Addition polymers and polymer disposalEdexcel A-Level Chemistry: Flashcards

What these 13 flashcards ask

What is addition polymerisation?
What is a monomer?
What is a repeat unit?
What is the repeat unit of poly(propene)?
What is the monomer of PVC?
Why are addition polymers not biodegradable?
Name three ways of dealing with waste polymers.
What is the advantage of incineration of waste polymers?
Which toxic gas forms when PVC is incinerated?
How can HCl be removed from incinerator gases?
What is the benefit of sorting waste polymers?
What does a life cycle assessment consider?
How do biodegradable polymers help with disposal?

Exam questions on Addition polymers and polymer disposal

Poly(chloroethene), commonly called PVC, is an addition polymer used to make window frames and drainpipes.
A sample of PVC has a relative molecular mass of 125 000. Calculate the number of repeat units in each polymer chain. (Ar: H = 1.0, C = 12.0, Cl = 35.5)2 marks
A packaging company makes crates from poly(propene). A section of the polymer chain is drawn as –CH₂–CH(CH₃)–CH₂–CH(CH₃)–CH₂–CH(CH₃)–.
Waste poly(propene) crates are burned in an incinerator with plenty of air. Write a balanced equation for the complete combustion of poly(propene), using C₃H₆ for the repeat unit, and state one advantage of incineration.2 marks
A waste-treatment company incinerates mixed plastic waste, which includes poly(chloroethene), PVC, in order to generate electricity.
Name the toxic gas formed when the PVC is burned that is not formed when poly(propene) is burned, and explain why it forms. Describe how the gas can be removed from the waste gases.3 marks

Written by the Exaim team, led by Shaun Daswani (Head of Upper Secondary, Improve ME Institute; MSc Financial Mathematics, Imperial College London; BSc, UCL) and Jason Daswani (operational lead, Improve ME Institute; LSE).