Polymers

Polymers: What are they?

Different Types
Uses and Applications
Chemical Make-up
Polymers - What are they?

Polymers are a special kind of

macromolecule
The word polymer comes from the Greek
words “poly,” meaning “many”, and
“meres,” meaning “parts” or “repeating
units”
A Polymer consists of a large chain of
repeating molecules (monomers) that are
attached in an end to end fashion
Description of Polymers

Imagine a string of beads

Each bead is identical (for example, red
sphere)
• Represents the “mer”
The string can contain 100’s of beads
• Represents the “poly” characteristic
The string in between the beads represents
the chemical bond between monomers
Length of Polymers

Polymer chains are HUGE!

Polymers typically consist of between
20,000 and 40,000 individual monomers
If each bead on the string of beads were one
inch apart, one polymer molecule could be as
long as 10 football fields!!!
This chain length is what gives the
polymer most of its desirable
characteristics
Description of Polymers

Polymer chains are flexible, and usually

“clump” together into a smaller shape
This enables the individual chains to
interact and become entangled
This helps to give a polymer its strength
and flexibility
Two main synthetic
approaches
Addition polymerization
Simply adding monomers
together – synthetic plastics
Condensation polymerization
Combination by exclusion of a
small molecule (usually water) –
extensively used by nature
Reactive radical to initiate
the process
Radicals are reactive – contain unpaired
electrons
H H H H H H
●
H H H
H H H
R R

R●
Odd + even = odd: unpaired electron survives
Addition polymerization has
three steps

 C2H4 is stable – does not spontaneously

change into polyethylene – requires severe
conditions
1. Initiation – create reactive species by
formation of free radical (unpaired
electron)
2. Propagation – As chain grows by
addition of C2H4 units, the radical is
preserved
3. Termination – radicals eliminated when
Types of Polymers

There are two main types of polymers

Natural
• (cotton, silk, wood, leather…)

Synthetic
• (plastics, nylon, latex…)
Synthetic Polymers

There are two basic types of synthetic

polymers
Thermoplastics (plastics, Styrofoam)
• These can be softened by heating and hardened by
cooling - easily recycled
• Can easily be cast into various shapes
Thermosets (epoxy’s, adhesives)
• These harden after being heated
• Can easily be cast into different shapes
• Cannot be reformed
Types of Polymers -
Copolymers

Most polymer chains are made up of one

type of monomer (for example, red
beads)
However, some polymers are made up of
different types of monomers (for example,
blue and red beads) - these are called
copolymers
Copolymers

There are four main types of copolymers

The different monomers can be arranged
either in an alternating or random fashion
Alternating
...-red-blue-red-blue-red-blue-red-blue-red-…
Random
…-blue-red-red-blue-red-blue-blue-red-blue-…
Copolymers

There are also block copolymers and graft

co-polymers
Block
…-R-R-R-R-R-R-B-B-B-B-B-B-R-R-R-R-R-R-…
Graft
…-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-…
|
B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-…
Polymers - Pros and Cons

A polymer has many very advantageous

properties. Polymers are:
Lightweight
Strong and durable
Cheap
Easy to manufacture
Unfortunately, polymers do not easily
biodegrade and end up producing large
amounts of waste
Uses of Polymers

Polymers are incorporated into nearly

every aspect of daily life
Entertainment
Sports
Clothes
Hobbies/Toys
Household products
Automotive
Polymer Chemistry

A polymer chain is built on a Carbon

backbone
A monomer unit consists of a small
carbon chain attached to a specific type of
functional group
The functional group is what gives each
polymer chain its individual characteristics
Polymer Chemistry

As previously stated, polymer chains

interact with one another, becoming
entangled
Polymer chains also form cross-links with
adjacent chains, which allows the polymer
to hold its shape and gives added
strength
Summary

Polymers are made up of large chains of

repeating units, called monomers
Individual chains interact to form a
stronger overall substance through
entanglements and cross-links
Polymers are incorporated into almost
every aspect of daily life
Polymers are lightweight, strong, and
inexpensive
Proteins
 Monomers

Amino Carboxylic acid

group group

Amino acids are the monomers of proteins.

On your diagram, label the amino group and the
carboxylic acid group. What are some properties of
these groups?
R-groups
determine the
properties of
individual
amino acids.
What process do you see happening here to create this
peptide bond between the two amino acids?

What is the scientific term for many monomers linked

together?
Some proteins, like keratin, are structural proteins.
Actin and myosin fibers in muscle cells, spider webs, and
silk are also structural proteins.
Some proteins, such as insulin, are hormones.
Some proteins are enzymes that build or break down other
molecules in living cells.
Some proteins are structured to carry or move substances,
such as hemoglobin that carries oxygen, or cell membrane
proteins that move substances across the membrane.
Heat, acidity, or both can denature proteins. Denaturing
changes the shape of a protein, which changes its
appearance and functionality. Denaturing is what happens
when we fry an egg (egg whites contain albumin protein)
or use acids to turn milk into cheese (milk solids contain
casein proteins).
The shape of a protein determines its function.

The shape of an individual protein is determined by the

order of amino acids in the primary chain, which affects how
the amino acid chain twists and folds into the final shape of
the protein.

DNA contains the code that instructs the cell machinery to

put amino acids together in a particular order to make a
particular protein. As long as the DNA contains the correct
code, the protein will function. Mistakes in the code
(mutations) change the order of amino acids, which
changes the structure of the protein, which prevents the
protein from carrying out its function.