Polymerisation

Question 1

What is nylon-6,6 made of?

Answer 1

1,6-diaminohexane and 1,6-hexanedioic acid

Question 2

What is Kevlar made of?

Answer 2

1,4-benzenedicarboxylicacid and 1,4-benzenediamine

Question 3

Why are polyamides strong?

Answer 3

They are made of long chain molecules

Question 4

What is Terylene (PET) made of?

Answer 4

Ethanediol and 1,4benzenedicarboxylic acid

Question 5

Why are polyesters and polyamides more biodegradable than polyalkanes?

Answer 5

The former have bonds between repeating units that can be broken down by hydrolysis through moisture naturally occurring in landfill
The latter has strong C-C bonds with a high enthalpy so they are not easily broken down by species in nature

Question 6

Polyester intermolecular forces?

Answer 6

Polyesters contain ester links. The ester link contains permanent dipole-dipole forces within the polymer chains.
+ VDWs

Question 7

Polyamide intermolecular bonds?

Answer 7

Polyamides contain an amide link. This consists of N bonded to an (delta positive) H atom, which results in hydrogen bonding between the O of one polymer chain and the H of another
+ VDWs