Natural Polymers

What is a Natural Polymer?

 The natural polymer group includes
naturally occurring polymers and chemical
modifications of these polymers.
 This group includes:
 Cellulose (main structural component of plants)
 Starch
 Lignin
 Chitin
 RNA & DNA
 And various other polysaccharides (sugars)
Why Are Natural Polymers
Important?
 Nature uses natural polymers to
make life possible, as all living things
are made from these polymers.
 In many ways, these natural
polymers are more important than
other polymers.
Everyday Uses
 Natural polymers are not so much used,
but rather are found in nature.
 The group includes proteins, RNA & DNA,
polysaccharides, amino acids, etc.
 But, they are in fact used in a different
sense; Natural polymers are being used all
the time without knowing it, as all living
organisms rely on them to survive.
General Structure

H O

N C C OH
H R
The R group represents an
acidic or basic attachment.
General Structure

COO
H2N C H
R
RNA & DNA
 RNA and DNA contain sugar units, making
them polysaccharides, but they have well
ordered groups attached to the sugars
giving them unique capabilities.
 Messenger RNA are an example of natural
polymers.
 These are what make possible proteins,
peptides, enzymes.
 Enzymes consists of the chemistry inside living
organisms
 Peptides consists of some of the more
interesting structural components of skin, hair,
etc.
Amino Acids
 Amino acids are structurally
bifunctional.
 Today, there are 20 known/identified
amino acids.
 They are formed when a carboxylic
group (COOH) and an amine group
(NH2) react through the loss of water.
This creates an amide.
Proteins
 Proteins are the basic
strutural material of plants
and animals.
 There are over 10 billion
different proteins, all
constructed from the 20
known amino acids.
 The repetoire of an amide
bond forms a protein.
 The number of amino acids in
a protein can range from two
to several thousands.
Polypeptides
 Polypeptides are made of chains of
amino acids. A protein is made of
polypeptide molecules.
 Polypeptides consist of silk, keratin
and hair.
Natural Rubber
 Natural rubber is another example of
a natural polymer.
 It is made from only Carbon and
Hydrogen.
Two common amino acids are glycine (Gly, G) and Alanine
(Ala, A)

Each of the 20 known amino acids has a three leter abreviation, as

well as a single letter to identify it.
Properties
 The wide range of properties and
applications vary depending on which
natural polymer you’re looking at.
 Natural polymers tend to be readily
biodegradable.
 Their rate of degredation is generally
inversely proportional to the extent of
chemical modification.
 They can be extracted from nature.
Naming * Note: Similar to naming alkanes

 When you name an amino acid, the carbon in the carboxylic

acid group is numbered as 1. Identify your longest parent-
chain of carbons with the carboxylic acid group.
 Add “amino” before your prefix, and “oic acid” after your
prefix.
 Indicate the placement of the NH2 group by adding the
number in front of your “amino”.
 If there is an attachment, such as methyl (CH3), then in the
name you identify it AFTER the “amino”.
 Ex: 2-amino-4-methylheptanoic acid
Example
 2-aminopropanoic acid
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:
Star Polymer:
Dendrimers:
 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

Polymers in Animals

Protein
Functions of Proteins
 All enzymes are proteins.
 Structural: e.g. collagen in teehth and bone; keratin in
skin, hair and nails.
 Contractile proteins: actin and myosin in muscles allow
contraction and therefore movement.
 Hormones: many hormones have a protein structure
(e.g. insulin, glucagon, growth hormone).
 Transport: for example, haemoglobin facilitates the
transport of oxygen around the body
 Defence: immunoglobulins (antibodies) protect the body
against foreign invaders; fibrinogen in the blood is vital for
the clotting process.
 Chitin

the exoskeletons of
crabs, lobsters and
shrimps

(polymer of the N-Acetylglucosamine units)

 Semi-synthetic Polymers: Cellulose nitrate and
cellulose acetate
obtained from natural polymers by subjecting them to some chemical processe

Cellulose nitrate Cellulose triacetate

 Synthetic Polymers

1950s Black
Bakelite
Telephone

Bakelite Sockets & Switches

Bakelite (1909) Blue Bakelite Handle

 Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) (1935)

PMMA sheet (organic glass) Plexiglass aquarium

 Polystyrene (1937)

Styrofoam - a brand of polystyrene foam

rigid polystyrene case, weight 2.6 Kg

 Nylon 6,6 (1938)

A 1949 advertisement in
Life Magazine sings the Natural animal bristles were replaced
praises of nylon products. by synthetic fibers, usually nylon, by
DuPont in 1938.
Polyesters (1950)

Recycled PET Fabric

Poly(ethylene terephthalate)-PET bottles

Polycarbonates (1957)

GE Lexan® face shield

Lexan MR-10 windshields