Question

Which statement about poly(chloroethene) is correct?
(A) The polymer can be cracked to produce chlorinated alkenes
(B) The polymer has harmless combustion products
(C) The polymer is readily biodegradable when buried
(D) The repeat unit of the polymer has an $M_r$ of 97.

Answer 1

Hint: Polychloroethene is a polymer made by combining many monomer units of chloroethene. It forms a type of versatile plastic and is commonly called polythene or PVC. It is widely used as it forms a plastic of very high strength.

Complete step by step solution:
-When a large number of monomer molecules react together to form a polymer, the process is called polymerization. The polymers formed can either be linear or branched. They can also attain the shape of 3-dimensional structures.
-PVC is a type of homopolymer. It means that the repeating units of PVC come from a single type of monomer unit. It has to be synthesized in the laboratories and so is called a synthetic polymer. It is a thermoplastic polymer. It means that the PVC branches soften if they are heated and suddenly cooled down repeatedly. This is because their intermolecular force of attraction lies between that of elastomers and fibres.
-Its manufacturing is done with the monomer of vinyl chloride which can be shown as

-PVC is used to make handbags, raincoats, water pipes, flooring, etc. It is a non-biodegradable polymer and produces gases like carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, HCl and water on combustion which causes the release of greenhouse gases and is harmful to the environment.
-PVC is white in colour, brittle solid and is available in the form of granules. It is very versatile and its properties include durability, lightweight, easy processing capability and low cost. This is the main reason it is now replacing wood, cement, rubber and metals in construction businesses.

Therefore, the correct option is (A). The polymer can be cracked to produce chlorinated alkenes.

Note: The monomers of PVC are linked from head to tail. It is the world’s third-largest polymer which is made of thermoplastic material. The first and second polymers are polyethylene and polypropylene respectively.