Polymers
- Polymers are very large molecules which are built up by linking together 50 or more smaller molecules called monomers
- Each repeat unit is connected to the adjacent units via covalent bonds
- Some polymers called homopolymers contain just one type of monomer unit
- Examples of these include poly(ethene) and poly(chloroethene), commonly known as PVC
- Others contain two or more different types of monomer units which are called copolymers which have interesting and useful properties
- Examples of these include ABS, a copolymer used in producing water pipes and musical instruments
- Poly(ethene) is a very common type of polymer which is formed from the addition of many ethene monomers together
- The intermolecular forces between the molecules in a polymer tend to be strong hence many of these substances are solid at room temperature
Polymerisation of ethene monomers produces poly(ethene). The small n signifies that there is a large number of repeat units
Examiner Tip
Simply polymers consist of large molecules containing chains of carbon atoms.
