Natural Polymers
- natural, very large molecules
- can be made up of thousands of atoms
- examples include natural rubber, wool, silk, etc.
Synthetic Polymers - Plastics
- synthetic (man made) polymers are called plastics
- used to make typical plastic products such as rulers, packets, bottles, etc.
Macromolecule
A molecule that consists of a large number of atoms, around 20 000 atoms!
Polymer
A large molecule composed of
smaller monomer units covalently bonded to each other in a repeating pattern
Monomer
Small organic molecules that can be covalently bonded to each other in a repeating pattern
Polymerisation
A
chemical reaction in which monomer molecules join to form a polymer
Addition polymerisation
A reaction in which small molecules join to form very large molecules by adding on
double bonds
Addition polymer
A polymer formed when monomers (usually containing a
double bond) combine through an addition reaction
Condensation polymerisation
A reaction - molecules of two monomers with different functional groups undergo condensation reactions with the
loss of small molecules, usually water.
Condensation polymer
A polymer formed by two monomers with different functional groups that are linked together in a condensation reaction in which a small molecule, usually water, is lost.
