IB Chemistry SL 2.4.4 Polymers

Practise connecting macromolecular structure with the behaviour of plastics. Distinguish chemical usefulness from physical properties, compare thermoplastics with thermosets…

Syllabus
First assessment 2025
Objective
2.4.4
Level
SL

Exam points

  • state a chemical property such as inertness without substituting a physical property
  • compare chain interactions and cross-linking in thermoplastics and thermosets
  • explain how reheating affects softening, remoulding and recyclability for each type

2.4.4—Polymers question 1

[Maximum number: 1]

Chlorine occurs in Group 7, the halogens.

Chloroethene, H2C=CHCl\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{C}=\mathrm{CHCl}, the monomer used in the polymerization reaction in the manufacture of the polymer poly(chloroethene), PVC, can be synthesized in the following two-stage reaction pathway.

Stage 1: C2H4( g)+Cl2( g)→ClCH2CH2Cl(g)\quad \mathrm{C}_{2} \mathrm{H}_{4}(\mathrm{~g})+\mathrm{Cl}_{2}(\mathrm{~g}) \rightarrow \mathrm{ClCH}_{2} \mathrm{CH}_{2} \mathrm{Cl}(\mathrm{g})

Stage 2: ClCH2CH2Cl(g)→H2C=CHCl(g)+HCl(g)\quad \mathrm{ClCH}_{2} \mathrm{CH}_{2} \mathrm{Cl}(\mathrm{g}) \rightarrow \mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{C}=\mathrm{CHCl}(\mathrm{g})+\mathrm{HCl}(\mathrm{g})

State one use of the plastic PVC.

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