116 Part 8

Chapter 34 Plastics

A. Multiple Choice Questions

2. Thermosetting plastics are plastics which
1. A. They can be found in all plastics cannot be softened or melted again by
produced from condensation heating once they have been set hard.
polymerization. Example: Urea-methanal
2. D. (1) and (4) only
3. (a) (i) Polyethene
3. B. Perspex
(ii) Blow moulding. For squeeze
4. B. Rope
bottles, the necks are usually
5. A. Its structural formula is C3H6.
narrower then the bodies. If a
6. D.
mould is placed inside a
hollow container, the mould
cannot be taken out. This is
why only blow moulding is
suitable.
(b) (i) Urea-methanal
(ii) Compression moulding. It is
especially used for moulding
thermosetting plastics (e.g.
7. D. (2) and (3) only urea-methanal) because the
8. D. (1), (2) and (3) heaters in the mould can cause
9. B. (1) and (3) only the plastic to set hard.
10. B. True, True (c) (i) Polyethene / Polystyrene
11. C. False, True (ii) Vacuum forming. It is usually
used to make egg boxes from
B. Fill in the Blanks thin plastic sheets which are
light.
1. Polymers (d) (i) Polyvinyl chloride
2. repeating unit (ii) Extrustion moulding. It is a
3. Monomers continuous method to produce
4. Polymerization elongated fibres for shirts
made of polyvinyl chloride.
C. Comprehensive Questions
4. (a) (i) Buckets
1. Thermoplastics are plastics that can be (ii) Polyethene
softened or melted by heating and (b) (i) Pipes
hardened by cooling repeatedly. (ii) Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
Example: (c) (i) Plastic bag
Polyethene / Polyvinyl chloride / (ii) Polyethene
Polystyrene / Perspex / Nylon / Polyester (d) (i) Chocolate box tray
(Any one) (ii) Polystyrene

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(e) (i) Ash tray 7. Addition polymerization refers to

(ii) Urea-methanal chemical reactions in which monomer
molecules join together to form polymer
5. (a) Condensation polymerization molecules. During the reaction, there is no
(b) The plastic is a thermoplastic plastic elimination of small molecules. The only
because it can be softened on gentle product is the polymer.
heating. Example:
(c) Polyethene / Polyvinyl chloride /
Polystyrene / Perspex (Any one)
Condensation polymerization refers to
chemical reactions in which monomer
molecules join together to form polymer
molecules with the elimination of small
(d) No. This is because it can be molecules, e.g. H2O and HCl.
softened easily by heat. Example:
Nylon / Polyester / Urea-methanal
6. (a) (Any one)

8. (a) B. Both B and D are transparent but

B is hard and brittle which is similar
to glass. However, D is rigid and
tough which is different from glass.
(b) (b) C. It is flexible but has high tensile
strength.
(c) Polyethene. It is flexible, light and
has a low melting point.

9. (a) NaOH(aq) is a solvent used to

dissolve hexane-1,6-diamine.
(c) Polymer: Polychloroethene (or
Volasil is a solvent used to dissolve
polyvinyl chloride)
hexanedioyl dichloride.
Monomer: Chloroethene (or vinyl
(b) 1. Potential hazard:
chloride)
NaOH(aq) is corrosive.
(d)
Safety precaution:
Wear protective gloves.
2. Potential hazard:
Volasil is harmful.
Safety precaution:
Perform the experiment in a
well-ventilated laboratory.
(e) Floor tiles / Thin sheets / Films for Wear protective gloves.
shower curtains and rain coats / 3. Potential hazard:
Artificial leathers (Any one) Hexane-1,6-diamine and
hexanedioyl dichloride are
flammable and harmful.

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118 Part 8

Safety precaution: (c) 1. Disposed plastic articles spoil

Perform the experiment in a the appearance of the natural
well-ventilated laboratory. scenery, especially the
(Any two) recreational and country areas.
(c) 2. If plastics are disposed of in
the sea and rivers, they may
kill aquatic life directly. When
sea animals swallow plastics,
they may suffocate.
3. In the manufacture of plastics,
some additives such as
plasticizers, dye, and
stabilizers are added. On
disposal, they are released and
pollute the air and water.
(Any two)
(d) This is because nylon is strong and (d) Incineration / Landfilling (Any one)
tough, and it does not break easily. (e) Incineration
(e) Textile fibres for clothes / Ropes / Advantage:
Fishing lines / Nets / Carpets 1. It is a cheap and easy way to
(Any one) clear up the plastic waste.
(f) Flexible / Strong / Tough (Any one) 2. It can reduce the volume of the
waste by about 85 %.
10  12. HKCEE Questions (Any one)
Disadvantage:
13. (a) 1. Inexpensive (compared with 1. It produces pollutants harmful
metals, wood, glass, porcelain) to mankind such as dark
2. Flexible (for thermoplastics smoke, carbon monoxide (CO)
only) and acidic gas (e.g. HCl, Cl2).
3. Easily moulded into different 2. Hydrogen chloride gas and
shapes chlorine gas produced in the
4. Strong but light burning of PVC can cause acid
5. Good insulators of heat and rain.
electricity (Any one)
6. Can be dyed easily to give Landfilling
attractive colours Advantage:
7. Resistant to chemicals (e.g. It produces much less air pollutants
concentrated acids and alkalis, compared with incineration.
and solvents) Disadvantage:
8. Resistant to the attack of 1. The non-biodegradable plastic
micro-organisms such as waste hinders the circulation of
bacteria (i.e. air and water underground in
non-biodegradable) landfill sites. This provides a
(Any two) good environment for the
(b) This is because most plastics are decomposition of organic matters
non-biodegradable. to produce toxic marsh gas.

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2. Landfilling occupies a lot of

land which is not readily
available in Hong Kong.
(Any one)

14. (a) This ensures that the plastic waste

would not undergo combustion to
give out carbon dioxide and water.
(b) Methane / Ethane / Propene /
Benzene (Any one)
(c) Fractional distillation
(d) Advantage of pyrolysis of plastics
over direct recycling of plastics:
Pyrolysis does not require the
separation of various plastics.
Advantage of pyrolysis of plastics
over recycling of energy:
Pyrolysis can regenerate useful
materials such as ethene and
propene.
(e) 1. Use alternative materials
instead of plastics
2. Use degradable plastics
3. Reduce the use of plastic
products
4. Reuse plastic products
5. Recycle plastic products
(Any two)

15 – 16. HKCEE Questions

D. Essay-type Question

1. HKCEE Question

Chapter 34 Solutions (EE).doc