Unit 3 : Polymers Flashcards
a molecule, made from joining together many small molecules called monomers.
Polymer
They occur naturally and are found in plants and animals.
Natural Polymers
These are man-made polymers.
Synthetic Polymers
polymer which consists of one type of monomer
Homopolymer
a polymer which is derived from more than one type of monomer.
Copolymer
The structure of polymers containing long and straight chains fall into this category.
Linear Polymer
When linear chains of a polymer form branches, then, such polymers are categorized as
Branched Chain Polymers
They are composed of bifunctional and trifunctional monomers. They have a stronger covalent bond in comparison to other linear polymers. Bakelite and melamine are examples in this category.
Cross-linked Polymers
consists of relatively long sequences of identical monomer units
Block polymer
branched polymer whose backbone is formed from one type of monomer and branches are formed from other type of monomer
Graph Polymer
it is the orientation of monomer units in a polymer molecule with respect to the main chain
Tacticity
side groups of the polymer lie on the same side of the chain
Isotactic polymer
side groups of the polymer are arranged in an alternate manner
Syndiotactic polymer
side groups are arranged in an irregular or random manner around the main chain
Atactic polymer
polymers which are easily softened upon heating
Thermoplastics
polymers which change irreversibly into hard and rigid materials on heating and cannot be reshaped
Thermosets
polymers which can be easily stretched by applying small stress
Elastomers
polymers which have strong intermolecular forces between the polymer chains
Fibers
these polymers are formed when same monomers are added – these monomers are usually alkenes (hydrocarbons that contain double bonds)
Addition polymers
these polymers are formed when two monomers react with the elimination of smaller molecule (usually water, ammonia, methanol, or hydrogen chloride)
Condensation polymers
polymer made up of long strands of glucose, which is also called the “polysaccharide”. It is abundantly found in plants which give plants their sturdy structure.
Cellulose
another polymer made up of glucose monomer units. Starch is made up by plants for them to store energy. It is a combination of “amylose” and ”amylopectin”.
Starch
a polymer that is obtained as a milky white fluid known as latex from a tropical rubber tree. It is made up of Isoprene monomer units.
Rubber
Polymer made up of monomer units called “nucleotides”. DNA is found in nearly all living cells.
DNA
section of the DNA that codes for a protein is called
Genes
polymers made up of amino acids bonded together to create a long chain. Proteins make up our hair and muscles.
Protein
a kind of protein produced by silkworms to make their cocoon.
Silk
a polymer found in trees, together with cellulose, makes trees rigid.
Lignin
a polymer which composes the exoskeleton of crustaceans such as crabs and shrimps.
Chitin
used in regular glue
Polyvinyl Acetate
used in superglue (stronger than PVA)
Ethylcyanoacrylic
used to make a biodegradable plastic, also termed as
“bioplastic”
Polyactic Acid
Most of the polymers around us are made up of a
hydrocarbon backbone
The process of combining a large number of small molecules to form a single macromolecule is known as
Polymerization
In this process, two different monomers joined to form a polymer.
Copolymerization
