Question 1: Define Atom Economy in your own words.

Answer: Atom Economy is a measure of how efficiently a chemical reaction converts reactants into useful products, expressed as a percentage of the total atomic mass of desired products relative to all reactants.

Question 2: Explain why high Atom Economy is desirable in industrial chemical processes.

Answer: High Atom Economy reduces waste, lowers costs, and makes the process more sustainable by maximising the incorporation of all reactant atoms into the final product.

Question 3: Calculate the Atom Economy for the following reaction: C₄H₁₀ + O₂ → C₂H₄ + CO₂ (Atomic masses: C=12, H=1, O=16).

Answer: Atom Economy = (Mass of desired products / Total mass of all reactants) × 100 = ((2×12 + 4×1) + (12 + 2×16)) / (4×12 + 10×1 + 2×16) × 100 = (24 + 4 + 12 + 32) / (48 + 10 + 32) × 100 = 72 / 90 × 100 ≈ 80%

Question 4: Identify two factors that can influence the Atom Economy of a reaction.

Answer: The choice of reaction pathway and the presence of side reactions or by-products.

Question 5: Which of the following reactions has the highest Atom Economy? A) Esterification B) Ester hydrolysis C) Combustion of hydrocarbons D) Catalytic hydrogenation

Answer: A

Question 6: Fill in the blank: The formula for calculating Atom Economy is (Mass of __________ / Total mass of reactants) × 100.

Answer: desired products

Question 7: Describe how the concept of Atom Economy can be applied to improve green chemistry practices.

Answer: Applying Atom Economy in green chemistry involves designing reactions that maximise the incorporation of all reactant atoms into the final product, thereby reducing waste and by-products. This leads to more sustainable processes, less pollution, and lower costs, aligning with the principles of environmentally friendly chemical manufacturing.

Question 8: A manufacturer aims to produce a chemical with an Atom Economy of at least 85%. They are considering two reactions: Reaction 1: Atom Economy = 78% Reaction 2: Atom Economy = 88% Which reaction should they choose and why?

Answer: They should choose Reaction 2 because it has an Atom Economy of 88%, which exceeds their minimum requirement of 85%, making it more efficient and sustainable.

Question 9: Explain the significance of Atom Economy in the context of reducing chemical waste and environmental impact.

Answer: Atom Economy helps identify reactions that utilise most atoms efficiently, thereby minimising waste. This reduces the environmental impact by lessening pollution, hazardous waste, and resource consumption.