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Overview of Synthetic Polymers

Synthetic polymers are large molecules made of repeating monomer units. There are two types: natural polymers like starch and synthetic polymers like polyethylene. Addition polymers are formed by monomers joining together through double bonds breaking and reforming. Their repeating units are drawn as the monomer with the double bond changed to a single bond and bonds added to the ends. Condensation polymers are formed through a reaction between a dicarboxylic acid and diol that produces a polymer and a small molecule, like water. Polyesters are common condensation polymers. Synthetic polymers are difficult to degrade but biodegradable polymers can break down naturally.

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327 views6 pages

Overview of Synthetic Polymers

Synthetic polymers are large molecules made of repeating monomer units. There are two types: natural polymers like starch and synthetic polymers like polyethylene. Addition polymers are formed by monomers joining together through double bonds breaking and reforming. Their repeating units are drawn as the monomer with the double bond changed to a single bond and bonds added to the ends. Condensation polymers are formed through a reaction between a dicarboxylic acid and diol that produces a polymer and a small molecule, like water. Polyesters are common condensation polymers. Synthetic polymers are difficult to degrade but biodegradable polymers can break down naturally.

Uploaded by

Mangetsu Hozuki
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

SYNTHETIC POLYMERS

 Polymers are large molecules made up of many repeating units called monomers.
 A monomer is the unit molecule from which a polymer is made.

Addition Polymers
Formation of addition polymers

 Addition polymers are formed by the joining up of many small molecules called monomers.
 Alkenes can act as monomers as they are unsaturated so the double bond can break and bond with
other monomers.

Examples: Formation of poly(chloroethene)

The formation of poly(chloroethene) from the joining of many chloroethene monomers

There are two types of polymers:

1. Natural Polymers.
e.g.: starch, carbohydrate, fat, protein etc.
2. Synthetic polymers (Man-made polymers).
e.g.: polythene, polypropene, polychloroethene (PVC), polystyrene, nylon, terylene.

1
Drawing Repeating Units

Polymer molecules are very large compared with most other molecules, so repeat units are used when
displaying the formula:

 Change the double bond in the monomer to a single bond in the repeat unit.
 Add a bond to each end of the repeat unit.

The concept of drawing a repeat unit of a monomer

Repeat units of addition polymers:

2
Deducing the Structure of a Monomer from a Repeating Unit

To deduce the structure of a monomer from a repeat unit of an addition polymer, you just need to reverse the
process of drawing a repeat monomer described in the previous section.

 Identify the repeating unit.


 Change the single bond in the repeat unit to a double bond in the monomer.
 Remove the bond from each end of the repeat unit.

How to deduce the structure of a monomer from a repeat unit

Example: Deducing the structure of chloroethene from a repeat unit of Poly(chloroethen

The monomer from the repeat unit of an addition polymer

3
Environmental Effects of Addition Polymers

 Addition polymers are unreactive (inert) so don’t easily biodegrade.


 There are many problems involved with the disposal of addition polymers.

Landfills:
 Waste polymers are disposed of in landfill sites but this takes up valuable land as addition polymers are
non-biodegradable so micro-organisms such as decomposers cannot break them down.
 This causes sites to quickly fill up

Incineration:
 Polymers release a lot of heat energy when they burn and produces carbon dioxide which is a
greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.
 If incinerated by incomplete combustion, carbon monoxide will be produced which is a toxic gas that
reduces the capacity of the blood to carry oxygen.

Recycling:
 Polymers can be recycled but different polymers must be separated from each other.
 This process is difficult and expensive.

4
Condensation Polymerization

Condensation polymerisation: A reaction in which two different types of monomer join together to
produce a polymer and expel a small molecule such as water.

Example:

The condensation polymerisation between terephthalic acid and ethane -1,2 diol

Polyesters

Polyester: A condensation polymer formed by the reaction between a dicarboxylic acid with a dialcohol. Both
monomers must have two functional groups.

The basic structure of a polyester, the box represents any group of atoms

5
Equation:

Equation of condensation polymerisation of dicarboxylic acid and dialcohol to form a polyester

Formation of a specific polyester:

Equation of the reaction between ethanedioic acid and 1,2-ethanediol

Biodegradable Polyesters

 Biopolyesters are a specific type of polymer that is able to biodegrade naturally in the environment
after their intended purpose.
 The polymers are synthetically made, consisting of ester, amide and ether functional groups which
gives them the characteristic of being biodegradable.

The biodegradation of a bottle made of biopolyesters

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