Use your knowledge of polymers, organic compounds, and environmental chemistry to answer the following questions.
Chloroethene is the monomer used to make the polymer for some durable electrical cable insulation. Name the polymer that is made from chloroethene.
Use a word/phrase from the list below to complete the sentence about the formation of this polymer:
"This polymer is made by joining many chloroethene 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 products made of poly(chloroethene) are not biodegradable. Used poly(chloroethene) products can be:
Suggest which of these two disposal methods is better for the environment, giving two reasons for your choice.
10 exam-style questions on Edexcel IGCSE Chemistry Synthetic polymers. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.