Use your knowledge of polymers, organic compounds, and environmental chemistry to answer the following questions.
Tetrafluoroethene is the monomer used to make a non-stick coating for cookware. Name the polymer that is made from tetrafluoroethene.
Use a word/phrase from the list below to complete the sentence about the formation of this polymer:
"This non-stick polymer is produced by linking thousands of tetrafluoroethene monomer molecules together in a process called __________."
Carboxylic acids are organic molecules containing a carboxyl group. The boiling point of a straight-chain carboxylic acid is related to the number of carbon atoms in the molecule, as shown in the table below:
| Number of carbon atoms in molecule | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boiling point in ∘C^{\circ}\text{C}∘C | 101 | 118 | 141 | 164 | 186 |
State the relationship between the boiling point of a straight-chain carboxylic acid and the number of carbon atoms in its molecule.
Hexanoic acid has 6 carbon atoms. Predict its boiling point, and justify your prediction using the trend in the table.
Many plastic products made from poly(chloroethene) (commonly known as PVC) are highly resistant to biodegradation. Used PVC items can be:
Suggest which of these two disposal methods is better for the environment, giving two reasons for your choice.
