Question

Poly Tetra Fluoro Ethylene (PTFE) is known as:

• A. Bakelite
• B. polypropylene
• C. polyethylene
• D. Teflon

Hint:

Teflon is the commercial name for PTFE.
Its unique non-stick property arises because fluorine has high electronegativity, shielding the carbon backbone and resisting intermolecular van der Waals forces with other substances.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
This question asks for the common or commercial trade name of the synthetic fluoropolymer known chemically as Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).
Identifying polymers by both their scientific IUPAC names and their trade names is important in industrial chemistry.

Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a high-molecular-weight polymer consisting entirely of carbon and fluorine atoms.
The monomer is tetrafluoroethylene (\(\text{CF}_2=\text{CF}_2\)), which undergoes addition polymerisation to form the linear polymer:
\[ n(\text{CF}_2=\text{CF}_2) \to [-\text{CF}_2-\text{CF}_2-]_n \] The carbon-fluorine bond (\(\text{C}-\text{F}\)) is one of the strongest single bonds in organic chemistry, giving the polymer exceptional chemical and thermal stability.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
Let us review the properties and common names of the polymers listed in the options:
- Bakelite is a thermosetting phenol-formaldehyde resin, which was the first synthetic plastic made.
- Polypropylene is a thermoplastic polymer made from the monomer propylene (\(\text{CH}_2=\text{CH}-\text{CH}_3\)).
- Polyethylene is a thermoplastic polymer made from the monomer ethylene (\(\text{CH}_2=\text{CH}_2\)).
- Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) was discovered accidentally by Roy Plunkett at Kinetic Chemicals (later DuPont) in 1938. DuPont registered the trademark name "Teflon" for this material.
- Teflon is characterized by its non-reactive nature, extremely low coefficient of friction (the third-lowest of any known solid material), high heat resistance (working temperature up to \(260^\circ\text{C}\)), and excellent dielectric properties.
- It is widely used as a non-stick coating for cookware, in industrial gaskets, seals, and as thread seal tape for plumbing.

Step 4: Final Answer
Therefore, Poly Tetra Fluoro Ethylene is commercially known as Teflon, which corresponds to option (D).