c11 - polymers Flashcards
polymerisation
the reaction in which small monomer units joon together to form large molecules called polymers
two types of polymerisation
- addition
- condensation
addition polymerisation
process in which identical monomers are added together to form a polymer via an addition reaction
- the double bond in alkene molecules open up so that they can join together to form a large polymer molecule
- the reaction is carried out under pressure in the presence of a catalyst
monomer
small single unit
polymer
monomers joined together
diol
an alcohol with 2 OH functional groups
dicarboxylic acid
a carboxylic acid containing 2 COOH functional groups
condensation polymerisation
- involves monomers with two functional groups
- when the two functional groups react to join the two monomers together, small molecules such as water are lost hence the condensation
- the simplest condensation polymers are produced by using two different monomer types with two of the same functional groups with on each monomer
what does condensation polymerisation form?
a polyester
synthetic polymers
- polystyrene
- polyester
examples of natural/biological polymers
- glycogen
- cellulose
- dna
- protein
monosaccharides (monomers)
one single unit of sugar
what is a disaccharide
a product of two monosaccharides via condensation polymerisation
eg. glucose + fructose -> sucrose
how is starch formed?
glucose monomers join together to form starch polymers
starch is an example of a polysaccharide (lots of glucose monosaccharides joined together)
what can glucose monomers form?
- cellulose
- starch
- glycogen
how is cellulose formed?
glucose monomers (monosaccharide) -> cellulose polymers (+H2O) (polysaccharide) via condensation polymerisation
how are proteins formed?
they are natural polymers
amino acid monomers -> protein polymers + H2O
condensation polymerisation
each protein has a different combination/ order of amino acids in their PEPTIDE change eg. enzymes, hormones, collagen
functional group of an amino acid
N-H-H (NH2)
amino acids
- they contain two functional groups (amine and carboxyl)
- the ‘R’ is what differentiates different amino acids
how are polypeptides formed?
two or more amino acids are joined by condensation polymerisation to form polypeptides (proteins)
what is DNA made up of
- two polymer chains
- four different monomers called nucleotides
- condensation polymerisation
DNA
deoxyribonucleic acid
contains genetic instructions that allow all living organisms and viruses to function and develop
nucleotide
monomers that make up DNA
deoxyribose sugar + phosphate + base (the only thing that changes)
DNA bases and their bonding
the double helix ladder of a DNA molecule is held together by ‘rungs’ that are made from pairs of chemicals called bases
that is what makes up the genetic code
four types of bases
A-T, C-G
