the monomers HO-CH2CH2-OH and HOOC-C6H4-COOH. Draw the structure of this polyester.

[2]

ii)
Suggest what is meant by the term thermal stability.

[1]

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6c3 marks
i)
Describe two environmental problems caused by the disposal of plastic (polymer) waste.

[2]

ii)
The best way of disposing of plastic waste is recycling to form new plastics. What is another advantage of recycling plastics made from petroleum?

[1]

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7a3 marks

Alkanes and alkenes are both series of hydrocarbons.

i)
Explain the term hydrocarbon.
 
[1]
 
ii)
What is the difference between these two series of hydrocarbons?
 
[2]

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7b1 mark

Alkenes and simpler alkanes are made from long-chain alkanes by cracking.

Complete the following equation for the cracking of the alkane C20H42.

 

C20H42 → 2C4H8 + 2C2H4 + ...............

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7c7 marks

Extended tier only

Alkenes such as butene and ethene are more reactive than alkanes.

Alkenes are used in the petrochemical industry to make a range of products, which includes polymers and alcohols.

 
i)
Dibromoethane is used as a pesticide. Complete the equation for its preparation from ethene.
 
ethene-q-image + Br2 →    
 
[1]
 
ii)
The structural formula of a poly(alkene) is given below.
 
polybut-2-ene-q-image
 
Deduce the structural formula of its monomer.
 
[2]
 
iii)
How is butanol made from butene, CH3–CH2–CH=CH2? Include an equation in your answer.
 
[2]
 
iv)
Cracking changes alkanes into alkenes. How could an alkene be converted into an alkane? Include an equation in your answer.
 
[2]

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7d
Sme Calculator4 marks

Extended tier only

20c m3 of a hydrocarbon was burnt in 175 cm3 of oxygen. After cooling, the volume of the remaining gases was 125 cm3. The addition of aqueous sodium hydroxide removed carbon dioxide leaving 25 cm3 of unreacted oxygen.

 
i) volume of oxygen used = .......... cm3
 
[1]
 
ii) volume of carbon dioxide formed = .......... cm3
 
[1]
 
iii) Deduce the formula of the hydrocarbon and the balanced equation for the reaction.
 
[2]

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83 marks

Extended tier only

A polymer has the structure shown below.

 
general-polymer
 
(i) What type of polymer is this?
 
[1]
 
(ii) Complete the following to give the structures of the two monomers from which the above polymer could be made.
 
general-polymer-units
 
[2]

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9a2 marks

Petroleum is a source of many important chemicals.

Name two industrial processes which must take place to produce alkenes from petroleum.

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9b4 marks

Extended tier only

Ethene, CH2=CH2, and propene, CH2=CHCH3, can both be converted into polymers.

 
i)
What type of polymerisation takes place when ethene forms a polymer?
 
[1]
 
ii)
What is the empirical formula of the polymer formed from ethene?
 
[1]
 
iii)
Propene has the structural formula CH2=CHCH3.
 
Draw two repeat units of the polymer made from propene.
 
[2]

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9c2 marks

Extended tier only

Ethene will react with steam to form ethanol.

Propene will react with steam to form two isomers, both of which are alcohols.

Suggest the structures of these alcohols.

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