Lesson 17C.3

17C.3 Polyesters Quiz: Pearson Edexcel Chemistry, Unit 17

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

In partnership with Revision Ninja

Lesson 17C.3, Polyesters: 20 multiple choice questions for the Pearson Edexcel Chemistry (9CH0), Unit 17: Organic Chemistry II, written with Revision Ninja.

Host it live on the board and students join with a game code on their own devices, or revise alone with Free Play. The answers are revealed in the game.

Host this setFree Play

The 20 questions

  1. What type of polymerisation forms polyesters?

    • Free-radical polymerisation of alkenes only, which needs a peroxide initiator to start the chain reaction
    • Ionic polymerisation with no by-products, carried out at low temperature in a dry, inert solvent
    • Addition polymerisation, with no molecules lost as each monomer unit joins the growing polymer chain
    • Condensation polymerisation, with a small molecule such as water eliminated at each link

  2. Which two monomers are used to make a polyester?

    • Two alkenes with a catalyst
    • Two monoalcohols and an alkene
    • A dicarboxylic acid and a diol
    • A diamine and a dicarboxylic acid

  3. What small molecule is eliminated when a polyester forms from a dicarboxylic acid and a diol?

    • Ammonia
    • Carbon dioxide
    • Hydrogen chloride
    • Water

  4. Which link is present in the backbone of a polyester?

    • The ether link, -O-, between two carbon atoms
    • The amide link, -CONH-
    • The ester link, -COO-
    • The peptide link, -CONH- joining amino acids

  5. Which pair of monomers makes poly(ethylene terephthalate)?

    • Ethanoic acid and ethane-1,2-diol, joined as a simple ester
    • Benzene-1,4-dicarboxylic acid and ethane-1,2-diol
    • Ethene and benzene-1,4-diol, joined across the double bond of ethene
    • Ethane-1,2-diamine and hexanedioic acid, joined as an amide link

  6. What is the repeat unit of a polyester made from hexanedioic acid and butane-1,4-diol?

    • -[CO(CH2)4CO-O(CH2)4O]-, containing two ester links per unit
    • -[C6H4-COO]- with one acid link per unit, formed from a benzene ring and a single carboxyl group
    • -[CO(CH2)4CO]- with a diamine link per unit, formed by losing ammonia from each joining step
    • -[CH2CH2O]- with one ester link per unit, formed from a single monomer with an acid group

  7. Why are polyesters susceptible to hydrolysis?

    • They contain amide links that are easily cleaved by water
    • They contain ionic bonds that dissolve in water
    • The polymer chains contain double bonds that react with water
    • The ester links can be broken by water, especially in acid or alkali

  8. A polyester is made from 1.0 mol of a dicarboxylic acid and 1.0 mol of a diol, with complete reaction. How many moles of water are eliminated per mole of repeat unit?

    • 4
    • 0
    • 2
    • 1

  9. Why is a polyester described as a condensation polymer?

    • It forms by adding monomers across double bonds without losing any atoms
    • It forms only from monomers that contain a benzene ring
    • It forms by cross-linking existing polymer chains with heat
    • It forms by joining monomers while releasing a small molecule

  10. What is the functional group that links the monomer units of nylon?

    • A nitrile group, -CN
    • An amide link, -CONH-
    • An ether link, -O-
    • An ester link, -COO-

  11. Which monomers form a polyester whose repeat unit contains a benzene ring?

    • Propan-1-ol and propanoic acid, which give a simple ester with no repeating unit at all
    • Benzene-1,4-dicarboxylic acid and a diol
    • Ethanoic acid and a diol, which gives a polyester with a single methyl group in each unit
    • Hexane-1,6-diamine and a diacid, which gives a polyamide with no ester links in the chain

  12. Which property of polyesters is affected by the length of the diol chain?

    • The number of carbon atoms in the benzene ring
    • Flexibility and melting temperature of the polymer
    • Density of the monomers before polymerisation
    • Colour, since the diol is responsible for the colour of the polymer

  13. A polyester has a relative repeat unit mass of 192. How many repeat units make up a molecule with a relative molecular mass of 19 200?

    • 100
    • 200
    • 10
    • 1000

  14. Which statement describes the condensation polymerisation step in polyester formation?

    • A nitrogen atom attacks a carbonyl group, releasing ammonia as the amide link forms in the chain
    • A hydroxyl group from the alcohol reacts with a carboxyl group from the acid, releasing water
    • Two alkene groups add together across the double bond and form a single bond, with no atoms lost
    • A chlorine atom replaces a hydrogen atom on the aromatic ring, releasing hydrogen chloride as a gas

  15. Why does a polyester have a lower melting temperature than a polymer with stronger intermolecular forces?

    • Its ester groups give dipole-dipole forces, which are weaker than hydrogen bonding between amide groups
    • Its ester groups form strong ionic bonds between chains, which hold the polymer together more tightly
    • It has no intermolecular forces at all between its chains, so the chains slide apart when heated
    • It has more covalent cross-links per chain than polyamides, which makes the polymer easier to melt

  16. What is a consequence of the repeat unit containing two ester links from a diacid and a diol?

    • The polymer is formed only at very high pressure in the absence of water
    • The polymer contains an amine group at each end of the chain
    • The polymer has no regular structure and cannot crystallise
    • The polymer chain has a regular, repeating pattern of ester groups along its length

  17. Which molecule is a monomer used to make a polyester in industry?

    • Ethane-1,2-diol
    • Ethanamide
    • Ethanenitrile
    • Ethene

  18. Which compound is the diacid monomer used to make poly(ethylene terephthalate)?

    • Butanedioic acid, a dicarboxylic acid with four carbons in its chain
    • Benzene-1,4-dicarboxylic acid
    • Ethanedioic acid, a dicarboxylic acid with two carbons in its chain
    • Benzene-1,2-diol, a diol with the two hydroxyl groups on adjacent carbons

  19. A polyester has a repeat unit molar mass of 192 g mol-1. What is the molar mass of a chain with 50 repeat units?

    • 960 g mol-1
    • 9600 g mol-1
    • 19 200 g mol-1
    • 3840 g mol-1

  20. What mass of water is eliminated for each mole of ester link formed in a polycondensation?

    • 36 g, the molar mass of two moles of water
    • 18 g, the molar mass of one mole of water
    • 44 g, the molar mass of one mole of carbon dioxide
    • 2 g, the molar mass of one mole of hydrogen

All Pearson Edexcel Chemistry quizzes