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CAIE A Level Chemistry 9701

Polymerisation questions

Exam-style questions on Polymerisation, ordered from foundation to challenge. Pick one, write your answer the way you would in the exam, and it comes back marked against the mark scheme, point by point.

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Written by Markquill to follow the Cambridge International syllabus. Markquill is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Cambridge International.

  1. Compare5 marksStandardAmino acids such as H2N-CH(R)-COOH can polymerise to form polyamides. Hydroxycarboxylic acids such as HO-CH2-COOH can polymerise to form polyesters. Compare the formation of a polyamide from amino acids with the…
  2. Suggest4 marksStandardA section of the polymer nylon-6,6 is produced by reacting a diamine, H2N-(CH2)6-NH2, with a dicarboxylic acid, HOOC-(CH2)4-COOH. Suggest the type of polymerisation reaction involved and explain your reasoning.
  3. Explain4 marksStandardPoly(chloroethene) (PVC) is an addition polymer produced from chloroethene, CH2=CHCl. Explain two difficulties associated with the disposal of PVC waste.
  4. Suggest4 marksStandardA polyester is formed by reacting propane-1,3-diol with butanedioyl dichloride, ClOCCH2CH2COCl. Suggest the structure of the repeat unit of this polyester, and describe the type of reaction and the conditions used.
  5. Compare5 marksStandardCompare the formation of a polyester from butane-1,4-diol and hexanedioic acid with the formation of a polyamide from butane-1,4-diamine and hexanedioic acid. In your answer, include: the monomers used, the type of…
  6. Suggest4 marksStandardChloroethene, CH2=CHCl, is used to make the addition polymer poly(chloroethene), commonly known as PVC. (a) State the repeat unit of PVC. (b) Suggest one reason why PVC is difficult to dispose of in landfill sites.
  7. Suggest4 marksStandardWaste poly(ethene) carrier bags and waste poly(chloroethene) (PVC) drainpipes are disposed of in a landfill site, or by burning in an incinerator. Suggest why the disposal of these poly(alkene)s creates environmental…
  8. Compare5 marksStandardA section of a polymer is shown below. -NH-CO-(CH2)4-CO-NH-CO-(CH2)4-CO-NH- Compare the type of polymerisation reaction that produces this polymer with the type of polymerisation that produces poly(ethene) from ethene…
  9. Explain4 marksStandardPoly(ethene) is widely used for packaging. Explain two difficulties associated with the disposal of poly(alkene)s such as poly(ethene).
  10. Suggest4 marksStandardChloroethene, CH2=CHCl, is a monomer used to make the polymer poly(chloroethene), also called PVC. (a) State the type of polymerisation reaction that produces poly(chloroethene) from chloroethene. (b) The repeating…
  11. Compare5 marksStandardLactic acid, CH3CH(OH)COOH, is a hydroxycarboxylic acid that can form a polyester. Compare the formation of a polyester from lactic acid with the formation of a polyester from a diol such as ethane-1,2-diol and a…
  12. Compare5 marksStandardPoly(alkenes) such as poly(ethene) are widely used for packaging, but their disposal raises environmental concerns. Other polymers, including polyesters and polyamides, are also used in consumer products. Some polymers…
  13. Compare5 marksStandardEthene, CH2=CH2, and propene, CH3CH=CH2, can each undergo addition polymerisation. Compare the polymerisation of ethene with that of propene.
  14. Explain4 marksStandardButane-1,4-diol and hexanedioic acid are heated together with a small amount of acid catalyst to form a polyester. Explain, in terms of the functional groups present, how this polyester is formed. Include the name of…
  15. Compare5 marksStandardPoly(ethene) and poly(chloroethene) (PVC) are addition polymers. Compare the monomers and repeat units of these two polymers, and discuss the difficulties associated with their disposal.
  16. Describe5 marksStandardA polyester is formed by the reaction between ethane-1,2-diol and hexanedioic acid. Describe the formation of this polyester. In your answer, include: the type of polymerisation and the type of linkage formed the other…
  17. Compare2 marksStandardA section of an addition polymer chain is shown below. -CH2-CHCl-CH2-CHCl-CH2-CHCl- State the monomer from which this polymer is made, and describe the structural feature of the monomer that allows it to undergo…
  18. Explain4 marksStandardPoly(alkenes) such as poly(ethene) are widely used but persist in the environment for many years. In contrast, polyesters and polyamides can be broken down under certain conditions. Some polymers are also degraded by…
  19. Suggest4 marksStandardA polymer is formed by the condensation polymerisation of the aminocarboxylic acid NH2CH2CH2CH2COOH. Suggest, in words, the structure of the repeat unit of this polymer.
  20. Compare5 marksStandardA student investigates two polymers, X and Y. Polymer X is produced from ethene, CH2=CH2, under high pressure. Polymer Y is formed from the reaction between hexanedioic acid, HOOC(CH2)4COOH, and hexane-1,6-diamine…
  21. Explain4 marksStandardA polymer is produced by heating a mixture of ethane-1,2-diol and hexanedioic acid in the presence of a catalyst. Explain the formation of this polymer, including the type of reaction, the functional groups involved…
  22. Explain4 marksStandardA section of a polymer chain has the following repeating unit: -[CH2-CH(CH3)]n-. (a) Explain why this polymer was produced by addition polymerisation rather than condensation polymerisation. (b) Another polymer is…
  23. Describe5 marksStandardEthene, C2H4, is used to manufacture poly(ethene). Describe the formation of poly(ethene) from ethene, and discuss two problems associated with its disposal.
  24. Describe5 marksChallengeA polyester and a polyamide are both condensation polymers. A particular polyamide is formed when a diamine, H2N-CH2CH2CH2CH2-NH2, reacts with a dioyl chloride, ClOC-CH2CH2CH2CH2-COCl. Describe the formation of this…
  25. Suggest6 marksChallengePoly(ethene) and poly(chloroethene) (PVC) are both addition polymers made from alkene monomers. Suggest why both polymers are non-biodegradable, and why the disposal of PVC by burning is more harmful to the environment…
  26. Describe7 marksChallengeA sample of an addition polymer contains the following repeating units: -CH2-CH2-CH2-CHCl-CH2-CH2-CH2-CHCl- (a) Identify the two monomers that were used to produce this polymer. (b) Describe the mechanism of addition…
  27. Explain7 marksChallengePoly(propene) is an addition polymer used to make ropes and food containers. Ropes and containers made from poly(propene) are often disposed of in landfill sites, where they may remain for decades. Explain why…
  28. Suggest6 marksChallengeA polyamide is produced by heating a single monomer, compound X, which contains both an amine group and a carboxylic acid group. A short section of the polymer chain is: -NH-CO-CH2-CH2-CH2-NH-CO-CH2-CH2-CH2- Suggest…
  29. Describe7 marksChallengePoly(ethene) is a poly(alkene). Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is a polyester. Nylon-6,6 is a polyamide. Describe how the chemical structures of these polymers affect their ability to biodegrade. Include in your answer an…
  30. Explain7 marksChallengeA condensation polymer is made by heating hexane-1,6-diamine with hexanedioic acid. A short section of the polymer chain is shown: -NH-(CH2)6-NH-CO-(CH2)4-CO-NH-(CH2)6-NH-CO-(CH2)4-CO- Explain how this polymer is…
  31. Explain7 marksChallengeA section of a polymer chain is shown below. -O-C(=O)-CH2-CH2-O-C(=O)-CH2-CH2- Explain why this polymer is formed by condensation polymerisation rather than addition polymerisation. In your answer, refer to the…
  32. Compare7 marksChallengeTwo monomers are each able to form a condensation polymer on their own. Monomer A is a hydroxycarboxylic acid, HOCH2CH2COOH. Monomer B is an aminocarboxylic acid, H2NCH2CH2COOH. Compare the polymerisation of monomer A…
  33. Compare7 marksChallengeA polymer is formed by addition polymerisation of the monomer CH2=CHCl. (a) State the name of this polymer and draw the structure of its repeat unit. (b) A sample of the polymer is burned in air. State one harmful…
  34. Describe7 marksChallengeTwo condensation polymers are shown below as their repeat units. Polymer P: -O-CH2-CH2-O-CO-C6H4-CO- Polymer Q: -NH-[CH2]6-NH-CO-[CH2]4-CO- (a) Identify the monomers used to form polymer P. (b) Identify the monomers…
  35. Explain5 marksChallengeA section of a polymer chain contains the repeating unit -CH2-CH2-C(=O)-O-CH2-CH2-O- Explain how you can deduce the type of polymerisation reaction that produced this polymer, and identify the monomers from which it…
  36. Explain5 marksChallengeA sample of a solid addition polymer has the following section of its structure: -CH2-CHCl-CH2-CHCl-CH2-CHCl- (a) Identify the monomer from which this polymer is made. (b) Explain why this polymer, and other…
  37. Suggest6 marksChallengeA polymer is produced from the monomer 1-chloroprop-1-ene, CH3CH=CHCl. A section of the polymer chain is shown. ...-CH(CH3)-CHCl-CH(CH3)-CHCl-... Suggest the type of polymerisation reaction that produces this polymer…
  38. Describe7 marksChallengeA sample of a polymer has the following repeating unit: --O--CH2CH2--O--CO--C6H4--CO-- where C6H4 represents a benzene ring with substituents at the 1- and 4-positions. (a) Describe the type of polymerisation that…
  39. Describe5 marksChallengeA sample of PVC, poly(chloroethene), is burned in an open fire along with other household waste. Describe the addition polymerisation of chloroethene to form PVC, and explain why the combustion of PVC in this way is…
  40. Describe5 marksChallengeA section of a polymer chain is shown below. -CH2-CH2-CH2-CH2-CH2-CH2- Describe how this section shows that the polymer was formed by addition polymerisation, and state the monomer from which it is made.
  41. Explain5 marksChallengeA condensation polymer is formed when propane-1,3-diol reacts with butanedioic acid. The polymer contains the following section: -O-CH2CH2CH2-O-C(O)-CH2CH2-C(O)- Explain, using the structure of the repeat unit, how…
  42. Compare7 marksChallengeEthene, CH2=CH2, polymerises to form poly(ethene). Amino acids, H2N-CHR-COOH, polymerise to form polypeptides. Compare the type of polymerisation reaction that produces poly(ethene) with the type that produces a…