You need to understand certain chemical reactions used in a variety of industrial processes for GCSE Chemistry. One of these is thermal cracking which is used on crude oil. The American chemist, William Burton, is usually credited with being the inventor of the thermal cracking process. The truth is that many others of different nationalities have been involved as the process has been developed and improved over time.
But what exactly is this chemical reaction? Thermal cracking is a type of chemical reaction that uses heat to break down long chain molecules into smaller, more reactive, and therefore potentially more useful, molecules. In the school laboratory, you may have carried out cracking for yourself using liquid paraffin and broken pot. The broken pot acts as a catalyst, making this process happen in seconds rather than hours or days, so technically, we should call the process thermal catalytic cracking.
[readmore]
Crude oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons, mainly from the alkane family. The chemicals are separated by fractional distillation and each fraction has its uses. Unfortunately, some fractions are more useful than others but are not present in crude oil in sufficient quantities to meet demand - we call this under production. Other fractions, like the residue which contains the longest chain hydrocarbons, are overproduced so the problem then arises of what to do with these. The solution is to crack these large alkane molecules to produce the smaller molecules of the fractions that are under produced.
When the method of effective thermal cracking was developed, the scientists involved realised that it produced not only the smaller alkanes that they wanted, but also an alkene (in your cracking paraffin experiment the sweet smelling gas that discoloured bromine water was ethene). These are highly reactive chemicals that can be used to manufacture many other useful chemicals like polymers.
[/readmore]
1.
|
The purpose of cracking is to... |
|
[ ] |
split long chain hydrocarbons into more useful short chain molecules |
[ ] |
split long chain hydrocarbons into their component molecules |
[ ] |
split hydrocarbons into carbon and hydrogen |
[ ] |
separate different sized hydrocarbons |
|
|
2.
|
In the cracking process... |
|
[ ] |
the hydrocarbon vapour is heated with iodine |
[ ] |
the hydrocarbon is mixed with hydrogen and heated |
[ ] |
the hydrocarbon vapour is passed over a hot catalyst |
[ ] |
the hydrocarbon is liquefied, then passed over a catalyst |
|
|
3.
|
The catalyst used in the cracking process in the lab is... |
|
[ ] |
powdered ceramic pot |
[ ] |
nickel |
[ ] |
platinum |
[ ] |
manganese |
|
|
4.
|
The products of cracking are... |
|
[ ] |
alkane + alkene |
[ ] |
alkene + alkene |
[ ] |
alkane + alcohol |
[ ] |
alkane + alkane |
|
|
5.
|
Cracking is an example of what type of chemical reaction? |
|
[ ] |
Reduction |
[ ] |
Oxidation |
[ ] |
Neutralisation |
[ ] |
Thermal decomposition |
|
|
6.
|
What is the general formula for alkenes? |
|
[ ] |
CnH2n+2 |
[ ] |
CnH2n+3 |
[ ] |
CnHn+1 |
[ ] |
CnH2n |
|
|
7.
|
An alkene molecule with one double bond contains 7 carbon atoms. How many hydrogen atoms does it contain? |
|
[ ] |
12 |
[ ] |
14 |
[ ] |
16 |
[ ] |
15 |
|
|
8.
|
Select from the list the correct formula for ethene. |
|
[ ] |
C3H6 |
[ ] |
C2H4 |
[ ] |
C2H6 |
[ ] |
C4H2 |
|
|
9.
|
The alkene product of cracking... |
|
[ ] |
is an unsaturated compound |
[ ] |
has molecules in which each carbon atom has two bonds |
[ ] |
is unreactive |
[ ] |
will burn to produce carbon dioxide and hydrogen |
|
|
10.
|
Which of the following shows only the products that could be directly obtained by cracking C10H24? |
|
[ ] |
Alkanes up to C20H44, hydrogen and ethene |
[ ] |
Alkanes up to C8H18, carbon dioxide and ethene |
[ ] |
Propene, poly(ethene) and hydrogen |
[ ] |
Alkanes up to C8H18, ethene and propene |
|
|
1.
|
The purpose of cracking is to... |
|
[x] |
split long chain hydrocarbons into more useful short chain molecules |
[ ] |
split long chain hydrocarbons into their component molecules |
[ ] |
split hydrocarbons into carbon and hydrogen |
[ ] |
separate different sized hydrocarbons |
|
|
2.
|
In the cracking process... |
|
[ ] |
the hydrocarbon vapour is heated with iodine |
[ ] |
the hydrocarbon is mixed with hydrogen and heated |
[x] |
the hydrocarbon vapour is passed over a hot catalyst |
[ ] |
the hydrocarbon is liquefied, then passed over a catalyst |
|
|
3.
|
The catalyst used in the cracking process in the lab is... |
|
[x] |
powdered ceramic pot |
[ ] |
nickel |
[ ] |
platinum |
[ ] |
manganese |
|
|
4.
|
The products of cracking are... |
|
[x] |
alkane + alkene |
[ ] |
alkene + alkene |
[ ] |
alkane + alcohol |
[ ] |
alkane + alkane |
|
|
5.
|
Cracking is an example of what type of chemical reaction? |
|
[ ] |
Reduction |
[ ] |
Oxidation |
[ ] |
Neutralisation |
[x] |
Thermal decomposition |
|
|
6.
|
What is the general formula for alkenes? |
|
[ ] |
CnH2n+2 |
[ ] |
CnH2n+3 |
[ ] |
CnHn+1 |
[x] |
CnH2n |
|
|
7.
|
An alkene molecule with one double bond contains 7 carbon atoms. How many hydrogen atoms does it contain? |
|
[ ] |
12 |
[x] |
14 |
[ ] |
16 |
[ ] |
15 |
|
|
8.
|
Select from the list the correct formula for ethene. |
|
[ ] |
C3H6 |
[x] |
C2H4 |
[ ] |
C2H6 |
[ ] |
C4H2 |
|
|
9.
|
The alkene product of cracking... |
|
[x] |
is an unsaturated compound |
[ ] |
has molecules in which each carbon atom has two bonds |
[ ] |
is unreactive |
[ ] |
will burn to produce carbon dioxide and hydrogen |
|
|
10.
|
Which of the following shows only the products that could be directly obtained by cracking C10H24? |
|
[ ] |
Alkanes up to C20H44, hydrogen and ethene |
[ ] |
Alkanes up to C8H18, carbon dioxide and ethene |
[ ] |
Propene, poly(ethene) and hydrogen |
[x] |
Alkanes up to C8H18, ethene and propene |
|
|