Synthetic Materials
What do we call materials made by humans through chemical reactions?
Synthetic Materials
What do we call anything naturally occurring in the environment that humans use?
A natural resource
What properties help identify a pure substance?
Physical and chemical properties.
What do synthetic preservatives prevent food from doing?
Rotting or decaying quickly.
What are the repeating units that make up polymers?
Monomers
What natural resource is melted to make glass?
Sand
What do chemists use as “building blocks” to make synthetic materials?
Molecules from natural resources.
What substance forms when sodium reacts with chlorine?
Sodium chloride (table salt).
What synthetic flavor replaces natural vanilla?
Vanillin
Name one natural polymer.
Wool, silk, rubber, or cellulose.
What makes a material “synthetic” instead of natural?
It is created by humans through chemical reactions.
What does it mean when a chemical process can be “replicated”?
It can be repeated with the same results.
Why do new materials have different properties than the original substances?
Chemical reactions rearrange atoms into new substances.
Why do chemists synthesize medicines found in plants?
To make them safer and produce them in large amounts.
What property of polymers comes from their long molecular chains?
Strength, flexibility, or elasticity.
Why do chemists create new synthetic materials?
To meet changing needs and improve technology.
What analogy compares synthesizing materials to building a house?
Adding molecular “blocks” one step at a time.
What do chemists use knowledge of reactions for?
To create materials with specific structures and functions.
What plant produces the compound used to make digoxin?
Digitalis lanata
What natural resource are most plastics made from?
Petroleum
Tartrazine is an example of what?
A synthetic chemical used for coloring.
Why do chemists rely on chemical reactions instead of placing molecules by hand?
Reactions move molecules into place automatically.
True or False: All synthetic materials are created on purpose.
False
Why are synthetic fuels being developed?
Because petroleum will eventually run out.
Why are plastics a major environmental problem?
They resist biodegradation and cause pollution.