Production of Materials

Natural Materials

Synthetic Materials

Natural Materials

Synthetic Materials

Other synthetic materials

Fractional
Distillation of
Crude Oil

Low molecular weight

Lower Boiling Point

High molecular weight

Higher Boiling Point

Fossil Fuels

Natural gas

coal

petroleum

A source of raw materials for the

synthesis of

What are some of the hydrocarbons

we get from fossil fuels?
Alkanes

Cycloalkanes

Aromatics

What about alkenes?

Alkenes are MUCH more reactive than alkanes
WHY?

Bond, double bond

Ethylene
Important in the production of:
Plastics
Pharmaceuticals
Insecticides
Industrial chemicals

Reactions of Ethylene
Addition Reactions
Two new atoms or groups of atoms are added across
the double bond, one to each carbon atom linked by the
double bond.

What can be added?

Hydrogen (Hydrogenation) in the presence of a metal
catalyst

What can be added?

Halogens (Halogenation)

What can be added?

Hydrohalogens (Hydrohalogenation)

Where X is a halogen

What can be added?

Water (Hydration) to form ethanol in the presence of a
sulfuric acid or phosphoric acid catalyst at 300 C

H2SO4
300 C

Substitution Reactions
An atom in a molecule is replaced by another atom or
group of atoms is called a substitution reaction.

Ethylene

Vinyl Chloride

Styrene

Polymerisation
Poly = many
Mer = unit
Many monomers (single units) joined together to
form a chain

Polyethylene
The monomer ethylene polymerises to form the
polymer, polyethylene, which are long alkane molecules

Addition polymer: This means that the polymer forms by

molecules adding together without the loss of any atoms.

We can also have

Vinyl Chloride monomer Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)

Styrene monomer (Polystyrene)

Do Now
Prepare notes to address the dotpoint: 1.2.3 identify
that ethylene, because of the high reactivity of its
double bond, is readily transformed into many useful
products.
You may use sheets 6, 7 & 8

Cracking of Petroleum Fractions

The proportions of different fractions obtained by the
fractional distillation of petroleum usually do not match
the demands of the market.

Chemistry Contexts 2 p. 5

Cracking of Petroleum Fractions

Fractions containing hydrocarbons of higher molecular
mass cracked to produce hydrocarbons with a lower
molecular mass.
The higher molecular mass fractions are called feedstock

The products of cracking are short chained alkanes that

can be used as petrol, as well as alkenes, particularly
ETHYLENE.

Chemistry Contexts 2 p. 6

Thermal Cracking
Hydrocarbons, such as ethane, and steam are heated to
very high temperatures (750 900 C) inside a furnace.
This decomposes the alkanes into smaller alkenes such
as ethylene. Some hydrogen is also produced.
C2H6 (g) C2H4 (g) + H2 (g)
However, the cost of maintaining such high
temperatures is uneconomical.

Catalytic Cracking
The use of a catalyst
allows the cracking
process to be carried out
at a much lower
temperature.
What do catalysts do
again?

Catalytic Cracking
The use of a catalyst allows the cracking process to be
carried out at a much lower temperature (~500 C).
The zeolite (aluminium silicate) catalyst is highly porous,
containing many cavities and channels that provide a high
surface area for the reaction to occur.
Reactant molecules are adsorbed in these pores,
weakening their bonds and reducing the activation energy
of the reaction.