Question

Polymers:

What is the difference between monomers and polymers, basic understanding of a polymerization?

what is the synthesis and characterization of nylon, gluep, and slime?

How to use a table of types of plastics, their response to acetone, and their density to predict an unknown?

Answer 1

Polymers are macromolecules built-u by the linking of a large number of small molecules called Mononers

The small molecules which combine with each other to form polymer molecules, are termed monomer; and the “repeat unit” in a polymer is called mer.

The number of repeating units (n) in chain formed in a polymer, is known as the “degree of polymerization” (DP). There may be hundreds or thousands or tens of thousands or more monomer molecules linked together in a polymer molecule. Most of the polymers, usually, fall into the 5,000 – 200,000 molecular mass range.

                The difference in configuration (tacticity) do affect their physical properties, are three types namely isotactic polymer, atactic polymer and syndiotactic polymer.

                Polymerization is a process of reacting monomer molecules together in a chemical reaction to form polymer chains or three-dimensional networks. They are three types namely Addition, Condensation and Copolymerization

1. Addition (or) chain polymerization: is a reaction that yields a product, which is an exact multiple of the original monomeric molecule.
2. Condensation (or) step-polymerization: may be defined as “a reaction occurring between simple polar-group-containing monomers wirh the formation of polymer and elimimnation of small molecules like water, HCl,etc.”
3. Copolymerization: is the joint polymerization of two or more monomer species.