POLYMERS

YEAR 11 REVISION
 Define polymers as large molecules built up from small
units (monomers)

• Understand that different polymers have different

units and/or different linkages

Objectives and Name some typical uses of plastics and of man-made

Keywords fibres such as nylon and Terylene

• Describe the pollution problems caused by non-

biodegradable plastics

Keywords: Polymers, monomers, plastics, nylon,

terylene, non-biodegradable
POLYMERS

• Plastics and proteins are macromolecules.

Macromolecules are very large molecules made up
of repeating units. One such unit that reacts to
make a macromolecule is ethene. The ethene
produced by cracking petroleum fractions is used
for making a wide variety of chemicals: ethanol,
antifreeze for cars and plastics.

• Plastics are made from lots of small molecules that

join together to form long chains. The small
molecules that join together are called monomers.
The long-chain molecule formed by joining the
monomers is called a polymer.
Polymerisation
• The process of joining monomers together
to form polymers is called polymerisation.
Polymers are often formed by addition
reactions. The type of polymerisation,
where no other substance is formed, is
called an addition polymerisation.
• Poly(ethene), commonly called polythene,
is a plastic that is easy to shape and quite
strong. It is made by joining ethene
monomers together.
Formation of
polythene

• When alkene molecules react,

one of the C=C bonds breaks and
joins with its neighbouring
molecule. When poly(ethene) is
made, thousands of ethene
molecules join together like this
to form a long chain.
USES OF PLASTICS
• Plastics are particular types of polymers that can be
moulded. The word plastic simply means something
that can have its shape changed. Plastics have a wide
range of uses:

 Poly(ethene) for bowls, buckets, dustbins and plastic

bags
 Poly(propene) for milk crates and ropes
 Poly(chloroethene) (polyvinyl chloride, PVC) for
insulation around electrical wires and rainwater pipes
and gutters
 Nylon for ropes, clothes and fishing nets
 Terylene for clothing
DISADVANTAGES OF
PLASTICS
• Many plastics are non-biodegradable. This
means that they are not broken down in
the soil or water by micro-organisms when
they throw them away. They just build up
and cause a mess. If plastics get into drains
they block them and cause flooding.
Plastics can kill wildlife by trapping small
animals or blocking the digestive systems of
animals and birds that eat the plastics
along with their normal food.
HOW TO DEAL WITH UNWANTED
PLASTICS

 Put them into landfill (waste) sites. These fill up very quickly and use up land
that could be used for agriculture or housing.
 Burn them – we can use the heat produced to provide electricity or heating.
However, many plastics produce poisonous gases when they burn. PVC
produces acidic hydrogen chloride. Plastics containing nitrogen may produce
toxic hydrogen cyanide. Many plastics when burnt at high temperatures also
produce poisonous compounds called dioxins. It is very expensive to put filters
on the furnaces used to burn plastics so this is rarely done.
 Recycling – some plastics can be melted and then moulded to make new
articles. Not all plastics can be recycled. The one that can be recycled have to
be sorted out, which takes time and money.
 Cracking – some plastics can be melted, then cracked and then re-polymerised
to make new articles.

• Over the last few years more plastics have been made that break down in the
environment, but the numbers of these are still small compared with non-
biodegradable plastics.
Class Task
References
• https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/a
rticle/explainer-what-are-polymers
• Chemistry for IGCSE by Nelson Thornes
• Complete Chemistry for Cambridge IGCSE