Polyesters Flashcards

1
Q

what is a polyester?

A

a polymer made of lots of molecules joined together in a chain by ester groups

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2
Q

how do you make a polyester?

A

you need to mix two types of monomer:

  • dicarboxylic acid (has -COOH at both ends)
  • diol (has -OH at both ends)

lots of monomers can then join up into a very long, alternating chain

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3
Q

why is this type of polymerisation called condensation polymerisation?

A

because each time a monomer joins the end of the chain, a water molecule is lost

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4
Q

how do you work out the structure of the repeat unit?

A

highlight the OH in the -COOH groups and the H in the -OH groups, then get rid of them and join what’s left together

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5
Q

what are biopolyesters?

A
  • some polyesters are biodegradable, which means microbes such as bacteria and fungii can use enzymes to break down the polymer into its monomers and use them as an energy supply
  • this is a good thing, because it reduces our reliance on landfill and incineration to dispose of used polyesters
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