Pearson Edexcel International GCSE in Chemistry · 4CH1 · Free · no account needed
Condensation Polymers — exam questions
12 original Incandio exam-style questions on Condensation Polymers, 27 marks, about 27 minutes of writing. Each one carries the command word, the tariff and the specification statement it assesses, exactly as a paper presents them. This is an original Incandio practice question, written to reflect the structure and demands of the qualification. It is not an official Pearson Edexcel past-paper question.
This is the practice set for Condensation Polymers — the lesson that teaches it. Read the lesson first if the idea is new; come here when you want to find out whether you can turn it into marks. Completely free, no account needed to read.
What these questions ask of you
9 command words run through this set, and on Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Chemistry each one means something precise. Answering the wrong command is the commonest way a candidate who understands the lesson still loses the mark.
- Which (1 mark)
- one option chosen from the set given
- Give (1–2 marks)
- a short factual answer — the most common chemistry command
- State what is meant by (1–2 marks)
- the definition
- Describe (2–5 marks)
- developed, linked statements of what happens or what is observed Misread as: giving one bare observation where the tariff asked for a developed account
- Explain (2–4 marks)
- the reason, in terms of particles, bonding, energy or equilibrium Misread as: describing the observation without giving the chemistry that causes it
- Compare (2–4 marks)
- explicit comparison with a comparative word — a bare pair of statements is not a comparison
- Suggest (1–3 marks)
- a plausible answer applying taught chemistry to an unfamiliar substance
- Complete (1–4 marks)
- the missing entries in a table, equation or diagram
- Identify (1–2 marks)
- the correct substance or feature selected from what is given
Assessed on Paper 1 (4CH1/1C) and Paper 2 (4CH1/2C), against AO1, AO2, AO3.
Where these sit in the specification
Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Chemistry (4CH1) — statements 4.48 · 4.50 · 4.49. Incandio is aligned to this specification; it is not published by, endorsed by or affiliated with Pearson, and it reproduces none of Pearson's wording.
The 12 questions
Answer them on paper, then open the lesson's exam practice to have them marked. The mark scheme, the accepted and rejected answers and the annotated model answer are in Incandio and are not printed here — an answer beside its question is not practice.
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Table 1 — the two kinds of polymerisation Addition Condensation number of monomers one two what the monomer must have a C=C double bond two functional groups second product none to be found link formed carbon–carbon ester A polyester — A dicarboxylic acid, HOOC–C₆H₄–COOH, is polymerised with a diol, HO–CH₂CH₂–OH, to make a polyester used for drinks bottles and clothing fibre.
(a)
(1)Complete
Complete Table 1 by giving the second product of condensation polymerisation.
Table 1 — the two kinds of polymerisation Addition Condensation number of monomers one two what the monomer must have a C=C double bond two functional groups second product none to be found link formed carbon–carbon ester A polyester — A dicarboxylic acid, HOOC–C₆H₄–COOH, is polymerised with a diol, HO–CH₂CH₂–OH, to make a polyester used for drinks bottles and clothing fibre.
(b)
(2)Identify
Identify the two groups in the monomers given in the stimulus that react with each other.
Table 1 — the two kinds of polymerisation Addition Condensation number of monomers one two what the monomer must have a C=C double bond two functional groups second product none to be found link formed carbon–carbon ester A polyester — A dicarboxylic acid, HOOC–C₆H₄–COOH, is polymerised with a diol, HO–CH₂CH₂–OH, to make a polyester used for drinks bottles and clothing fibre.
(c)
(3)Explain
Explain how many molecules of water are released when three acid molecules and three diol molecules join into one chain.
Table 1 — the two kinds of polymerisation Addition Condensation number of monomers one two what the monomer must have a C=C double bond two functional groups second product none to be found link formed carbon–carbon ester A polyester — A dicarboxylic acid, HOOC–C₆H₄–COOH, is polymerised with a diol, HO–CH₂CH₂–OH, to make a polyester used for drinks bottles and clothing fibre.
(d)
(3)Suggest
Suggest one advantage and one disadvantage of making drinks bottles from a biodegradable polyester rather than from poly(ethene).
Table 1 — the two kinds of polymerisation Addition Condensation number of monomers one two what the monomer must have a C=C double bond two functional groups second product none to be found link formed carbon–carbon ester A polyester — A dicarboxylic acid, HOOC–C₆H₄–COOH, is polymerised with a diol, HO–CH₂CH₂–OH, to make a polyester used for drinks bottles and clothing fibre.
(Total for Question 1 = 9 marks)
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(1)Which
Which small molecule is eliminated when a polyester is formed?
Molecule A hydrogen B water C carbon dioxide D none (Total for Question 2 = 1 mark)
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(1)Give
Give the two types of monomer needed to make a polyester.
(Total for Question 3 = 1 mark)
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(1)State what is meant by
State what is meant by a biodegradable polymer.
(Total for Question 4 = 1 mark)
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(2)Describe
Describe how a dicarboxylic acid and a diol join together to start a polyester chain.
A polyester — A dicarboxylic acid, HOOC–C₆H₄–COOH, is polymerised with a diol, HO–CH₂CH₂–OH, to make a polyester used for drinks bottles and clothing fibre.
(Total for Question 5 = 2 marks)
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(3)Explain
Explain why each monomer of a polyester must have two functional groups.
(Total for Question 6 = 3 marks)
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(3)Compare
Compare addition polymerisation with condensation polymerisation.
(Total for Question 7 = 3 marks)
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(3)Suggest
Suggest why a polyester can be made biodegradable but poly(ethene) cannot.
The two chains — A polyester chain runs ...–CO–O–CH₂CH₂–O–CO–..., with an ester link at every join. A poly(ethene) chain runs ...–CH₂–CH₂–CH₂–CH₂–..., with carbon–carbon single bonds throughout. Ester links are broken by water; carbon–carbon bonds are not.
(Total for Question 8 = 3 marks)
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(4)Explain
Explain why a polyester chain can be broken down by boiling with alkali, while a poly(ethene) chain cannot.
(Total for Question 9 = 4 marks)
Have them marked, then defend the answer
Practice tells you the mark; teaching it back tells you whether you understand it. On Incandio a topic counts as mastered only once you have taught it and defended it.
- Mark these questions — 12 questions, marked on Incandio against the authored scheme, with the mistake you actually made named.
- Teach it — explain Condensation Polymers to Ember, an AI pupil who does not have it yet and asks the awkward question.
- Defend it — argue it against Wallace Carothers over three rounds, marked against descriptors you can read first.
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Back to the lesson
- Condensation Polymers — Two reactive ends instead of one, an ester link made over and over, and a molecule of water lost every single time.
- All of Incandio Chemistry · Incandio Exam Practice