POLYMERS

By Carl Brian M. Antonio

SCOPE
Introduction
Review: Hydrocarbon Molecules
Polymer Molecules
The Chemistry of Polymer Molecules
 NATURAL POLYMERS

Rubber Wood Cotton Wool

 NATURAL POLYMERS

Leathe Silk
r
 OTHER NATURAL POLYMERS

Proteins
Enzymes
Starches
Cellulose
HYDROCARBON MOLECULES
HYDROCARBON
Composed of Hydrogen (H) and Carbon (C)

Intramolecular bond is COVALENT

Carbon has 4 bonding electrons, while Hydrogen has 1

bonding electron

It can be Saturated or Unsaturated

 SATURATED HYDROCARBON
It is a hydrocarbon having all single bonds, and no new atoms may be
joined without the removal of other atoms that are already bonded to it

H H
H
C C CnH2n+2
H H
H
 UNSATURATED HYDROCARBON
It is a hydrocarbon that has double bonds or triple
bonds. Each carbon atom is not bonded to
maximum four other atoms.
 Double & triple bonds relatively reactive can form new bonds
Double bond ethylene - CnH2n

4-bonds, but only 3 atoms bound to Cs

H C C
Triple bond acetylene - C H
H
n 2n-2
 ISOMERISM
Hydrocarbon with same composition, but have different atomic
arrangement

Butane Isobutane
 POLYMER MOLECULES

Poly mer
many part
Referred also as MACROMOLECULES for its gigantic comparison to
hydrocarbon
Each molecule are bound together by covalent interatomic bonds
 DIFFERENCE OF MONOMER AND
REPEAT UNITS
Monomer small molecule from which polymer is synthesized
Repeat unit molecules which are successively repeated along the chain

H H H H H H
C C C C C C
H H H H H H
Polyethylene (PE)

Repeat unit
Monomer
CHEMISTRY OF POLYMER
Homopolymer the repeating units
along a chain are of the same type

Copolymer composed of two or more

different repeat units

Functionality number of bonds that a

given monomer can form