Ceramics, polymers & composites

Cement, concrete and steel are building materials.

Cement contains calcium oxide.

Calcium oxide reacts with water to produce calcium hydroxide.

The equation for the reaction is:

How does the equation show that this reaction is reversible?

The forward reaction is exothermic.

What type of reaction is the reverse reaction?

When excess water is added to 20 g of calcium oxide, 23 kJ of energy is released.

Calculate the energy released when excess water is added to 4 g of calcium oxide.

Pre-stressed concrete contains steel wires within the concrete.

Figure 2 shows the structure of a piece of pre-stressed concrete.

Pre-stressed concrete is a composite.

Draw one line from each component of a composite to a material in pre-stressed concrete.

Component of composite Material in pre-stressed concrete

Which metal do all steels contain?

Bricks are also building materials.

Bricks are ceramics.

Which material is used to make bricks?

Tick () one box.

Doors can be made from aluminium or wood.

Table 3 gives information about aluminium and wood.

Evaluate the use of aluminium and of wood for making doors.

Aluminium has an oxide coating that protects the metal from corrosion.

Explain how the oxide coating protects aluminium from corrosion.

Doors made from wood need painting to prevent rotting.

Paints are formulations made by mixing a solid pigment and a liquid.

Which statement describes the composition of a paint?

Tick (✓) one box.

Name compound A and compound B.

Compound A and compound B react to produce a condensation polymer.

Name the type of condensation polymer produced from compound A and compound B.

Name the small molecule lost when molecules of compound A and of compound B react.

Glycine is an amino acid.

Glycine can produce condensation polymers.

Name the type of condensation polymer produced when glycine polymerises.

Complete Figure 5 to show the displayed structural formula of glycine.

Which polymer is produced when different amino acids are combined in the same chain?

Tick (✓) one box.

The polymer poly(tetrafluoroethene) is produced from the monomer tetrafluoroethene (C₂F₄).

Complete the equation for the production of poly(tetrafluoroethene) from tetrafluoroethene.

Poly(tetrafluoroethene) is a thermosoftening polymer.

Some other polymers are thermosetting polymers.

Describe the structure of a thermosetting polymer.

This question is about materials.

Pre-stressed concrete is a composite material.

The concrete is strengthened using high carbon steel bars.

Figure 8 shows the structure of a piece of pre-stressed concrete.

Which two words describe the high carbon steel bars?

Tick (✓) two boxes.

Limestone is mainly calcium carbonate.

Limestone is a raw material used in the production of concrete.

In the first part of the production of concrete:

• air is heated by burning methane

• the hot air is used to heat limestone

• the limestone decomposes.

The equation for the decomposition of limestone is:

calcium carbonate → calcium oxide + carbon dioxide

Give two ways in which a greenhouse gas is released in this process.

How could a sample of limestone be tested to show the presence of carbonate ions?

Complete the sentences.

Choose answers from the box.

The substance added to the limestone is

The gas produced is identified using

Table 4 gives some information about plain concrete and pre-stressed concrete.

Explain why pre-stressed concrete rather than plain concrete is used to make bridges that carry heavy lorries.

Use Table 4.

Figure 9 shows a garden path made of plain concrete slabs.

Suggest two reasons why plain concrete rather than pre-stressed concrete is used to make slabs for garden paths.

Use Table 4.

This question is about materials used to make bicycles.

Figure 6 shows a bicycle.

Table 3 shows information about two materials used to make bicycle frames.

Evaluate the use of aluminium alloy and of bamboo for making bicycle frames.

Use Table 3.

Explain why aluminium alloy bicycle frames do not need protection from corrosion.

Bicycle chains are made from an alloy of iron.

Bicycle chains rust without protection.

Paint is not used to protect bicycle chains from rusting.

Suggest how bicycle chains can be protected from rusting.

Bicycle frames can also be made from a composite of carbon fibres embedded in a polymer resin.

What description is given in this composite to:

the carbon fibre component

the polymer resin component?

This question is about monomers and polymers.

Compound A has an alkene functional group and an ester functional group.

Figure 8 represents a molecule of compound A.

Draw a circle around the alkene functional group on Figure 8.

Describe what will be seen when compound A is shaken with bromine water.

Figure 9 is a repeat of Figure 8.

Draw a circle around the ester functional group on Figure 9.

Compound A has the formula C₄H₆O₂

Compound A is flammable.

Write a balanced equation for the complete combustion of compound A.

Many molecules of compound A join together to form polymer B.

Complete the displayed formula equation which represents this reaction.

What type of polymer is polymer B ?

Tick (✓) one box.

Polymer B is a polymer which melts when heated.

What word is used to describe polymers which melt when heated?

Explain why some polymers do not melt when heated.

This question is about glass and polymers.

Beakers can be made from borosilicate glass or poly(propene).

Table 1 shows information about materials used to make beakers.

Suggest two reasons why a Bunsen burner should not be used to heat a liquid in a poly(propene) beaker.

Use Table 1.

Poly(propene) beakers are more expensive than borosilicate glass beakers.

Suggest one reason why using poly(propene) beakers instead of borosilicate glass beakers could save money.

Use Table 1.

Which is a raw material used to make borosilicate glass?

Tick (✓) one box.

Poly(propene) is produced from propene.

The displayed structural formula of propene is:

Table 2 shows some information about the elements in one molecule of propene.

Complete Table 2.

Which structure is the repeating unit of poly(propene)?

Tick (✓) one box.

Poly(propene) is produced in three stages:

• Stage 1: separating large alkane molecules from crude oil

• Stage 2: producing propene molecules from large alkane molecules

• Stage 3: joining many propene molecules together.

Name Stage 1, Stage 2 and Stage 3.

Choose answers from the box.

Stage 1 is.

Stage 2 is.

Stage 3 is.

A molecule of hexene contains a double carbon–carbon bond.

Many hexene molecules join together to form poly(hexene).

Which two words describe a hexene molecule in this process?

Tick (✓) two boxes.

This question is about polymers.

Chloroethene can be used to produce an addition polymer called poly(chloroethene). The displayed structural formula of chloroethene is

Draw a circle around the functional group on the displayed structural formula that allows chloroethene to produce an addition polymer.

Complete the equation for the production of poly(chloroethene) from chloroethene.

Poly(ethene) can be strengthened with wood particles to make a building material. The building material consists of a wood particle reinforcement embedded in a poly(ethene) matrix. What general name is given to materials like this?

The amino acid beta-alanine has the formula

Beta-alanine polymerises to produce a polypeptide and a small molecule. Name the small molecule produced when beta-alanine polymerises.

An amino acid can be represented as:

The relative formula mass (M_r) of this amino acid is 75 Calculate the relative formula mass of the section of this amino acid molecule represented by

Relative atomic masses (A_r): H = 1 C = 12 N = 14 O = 16

Figure 6 represents part of a naturally occurring polymer molecule produced from glucose.

Draw a circle around the repeating unit in the polymer in Figure 6.

Suggest the identity of this polymer.

Figure 7 represents the structure of a naturally occurring polymer.

Give the general name for the four different monomers which make up the structure shown in Figure 7.

Name the shape of the structure shown in Figure 7.

This question is about substances used to make windows and window frames.

Figure 2 shows a window.

Glass is made by heating sand with two other materials.

Which two other materials are used to make glass?

Tick (✓) two boxes.

Window frames need to be:

• easy to install

• resistant to damage.

The polymers poly(chloroethene) and HDPE are used to make window frames.

Table 3 shows information about poly(chloroethene) and HDPE.

Suggest one advantage of using poly(chloroethene) compared with HDPE to make window frames.

Give one reason for your answer.

Use Table 3.

Suggest one advantage of using HDPE compared with poly(chloroethene) to make window frames.

Give one reason for your answer.

Use Table 3.

Figure 3 shows the displayed structural formula of poly(chloroethene).

Which monomer is used to make poly(chloroethene)?

Tick (✓) one box.

Chlorine gas is used to produce poly(chloroethene).

Describe a test to identify chlorine gas.

Give the result of the test.

Wood can be used instead of polymers to make window frames.

• Polymers are unreactive.

• Polymers are produced from crude oil.

• Wood breaks down in wet conditions.

• Wood is produced from trees.

Suggest one advantage of using polymers and one advantage of using wood to make window frames.

Advantage of polymers

Advantage of wood

Window frames can also be made from an alloy of aluminium.

6.00 kg of the alloy is used to make a window frame.

Table 4 shows the mass of each element in 6.00 kg of the alloy.

Calculate the percentage of aluminium in 6.00 kg of the alloy.

Why is an alloy used instead of pure aluminium to make window frames?

This question is about poly(ethene) and polyesters.

Poly(ethene) is produced from ethene. Figure 3 shows part of the displayed structural formula equation for the reaction. Complete Figure 3.

Poly(ethene) is a thermosoftening polymer. Suggest why poly(ethene) is easier to recycle than thermosetting polymers.

Ethene produces different forms of poly(ethene). How can different forms of poly(ethene) be produced from ethene?

Two different forms of poly(ethene) are:

• high density poly(ethene) (HDPE)

• low density poly(ethene) (LDPE).

Figure 4 represents part of the structures of HDPE and LDPE.

Figure 4

Explain why HDPE has a higher density than LDPE.

Figure 5 shows three monomers, A, B and C. Monomer A can react with monomer B and with monomer C to produce polyesters.

Figure 5

Draw a circle on Figure 5 around an alcohol functional group.

Complete Table 2 to show the formula of the small molecule produced when:

• monomer A reacts with monomer B

• monomer A reacts with monomer C.

This question is about materials used to make plates.

Plates are made from ceramics, paper or poly(propene).

Paper plates are biodegradable and recyclable.

Which stage of a life cycle assessment (LCA) would contain this information?

Tick (✓) one box.

Which two processes are used to make ceramic plates?

Tick (✓) two boxes.

Poly(propene) is produced from an alkene.

Complete the sentences.

The alkene needed to make poly(propene) is produced from crude oil.

Which two processes are used to produce this alkene from crude oil?

Tick (✓) two boxes.

What type of bond joins the atoms in a molecule of poly(propene)?

Tick (✓) one box.

Table 4 shows information about two polymers used to make plates.

What type of polymer is polymer A ?

Use Table 4.

Why does polymer A behave differently to polymer B when heated?

You should refer to crosslinks in your answer.

This question is about materials used to make food plates. Food plates are made from paper, polymers or ceramics.

Table 2 shows information about plates of the same diameter made from each of these materials.

Table 2 does not show information about energy usage. Suggest two pieces of information about energy usage which would help to produce a complete life cycle assessment (LCA) for the three food plate materials.

Evaluate the use of these materials for making food plates. You should use features of life cycle assessments (LCAs). Use Table 2.

Describe how ceramic food plates are produced from clay.

Figure 3 shows a surfer on a surfboard.

Some surfboards are made from addition polymers.

Addition polymers are made from small alkene molecules.

Which type of bonding is present in small alkene molecules?

Tick (✓) one box.

What is the functional group in these small alkene molecules?

Tick (✓) one box.

Figure 4 shows the structure of part of an addition polymer surfboard.

The outer surface of the surfboard is coated.

The coating is made from soda-lime glass fibres surrounded by a plastic.

What type of material is the coating of the surfboard?

Tick (✓) one box.

Complete the sentence.

Choose answers from the box.

The materials used to make the soda-lime glass fibres are sodium carbonate,

Suggest two reasons why surfboards are coated.

Some surfboards are made from wood.

Table 3 contains information about the materials in an addition polymer surfboard and a wooden surfboard.

Suggest two advantages and two disadvantages of using addition polymers rather than wood to make surfboards.

Use Table 3.

Advantages of addition polymers

Disadvantages of addition polymers

Calculate the volume of wood in a wooden surfboard of mass 5.25 kg

Use Table 3 and the equation:

Figure 5 shows a surfer on a surfboard.

Surfboards are made from polymers.

Surfboards have a poly(styrene) core and an outer skin.

Figure 6 shows the displayed structural formula of poly(styrene).

Figure 7 shows an incomplete displayed structural formula of the monomer styrene.

Complete Figure 7.

The outer skin of surfboards contains a polyester.

Two monomers, A and B, are needed to make the polyester.

Figure 8 shows how these two monomers are represented.

Figure 8

Monomer A
Monomer B

Name the functional group in monomer B.

Monomers A and B join together to produce a polyester and a small molecule.

Name the small molecule.

Why does this type of polyester melt when it is heated?

The outer skin of surfboards is a composite material.

The composite material contains glass fibres surrounded by a polyester.

Draw one line from each material to the description of that material.

Material
Description of the material

The outer skin makes the surfboard more expensive.

Suggest two reasons why an outer skin is added to the poly(styrene) core.

Disposable cups are made from coated paper or poly(styrene). Table 6 shows information on the life cycle assessments (LCAs) of disposable cups.

Evaluate the use of coated paper compared with poly(styrene) to make disposable cups. Use Table 6 and your knowledge and understanding of LCAs.

Calculate the energy needed to produce 1.00 kg of coated paper cups. Use Table 6. Give your answer in standard form.

Melamine is a polymer used to make non-disposable cups. Melamine does not melt when it is heated. Explain why.