Year 11 - Science
Combustion of alcohols: planning
Organic chemistry
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit covers identifying functional groups, naming and drawing structural formulae, and predicting reactions of alkanes, alkenes, alcohols, and carboxylic acids. It explains addition and condensation polymerisation and discusses natural polymers like DNA, sugars, and amino acids.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to write balanced symbol equations for combustion of alcohols and investigate the energy changes of combustion reactions.
Key Notes
- Balanced symbol equations can be written for the combustion of alcohols.
- It is difficult to measure directly the energy change of a reaction.
- Calorimetry can be used to measure a reaction's energy change indirectly.
Vocabulary To Learn
- energy change: The energy change is the difference between the energy of the reactants and the energy of the products.
- calorimetry: Calorimetry is an experiment that can be used to measure the energy released from a fuel such as alcohol.
- molecular formula: The molecular formula shows the actual number of atoms of each element in a molecule of a compound.
- combustion: Combustion is an exothermic reaction where a substance reacts with oxygen.
- alcohols: Alcohols are a homologous series that contain the -OH functional group.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Forgetting to measure the initial mass of the burner and initial temperature of the water.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.
Balanced symbol equations can be written for the combustion of alcohols. It is difficult to measure directly the energy change of a reaction.
2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'energy change'
The energy change is the difference between the energy of the reactants and the energy of the products. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.
3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.
Mistake: Forgetting to measure the initial mass of the burner and initial temperature of the water. Correction: Emphasise the importance in remembering to measure this data when writing a method for this practical.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Addition polymerisation Study Guide
- Alcohols Study Guide
- Alkenes Study Guide
- Carboxylic acids and esters Study Guide
- Chemical tests involving alkanes, alkenes and alcohols Study Guide
- Combustion of alcohols: practical Study Guide
- Condensation polymerisation Study Guide
- Natural polymers Study Guide
- Polymer properties and problems Study Guide
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