Atom Economy

Learning Objectives: All pupils will be able to (Baseline): State the definition of atom economy. Most pupils will be able to (Further): Calculate the atom economy for a given chemical reaction and explain why using reactions with high atom economy is important in industry. Some pupils will be able to (Challenge): Evaluate different reactions to decide the best production method of a chemical.

Atom Economy Chemical companies use reactions to make the products they sell. To maximise profits, it is important that the process wastes as little energy and raw materials as possible. Atom economy helps us to measure wastage. It is a measure of the extent to which the atoms in the reactants end up in the desired products.

What is atom economy? Is a measure of the amount of starting materials that ends up as a useful product. % atom economy = relative formula mass of the desired product x 100 sum of the relative formula masses of the reactants

How can ethanol be made in industry? Fermentation of glucose Hydration of ethene Ethene + Water  Ethanol C2H4 + H2O  C2H5OH