POLYMER CHEMISTRY

Engr. Kristopher Ray S. Pamintuan, M.Sc.

 POLYMERS
• A polymer is a large molecule composed of a chain of repeating units,
called monomers
• Monomers are the building blocks of polymers
• Two types of polymers: addition and condensation polymers
 ADDITION POLYMERS
• Monomers are merely added to form a chain; no other products are formed
besides the polymer
• Example: Polyethylene (PE) is formed by the polymerization of ethylene
molecules. Illustrate this phenomena by the use of Lewis structures.
 ADDITION POLYMERS
• Other addition polymers include:
• polypropylene [PP]
• poly(vinyl chloride) [PVC]
• polyacrylonitrile [PAN]
• polystyrene [PS]
• poly(vinyl acetate) [PVA]
• poly(methyl methacrylate)
• poly(tetrafluoroethylene) [PTFE]
 COPOLYMERIZATION
• The polymerization between two or more different monomers
• An example is synthetic rubber, styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) made from
the addition copolymerization of styrene and 1,3-butadiene
 CONDENSATION POLYMERS
• A byproduct is produced from the polymerization reaction
• An example of these are polyesters, like poly(ethylene terephthalate) [PET].
PET is formed by the copolymerization of terephthalic acid and ethylene
glycol. Illustrate the reaction using Lewis structures.
 BIOPOLYMERS
• Natural polymers
• Mainly carbohydrates and proteins
CARBOHYDRATES
 CARBOHYDRATES
• Formation of disaccharides by condensation polymerization
 CARBOHYDRATES
• Examples of polymer carbohydrates:
• Starch
• Glycogen
• Cellulose
 PROTEINS
• Are natural polymers that are made from amino acids (monomers)
PROTEINS
PROTEINS
 PROTEINS
• Formed via condensation polymerization