Greetings,
An obvious offshoot of Organic Chemistry, yet a unique discipline in its own right, is the science of Polymer Chemistry. The importance of this science cannot be overstated because its products (plastics) are an integral part of our daily lives! Polymer Chemistry is essentially applied Organic Chemistry in that common hydrocarbons (and their derivatives) serve as the basic "building blocks" of the science.
The Polymer Chemist combines the basic "building blocks" (monomers) to create the substance of the science; the macromolecule. The monomer molecule must be "enabled" to convert to a reactive radical species by the addition of a specialized catalyst. The catalyst is either itself a radical-forming compound, such as a peroxide, an ionized organic compound, or a particular mix of coordination compounds* (consisting of a metal atom covalently bonded to nonmetal atoms or groups (aka ligands)).
The following image shows the basics of polymer formation.
The radical formation shown in the diagram occurs in connection with one of the three catalysts listed above. The reaction which occurs is called chain initiation, which will ultimately produce a polymer molecule. The molecular weight of such a molecule is measured in thousands of amu's!
The diagram first shows the general concept of polymer formation with a geometric form representing a monomer. Then a specific example for polyethylene formation is shown. Plastic bags and some plastic bottles are made from polyethylene. For more details, see the reference below.
*http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/genchem/topicreview/bp/1polymer/reactions.html
So there you have it! - The fundamentals of Polymer Chemistry!
As always, thank you for reading!
A Publication of http://ExcellenceInLearning.biz
An obvious offshoot of Organic Chemistry, yet a unique discipline in its own right, is the science of Polymer Chemistry. The importance of this science cannot be overstated because its products (plastics) are an integral part of our daily lives! Polymer Chemistry is essentially applied Organic Chemistry in that common hydrocarbons (and their derivatives) serve as the basic "building blocks" of the science.
The Polymer Chemist combines the basic "building blocks" (monomers) to create the substance of the science; the macromolecule. The monomer molecule must be "enabled" to convert to a reactive radical species by the addition of a specialized catalyst. The catalyst is either itself a radical-forming compound, such as a peroxide, an ionized organic compound, or a particular mix of coordination compounds* (consisting of a metal atom covalently bonded to nonmetal atoms or groups (aka ligands)).
The following image shows the basics of polymer formation.
The radical formation shown in the diagram occurs in connection with one of the three catalysts listed above. The reaction which occurs is called chain initiation, which will ultimately produce a polymer molecule. The molecular weight of such a molecule is measured in thousands of amu's!
The diagram first shows the general concept of polymer formation with a geometric form representing a monomer. Then a specific example for polyethylene formation is shown. Plastic bags and some plastic bottles are made from polyethylene. For more details, see the reference below.
*http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/genchem/topicreview/bp/1polymer/reactions.html
So there you have it! - The fundamentals of Polymer Chemistry!
As always, thank you for reading!
A Publication of http://ExcellenceInLearning.biz
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