Polymer

- A long chain molecule that is made from a combination of many repeating

basic units.
- Basic unit of polymer is monomer
- Polymerisation reaction is when monomers combine to produce a polymer.

Sources of polymer
- Can be natural or synthetic
- Natural = can be obtained from our surroundings, eg: starch, protein,
cotton
- Synthetic = man-made through chemical reactions in laboratories/factories,
eg: nylon, polyethylene, polystyrene, PVC

Source Monomer Polymer

Natural Amino acid Protein

Natural Starch Glucose

Natural Cellulose Glucose

Natural Isoprene Natural rubber

Synthetic Styrene Polystyrene

Synthetic Propene Polypropene

Synthetic Vinyl chloride Polyvinyl chloride

Types of polymers
● Thermoplastic polymers
- Can be repeatedly remoulded upon heating
- Recyclable
- Melts when heated, solidifies when cooled.
- Eg: Polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), nylon

● Thermosetting polymers
- Cannot be remoulded after heating
- Disintegrates/burn upon heating
- Not recyclable
- Eg: Melamine, bakelite

● Elastomer polymers
- Can stretch and return to its original shape
- High elasticity properties
- Eg: Polyurethane, styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR)
Polymerisation reactions
● Addition polymerisation
- Occurs when monomers with double bonds between two carbons
react with one another.

- During this reaction, the double bond “opens” and monomers “adds”
to chain to produce a polymer

n = large integer
● Condensation polymerisation
- Involves at least 2 different monomers
- Monomers involved consists of 2 functional groups
- The product of the reaction is a polymer and another by-product, eg:
water molecule, H2O and hydrogen chloride molecule, HCl