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Chemistry (paper 1)
Topic 2
Polymers and giant covalent structures
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Maeron
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Cards (14)
What type of bonds do
polymers
and
giant covalent substances
have?
Covalent bonds
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What defines a
polymer
?
Long chains of repeating
units
Formed by linking small units together
Contains strong
covalent
bonds
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What is the repeating section in a polymer called?
Repeating unit
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How do you find the
molecular formula
of a
polymer
?
Write the molecular formula of the repeating unit in brackets and put an 'n' outside.
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What is the
molecular formula
of
polyethene
?
(CH₂)<sub>n</sub>
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Why are most
polymers
solid at room temperature?
Because the
intermolecular forces
between polymer molecules are larger, requiring more energy to break them.
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How do the
boiling points
of
polymers
compare to
ionic
or
giant molecular
compounds?
Polymers generally have lower boiling points than ionic or giant molecular compounds.
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What are the characteristics of
giant covalent structures
?
All atoms are bonded by strong
covalent bonds
Very high
melting and boiling points
Do not
conduct electricity
(except for some like graphite)
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What are the main examples of giant covalent structures?
Diamond
,
graphite
, and
silicon dioxide
(silica)
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How many
covalent bonds
does each
carbon atom
form in diamond?
Four
covalent bonds
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How does the bonding in
graphite
differ from that in diamond?
In graphite, each carbon atom forms three
covalent
bonds and has one
delocalised
electron.
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What is
silicon dioxide
commonly known as?
Silica
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What is required to melt or boil a giant
covalent
substance?
You have to break very strong
covalent bonds
.
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What is needed to melt or boil a simple molecular substance or a
polymer
?
Only the weak
intermolecular forces
need to be broken.
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