Chapter 10-Summary Questions

Polymers
Question 1.

Part of a polymer chain is shown below.

CH2 CH CH CH2 CH2 CH CH2 CH

CH3 CH3 CH3 CH3

The monomer from which this polymer could be made has the structure.

A. CH2 CH CH CH2

CH3 CH3

B. CH CH

CH3 CH3

C. CH2 CH2

D. CH CH2

CH3

Question 2.

Propene will undergo additional polymerization to make polypropene. Which one of the diagrams below
could not represent the structure of polypropene?

A. CH3 H CH3 C.
H CH3 H CH3 H H H H H
C C C C C C C C C C C C
H H H H H H H H H CH3 CH3 H

CH3 H CH3 D.
H CH3 H CH3 H H H CH3 H
B. C C C C C C C C C C C C
H CH3 H CH3 H CH3 H H CH3 H H H

1|Page
Question 3.

Polyvinyl alcohol is a polymer used to make coatings and in papermaking. A section of a polyvinyl alcohol
molecule is shown below.

OH H H H OH H H H
C C C C C C C C
H H OH H H H OH H

Which one of the following statements about polyvinyl alcohol is incorrect?

A. Polyvinyl alcohol is a linear polymer made by additional polymerization.

B. This polymer will be water soluble.
C. The monomer has the same empirical formula as the polymer.
D. A condensation reaction is used to make this polymer.

Question 4.

Polyethene is a thermoplastic polymer. When it is heated which one of the following statements is incorrect?

A. Some intermolecular dispersion forces are overcome.

B. The Polymer softens.
C. The C-C bonds in the polymer "backbone" are overcome.
D. The tensile strength of the polymer decreases.

Question 5.

Which one of the following is most likely to be made from a cross- linked polymer?

A. Cling film
B. A calculator case
C. Supermarket carry bag
D. A rope

Question 6.

An elastomer is most likely to be

A. A Polymer which has a few covalent bonds between the chains.

B. An atactic polymer.
C. A Polymer made form more than one monomer.
D. A polymer which little branching of its chains.

2|Page
Question 7.

The structure of part of a polymer is shown below.

CH3 CH3
CH2 H F F H CH2
C C C C C C
F F CH2 H F F
CH3
Which one of the following statements about this polymer is correct?

A. Hydrogen bonding contributes to the attractive forces between the polymer chains.
B. The monomer used to make this polymer has the empirical formula C2H3F.
C. The structure of the monomer used to make this polymer is

CH3 CH2 F
CH CH
H F

D. More than one monomer was used to make this polymer.

Question 8.
A major constituent of "White" glue is polyvinyl acetate (PVA). This glue is often used to glue wooden
surface. A section of a PVA molecule is shown below.

H3C O H3C O
C C
O H H H O H H H
C C C C C C C C
H H O H H H O H
C C
O CH3 O CH3

When a "White" glue sets.

3|Page
A. The water evaporators, leaving a large number of tangle polymer chains bonded to each other and to the
wood surface.
B. Covalent bonds form between the polymer chains and between the polymer chain and the wooden
surfaces.
C. Water promotes extensive cross linking between the linear polymer chains.
D. There is Hydrogen bonding between the liner polymer chains and between chains and wood surfaces.

Question 9.

When compare to thermosetting it is expected that thermoplastic polymer will be

A. More difficult to melt.

B. Softer and easier to mold.
C. Harder and be more resistant to impact.
D. Difficult to recycle.

Question 10.

When the degree of crystallinity of a polymer increases the material

A. Become less opaque.

B. Has an increased density.
C. Become more flexible.
D. Will melt more easily.

Question 11.

The same monomer is used to make two different materials as shown below.

Material 1: The chains are longer and relatively unbranched

Material 2: The chains are shorter and there are many branches.

Which one of the statements on the next page is correct?

4|Page
A. The average molar mass of the polymer in material 2 will be greater than that of the polymers in material
1.
B. The degree of crystallinity of material 2 will be greater than that of material 1.
C. The density of material 2 will be less than that of material 1.
D. The melting temperature of material 2 will be greater than that of material 1.

Question 13.

Polyethene can exist in two forms, High density polyethene (HDPE) and low density polyethene
(LDPF).Which one of the following statement regarding the properties of these polymers is least likely to be
correct?

A. HDPE has more branching in its molecules than LDPE.

B. HDPE is harder than LDPE.
C. HDPE has a higher melting point than LDPE.
D. HDPE is less flexible than HDPE.

Question 14.

When the degree of polymerization is increased the chain length of the polymer molecule also increases.
When this occurs.

A. The average molar mass of the polymer chains is unchanged.

B. There is increase in the strength and toughness of the material.
C. The melting temperature of the polymer decreases.
D. There is an increase in the cross linking between the polymer chins.

Question 15.

A Polymer material that has a high degree of crystallinity is likely to be

A. A material with low melting temperature.

B. A hard thermally stable material.
C. A polymer with short chains.
D. A material where there are many side branches to the polymer chain.

5|Page
Question 16.

The extensive production of the non-biodegradable plastic has produce a problem in accumulation of waste
plastic. With respect to atmospheric pollution, which one of the following would be the least satisfactory
method of addressing this problem?

A. Incinerate the plastic.

B. Expose the plastic to sunlight.
C. Increase the production of bio-degradable plastic .
D. Utilize biomass rather than petrochemicals.

Question 17.

Which one of the following is not an average of using a polymer?

A. Polymers are lightweight and easily molded.

B. Polymers are good thermal and electrical insulators.
C. Polymers burn easily.
D. Polymers are corrosion resistant and chemically inert.

Short Answer Questions:

Question 1.

The following molecules have all been used as monomers to prepare useful polymers.

a. CH2=CH(C6H5)
b. CF2=CF2
c. CH2=CCl2

In each case draw a section of the polymer that would result when the monomer is polymerized. Use three
monomer unit in each of your answers. (Total =3x2 = 6 marks)

6|Page
Question 2.

Part of the structure of three polymers are shown below.

a. H H H H H H
C C C C C C (2 mark)
H CN H CN H CN

b. CH3 H CH3 H CH3 H

C C C C C C (2 mark)
H CH3 H CH3 H CH3

CH3 H CH3 H CH3 H

c.
C C C C C C
H H (2 mark)
H
C=O C=O C=O
OCH3 OCH3 OCH3

Draw the structural formula of the monomer used to make each of the polymers (Total =6 mark)

7|Page
Question 3.

The diagrams below represent three different type of polymers.

Polymer I

Polymer II

Polymer III

a. Identify the diagram that best represents

i. A cross link polymer.
ii. A high density polymer.
iii. Low density polymer. (3 marks)

b. Suggest a use for each polymer and describe the properties that make it suitable for the use. (6 marks)
(Total = 9 marks)

8|Page
Question 4.

A sample of Low Density Polyethene (LDPE) has an average molar mass of 80, 000 gmol-1 and a sample of
High Density Polyethene (HDPE) has an average molar mass of 400 000 gmol-1.

a. Why is the molar mass of a polymer given as an average? (1 marks)

b. When HDPE and LDPE are compared how are the following properties likely to vary?
i. Melting temperature.
ii. Hardness
iii. Degree of crystallinity
iv. Amount of branching
v. Average chain length (5 marks)
(Total = 6 marks)

Question 5.

The twentieth century has been described as "the polymer age" because the large scale use of polymers.
Describe two advantages and two disadvantages associated with the use of polymers. (Total = 4 marks)

9|Page