Question

The monomer of Teflon is X. The number of fluorine atoms in X is

• A. $2$
• B. $3$
• C. $4$
• D. $1$

Hint:

The prefix "tetra" in the name tetrafluoroethylene literally means "four." This is a direct giveaway for the number of fluorine atoms attached to the carbon double bond.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

1. Identifying the Monomer: The name "Polytetrafluoroethylene" implies that the polymer is made of many "tetrafluoroethylene" units. Therefore, the monomer $X$ is

tetrafluoroethylene.

2. Molecular Structure of X: Tetrafluoroethylene is an alkene where all four hydrogen atoms of ethylene ($C_2H_4$) are replaced by fluorine atoms. The structural formula is: $$F_2C = CF_2$$

3. Counting Fluorine Atoms: By looking at the formula $C_2F_4$:

• There are $2$ carbon atoms.

• There are

4 fluorine atoms.
Thus, the number of fluorine atoms in the monomer $X$ is 4.