POLYMERS

POLYMERS

1. What is it?

   • substance with a high molecular mass and it is composed by a large number of repeating units.

2. How are they formed?

   • Polymerization
     • Process of covalently bonding the smaller monomers into the polymer.
     • Monomers lose their chemical groups so they may join together.
   • Biopolymers
     • CONDENSATION
       • Dehydration reaction, water is formed.
     • ADDITION

3. Natural Polymers

   • Includes: cellulose, glycogen, chitin and polysaccharides as starch.
   • nucleic acids (DNA)

4. Synthetic Polymers

   • Mainly made of biodegradable materials, glycolic and lactic acids
   • Examples: Nylon and polyethylene
   • Derived from petroleum products. It is a comercial polymer.
   • Comes from a short alkenes molecules by means the reaction: addition

5. Plastics

   • Thermoplastic
     • Softened with heat and reformed.
       • Example: nylon
   • Thermosetting
     • Can´t be softened with heat or reformed.
       • Example: Formica