AQA A Level Chemistry 2022 Paper 2 SOLUTION 2023//2024

How can we make polymers more flexible? - ANSWER By adding a plasticiser How do plasticisers make polymers more flexible? - ANSWER They stick between the chains and keep the polymers further apart from each other, weakening the van der Waals forces and lets chains slide more easily. Uses of Kevlar - ANSWER bulletproof and used in body armour. Uses of Nylon - ANSWER commonly used in textiles. Why are polymers strong? - ANSWER Polymers are bound by van der Waals forces. The intermolecular forces are strong as the molecules are huge so there are lots of van der Waals forces between them! What is an example of a straight chained addition polymer? - ANSWER polyethene What are the two types of addition polymers? - ANSWER Straight and branched Why are Addition polymers often unreactive? - ANSWER This is because if the monomers were reactive, we'd get lots of side reactions during polymerisation. Addition polymers are NOT very reactive because the carbon chain is saturated and the side chains are usually non-polar.