Ethylene (2 Viewers)

[xwrathbringerx]

Hi

I was wondering if someone could give me some ideas on these questions. They’re part of this worksheet I got in class and these are the questions I’ve been having trouble finding info on.

1. Ethylene (ethane) can be obtained by the cracking of crude oil.
a) During this process, air is excluded. Why?
b) By controlling the temperature and the catalyst used, the products of cracking can be controlled. One of these products is ethylene. Discuss the need for ethylene production.

2. List a number of commercial, everyday products whose manufacture starts with ethylene. Vinegar, PET plastic, antifreeze….

 

[shady145]

try thinking?. why is air excluded.... hmmm, o yea ethene undergoes combustion

 

[brenton1987]

1. Ethylene (ethane) can be obtained by the cracking of crude oil.
a) During this process, air is excluded. Why?
b) By controlling the temperature and the catalyst used, the products of cracking can be controlled. One of these products is ethylene. Discuss the need for ethylene production.

Ethylene and ethane are two different compounds. Ethylene and ethene are the same compound.

Air is composed of ~20% oxygen which is a strong oxidising agent. The compounds in crude oil are made up almost exclusively of carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen bonds which should scream "highly reduced" at you. The presence of an oxidising agent in a mixture of highly reduced compounds is going to result in redox reactions occuring and the formation of unwanted byproducts.

Part b is covered by question 2. Ethylene needs to be produced so that all of those compounds can be manufactured.

2. List a number of commercial, everyday products whose manufacture starts with ethylene. Vinegar, PET plastic, antifreeze….

Ethanol, ethanal, ethanoic acid, ethanoic anhydride, ethylene oxide, ethylene glycol, ethanolamine, ethoxyethanol, vinyl chloride, styrene. Plus any compounds that can be made from those above.