Question

The most suitable material for the preparation of handles of cooking utensils is:
(A) polythene
(B) PVC
(C) Nylon
(D) Bakelite

Answer 1

Hint: Cooking utensils are made of polymers or compounds which are bad conductors of heat, so that while cooking there is no much conduction of heat through the utensils, and damage is avoided. Also the material should not get softened during heating.

Complete step by step answer: Bakelite is a bad conductor of heat and it does not get soft on heating hence Bakelite is used to prepare handles of cooking utensils.
Bakelite is a polymer made up of the monomers phenol and formaldehyde. This phenol-formaldehyde resin is a thermosetting polymer. Bakelite is the commercial name for the polymer obtained by the polymerization of phenol and formaldehyde.
Considering other options,
Polythene is the most common plastic in use today. It is a linear, man-made, addition, homo-polymer, primarily used for packaging. Ethylene is a stable molecule that polymerizes only upon catalysts(Ziegler Nata catalyst).
PVC is poly vinyl chloride is an economical and versatile thermoplastic polymer widely used in the building and construction industry to produce door and window profiles, pipes, wire and cable insulation, medical devices etc.
Nylon is a plastic with super-long, heavy molecules built up of short, continually repeating sections of atoms.Nylon is made by reacting together two large molecules, diamine acid and dicarboxylic acid. They fuse together to make an even larger molecule and give off water.

Note: Bakelite is one of the oldest polymers that were synthesized by man. The condensation reaction of phenol and formaldehyde in a controlled condition acidic or basic medium results in the formation of ortho and para hydroxymethyl phenols and their derivatives.