CHEMICAL INDUSTRY RESOURCES, NEEDS AND THE CHEMICAL CONNECTION

1. In 1896 The Dynamite Company was established at Modderfontein. Why did this chemical industry originally develop in South Africa? 2. Name the five primary manufacturing sectors in the chemical industry in South Africa. 3. Sasol was established in 1950 after realising the scarcity of crude oil in South Africa. Sasol has since become one of the biggest role-players in the South African chemical industry. Whys is this the case? 4. a) What is crude oil? b) What is the composition of crude oil? c) Crude oil is a mixture of many chemicals and is referred to as black gold. To separate this mixture, crude oil is injected into the bottom of a fractionating tower or fractional distillation column, sometimes up to a 100m in height. On the inside there are collecting trays at various levels. The base of the column is hot and the temperature decreases slowly as the height above the base increases.

(i) (ii)
(iii)

(iv) (v) (vi)

(vii)

What is the process called that is used to separate the compounds in crude oil? Which physical property of the compounds in the mixture is used for the separation? The first stage in the refining of crude oil is to separate it into parts called fractions, according to molecular weight. What is meant by the term fractions? Where are fractions with the heaviest molecular mass drawn off in the column? Give examples of fractions mentioned in question (iv). Give examples of the fractions that will be drawn off higher in the column. What happens to the fractions after they have been drawn off?

5.

Petrol in South Africa is available with different octane numbers 93, 95 and 97. a) b) c) d) What do these numbers on petrol pumps called? Which petrol contains the most alkenes? Which petrol contains the most cyclic hydrocarbons? Will 93-octane petrol ignite faster or slower that 97-octane petrol?

6.

Plants need chemical elements for proper growth and development. Identify the different nutrients plants need and give the main elements for each. Name the two main types of fertilizers. Give a short description and examples of each. a) Explain the term eutrophication. b) What causes eutrophication? c) What are the consequences of eutrophication for plant and human life?

7.

8.

9. a) The zinc-carbon cell is described as a primary cell. Why? b) The container of the zinc-carbon dry cell is a zinc can. This contains a layer of NH4Cl with ZnCl2 aqueous paste separated by a paper layer from a mixture of powdered carbon & manganese (IV) oxide (MnO2) which is packed around a carbon rod. In a dry cell, the outer zinc container is the anode (-). The zinc is

oxidised. Give the half-reaction. c) A graphite rod surrounded by a powder containing manganese(IV) oxide is the cathode(+). The manganese dioxide is mixed with carbon powder to increase the conductivity of the cathode mixture. Complete the reduction half-reaction: 2MnO2(s) + 2 H+(aq) + 2 e- d) Why would this type of leak after a while?

SOLUTIONS
1. Importing explosives used for gold and diamond was very expensive. Local chemical companies could manufacture it for much cheaper. 2. Explosives, petrochemicals, polymers, insecticides and fertilisers. 3. Sasol is one of the biggest producers of synthetic fuels in South Africa. South Africa does not have large deposits of crude oil and natural gas, but we have large deposits of coal. Sasol is the worlds largest manufacturer of oil from coal. Sasol gasifies the coal and uses synthetic gas to make a range of fuels and chemicals that can be used as petrol, diesel and feedstocks to manufacture many compounds such as plastics, fertilisers and detergents. 4. a) Crude oil is a viscous, dark-brown liquid that moves through underground porous rock. To extract the oil from these rocks, holes are drilled by large oil drills so that the oil can be pumped out. b) The composition of crude oil may differ from place to place but mainly contains a mixture of alkanes, alkenes, cycloalkanes and aromatic compounds. c) (i) (ii) (iii)
(iv) (v)

(vi)
(vii)

Fractional distillation. Different molar masses and therefore different boiling points. Different compounds within the mixture of crude oil. In the lower part of the column. Greases, lubricating oils and waxes. The lighter fractions, which will become jet fuel, petrol, and so on, are driven higher up the column, where they are drawn off. All the fractions receive further refining to turn them into the desired end-products.

5. The octane numbers or antiknock rating which is a measure of the petrols ability to burn without knocking. a) 97-octane b) 97-octane c) 93-octane ignites faster than 97-octane petrol

6.

Primary nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium Secondary nutrients calcium, magnesium and sulphur Macronutrients Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen available from the air

Micronutrients boron, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum and zinc. 7. Organic fertilisers and inorganic/chemical fertilisers. Organic fertilisers are the most convenient forms of fertilizers. They are safe and easily available. Things like manure, slurry, worm castings, peat moss, seaweed, sewage and guano are good examples of organic fertilizers. Vegetation material called mulch, such as hay, peat moss, leaves, grass, bark, wood chips, seed hulls, and corn husks all help to aerate the soil, insulate the ground against temperature change, and add needed nutrients. Inorganic or Chemical fertilisers are primarily derived from chemical compounds such as ammonium nitrate, ammonium phosphates and potassium chloride. Chilean sodium nitrate, mined rock phosphate and limestone are examples of inorganic fertilisers. 8. a) Eutrophication means an increase in chemical nutrients typically compounds containing nitrogen or phosphorus -- in an ecosystem. It may occur on land or in water. The term is however often used to mean the resultant increase in the ecosystem's primary productivity -- in other words excessive plant growth and decay -- and even further impacts, including lack of oxygen and severe reductions in water quality and in fish and other animal populations. b) Eutrophication is frequently a result of nutrient pollution such as the release of sewage effluent and run-off from lawn fertilisers into natural waters (rivers or coasts) although it may also occur naturally in situations where nutrients accumulate. Human activities can accelerate the rate at which nutrients enter ecosystems. Runoff from agriculture and development, pollution from septic systems and sewers, and other human-related activities increase the flux of both inorganic nutrients and organic substances into terrestrial, aquatic, and coastal marine ecosystems c) Eutrophication generally promotes excessive plant growth and decay, favours certain weedy species over others, and is likely to cause severe reductions in water quality . In aquatic environments, enhanced growth of choking aquatic vegetation or phytoplankton disrupts normal functioning of the ecosystem, causing a variety of problems such as a lack of oxygen in the water, needed for fish and shellfish to survive.

The water then becomes cloudy, colored a shade of green, yellow, brown, or red. Human society is impacted as well: eutrophication decreases the resource value of rivers, lakes, and estuaries such that recreation, fishing, hunting, and aesthetic enjoyment are hindered. Health-related problems can occur where eutrophic conditions interfere with drinking water treatment. 9. a) A zinc-carbon dry cell is described as a primary cell because as the cell is discharged, it is not intended to be recharged and must be discarded. b) Zn(s) Zn2+(aq) + 2 ec) 2MnO2(s) + 2 H+(aq) + 2 e- Mn2O3(s) + H2O(l) d) When the dry cell has been used for a certain time, the zinc container becomes thinner because zinc metal is oxidised to zinc ions. Therefore zinc chloride solution leaks out the battery. The old dry cell is not leakproof. It becomes very sticky as the paste leaks through the holes in the zinc case. The service life of the battery is short, with a shelf life of around 1.5 years.