A family needs a fuel-cell power pack at a campsite away from roads.
The family is deciding whether to carry methanol cartridges or a hydrogen cylinder from the car park to the campsite. The power pack will be used in the open air.
Write the coefficients that balance the overall equation for a hydrogen–oxygen fuel cell.
_H2+_O2→_H2O\_\mathrm{H_2} + \_\mathrm{O_2} \rightarrow \_\mathrm{H_2O}_H2+_O2→_H2O
The methanol fuel cell has an air inlet. It stops producing a potential difference when this inlet is covered, even though its methanol cartridge is full.
Explain why covering the air inlet stops the fuel cell.
Give one reason why methanol may be more convenient than hydrogen when the fuel must be carried to the campsite.
Give one environmental disadvantage, at the point of use, of choosing a methanol fuel cell instead of a hydrogen fuel cell.
Give one safety concern for each fuel.
131 exam-style questions on OCR GCSE Chemistry 6.2 Organic chemistry, covering 6.2.1 Crude oil and fractional distillation, 6.2.2 Cracking and dependence on hydrocarbons, 6.2.3 Functional groups and homologous series, 6.2.4 Reactions of alkanes, alkenes and alcohols, 6.2.5 Addition polymerisation and repeat units, 6.2.6 Naturally occurring polymers, 6.2.7 Chemical cells and fuel cells, and 6.2.8 Condensation polymerisation and how to make one. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.