Intermediate 1 Unit 2d Plastics
Plastics are made by the chemical industry. Are they natural or synthetic? Synthetic
What are most plastics made from? Oil
Give two examples of a plastic. Polythene, polystyrene, perspex, PVC, nylon, Kevlar, bakelite, formica and silicones
Give an advantage of a plastic over a natural material? Plastics do not rot like iron. They are lighter then most metals.
What does it mean if a material is biodegradable? Broken down by bacteria and rot away
Most plastics are non biodegradable. What does this tell us about a plastic? They do not rot/ they are not broken down by bacteria
Why is it dangerous to burn a plastic? Poisonous gases are given off. Carbon monoxide is given off.
Name the 3 ways of disposing of plastics ? Burying, burning & recycling.
What is a thermoplastic? A plastic which melts and can be reshaped on heating.
Name the process of joining up monomers to make a polymer. Polymerisation
Name the polymer made by joining ethene molecules together. Polyethene
What size is a molecule if it is a polymer? A large molecule
Name the polymer made by joining styrene molecules together. Polystyrene
Why is important to recycle plastics? They are made from oil which is a finite resource. Oil will run out.
Name the monomer which is used to make the polymer polypropene. Propene
What name is given to the small molecules used to make a polymer? Monomer
Name a toxic gas given off when a plastic is burned. Carbon monoxide
Intermediate 1 Unit 2d Plastics