CHAPTER 4

MOLECULAR STRUCTURE
 MOLECULAR STRUCTURE

• IS THE THREE DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURE OR ARRANGEMENT OF

ATOMS IN MOLECULE. UNDERSTANDING THE MOLECULAR STRUCTURE
OF A COMPOUND CAN HELP TO DETERMINE THE POLARITY,
REACTIVITY, PHASE OF MATTER, COLOR, MAGNETISM, AS WELL AS THE
BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY.
Linear Polymers:

APPEARANCE OF REAL LINEAR POLYMER CHAINS AS RECORDED USING

AN ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPE ON SURFACE UNDER LIQUID
MEDIUM. CHAIN CONTOUR LENGTH FOR THIS POLYMER IS ~204 NM;
THICKNESS IS ~0.4 NM. (THE CONTOUR LENGTH OF A POLYMER
CHAIN IS ITS LENGTH AT MAXIMUM PHYSICALLY POSSIBLE
EXTENSION).
Linear Polymer:

Branched Polymer:
Linear Polymer: Cross-linked Polymer:
 Natural Polymers: Polymers in Plants

Cellulose

Cellulose, a linear polymer of D-glucose units (two are shown) linked by

β(1→4)-glycosidic bonds.
Starch
 Charles
GOODYEAR
discovered
Natural Rubber vulcanization in
1839

Natural rubber is a polymer of isoprene

Natural Polymers: Polymers in Animals

Protein
 MOLECULAR CONFIGURATION

• POLYMER MOLECULES MAY BE CHARACTERIZED IN TERMS OF THEIR

SIZE, SHAPE, AND STRUCTURE. MOLECULAR SIZE IS SPECIFY IN TERMS
OF MOLECULAR WEIGHT.
• MOLECULAR SHAPE RELATES TO THE DEGREE OF CHAIN TWISTING,
COILING AND BLENDING. MOLECULAR STRUCTURE DEPENDS ON THE
MANNER IN WHICH STRUCTURAL UNITS ARE JOINED TOGETHER.
 SYNTHETIC POLYMERS

• THERE ARE TWO BASIC TYPES OF SYNTHETIC POLYMERS

• THERMOPLASTICS (PLASTICS, STYROFOAM)
• THESE CAN BE SOFTENED BY HEATING AND HARDENED BY COOLING - EASILY
RECYCLED
• CAN EASILY BE CAST INTO VARIOUS SHAPES
• THERMOSETS (EPOXY’S, ADHESIVES)
• THESE HARDEN AFTER BEING HEATED
• CAN EASILY BE CAST INTO DIFFERENT SHAPES
• CANNOT BE REFORMED
MOLECULAR CHRACTERISTICS
 COPOLYMERS

• MOST POLYMER CHAINS ARE MADE UP OF ONE TYPE OF MONOMER

(FOR EXAMPLE, RED BEADS)
• HOWEVER, SOME POLYMERS ARE MADE UP OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF
MONOMERS (FOR EXAMPLE, BLUE AND RED BEADS) - THESE ARE
CALLED COPOLYMERS
 COPOLYMERS
• THERE ARE FOUR MAIN TYPES OF COPOLYMERS
• THE DIFFERENT MONOMERS CAN BE ARRANGED EITHER IN AN
ALTERNATING OR RANDOM FASHION

• RANDOM - THE TWO DIFFERENT UNITS ARE RANDOMLY DISPERSED

ALONG THE CHAIN
…-BLUE-RED-RED-BLUE-RED-BLUE-BLUE-RED-BLUE-…

• ALTERNATING - THE TWO MER UNITS ALTERNATE CHAIN POSITION

...-RED-BLUE-RED-BLUE-RED-BLUE-RED-BLUE-RED-…
 COPOLYMERS
• THERE ARE ALSO BLOCK COPOLYMERS AND GRAFT CO-POLYMERS

• BLOCK - IS ONE IN WHICH IDENTICAL MERS ARE CLUSTERED IN BLOCKS

ALONG THE CHAIN.
…-R-R-R-R-R-R-B-B-B-B-B-B-R-R-R-R-R-R-…

• GRAFT - ARE A SPECIAL TYPE OF BRANCHED COPOLYMER IN WHICH

THE SIDE CHAINS ARE STRUCTURALLY DISTINCT FROM THE MAIN CHAIN.
TYPICALLY THE MAIN CHAIN IS FORMED FROM ONE TYPE OF MONOMER
(A) AND BRANCHES ARE FORMED FROM ANOTHER MONOMER (B).
…-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-…
|
B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-…
 POLYMER CRYSTALLINITY
•
 POLYMER CRYSTAL

• FRINGED-MICELLE MODEL- IT WAS PROPOSED THAT A SEMI

CRYSTALLINE POLYMER CONSISTS OF SMALL CRYSTALLINE REGIONS
(CRYSTALLITES, OR MICELLES), EACH HAVING A PRECISE ALIGNMENT,
WHICH ARE EMBEDDED WITHIN THE AMORPHOUS MATRIX
COMPOSED OF RANDOMLY ORIENTED MOLECULES.