Polymers - Chemistry - Chapter 2
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46 Terms
Q: What are polymers?
A: Very long molecules made up of repeating subunits.
Q: What is another word for subunit?
A: Monomer.
Q: Can polymers have the same or different repeating subunits?
A: They can have either the same or different subunits.
Q: What is a good way to imagine a polymer?
A: Like a chain of paperclips — each paperclip is a monomer.
Q: What happens if you attach paperclips and elastic bands in alternating order?
A: You get two different monomers (paperclip and elastic band).
Q: What is a copolymer?
A: A polymer made of two or more different types of monomers combined.
Q: What is a homopolymer?
A: A polymer made of a single type of monomer.
Q: What is an example of a common polymer in real life?
A: Polyethylene tetraphthalate (PET).
Q: What is PET used for?
A: It’s used in soft drink bottles and contains several thousand monomer units.
Q: What is Addition Polymerization?
A: When alkene monomers join together to make a long polymer of alkanes by removing double bonds to form single bonds.
Q: What is an example of an addition polymer?
A: Polyacrylamide Gel.
Q: What is Polyacrylamide Gel used for?
A: To separate proteins and DNA in gel electrophoresis.
Q: What can Polyacrylamide Gel help determine?
A: DNA fragments.
Q: What is Polyacrylamide Gel used for in real life?
A: In criminal cases and detecting genetic diseases.
Q: What is the monomer that forms Polyacrylamide Gel?
A: Acrylamide.
Q: What is special about Polyacrylamide Gel?
A: It can cross-link.
Q: What does cross-linking mean?
A: Bonds can form along different sections of the polymer chain.
Q: What allows cross-linking to occur in Polyacrylamide Gel?
A: Adding bisacrylamide to acrylamide.
Q: What happens when bisacrylamide is added?
A: Nitrogen can attach to the carbon of another monomer.
Q: What effect does cross-linking have on the gel?
A: It makes the gel stronger and more flexible.
Q: What is Condensation Polymerization?
A: A reaction where monomers combine through several condensation reactions, producing a water molecule.
Q: What must monomers have to form a condensation polymer?
A: At least two functional groups (one on each end).
Q: What is a common type of condensation polymerization reaction?
A: The production of polyesters.
Q: How are polyesters formed?
A: When a carboxylic group and an alcohol bond (esterification).
Q: What is an example of a polyester?
A: PET (polyethylene terephthalate).
Q: What are PET polyesters used to make?
A: Soft drink and water bottles.
Q: What are polyamides?
A: Polymers formed when a monomer with carboxyl groups at both ends forms amide linkages with another monomer that has amine groups at both ends.
Q: What is an example of a polyamide?
kevlar
Q: What are some uses of Kevlar?
A: Bulletproof vests, helicopter blades, and bicycles.
Q: How do you name a polymer?
A: Use the monomer name with the prefix “poly–”.
Q: Example of naming a polymer: Tetrafluoroethene polymerizes to form what product?
A: Polytetrafluoroethene (Teflon™).
Q: What is Teflon™ used for?
A: As a non-stick coating in frying pans and other uses.
Q: What are petrochemicals?
A: Products that come from petroleum.
Q: What are petrochemicals used for?
A: To make plastics and other materials.
Q: What is the most common type of plastic made from petrochemicals?
A: PVC (polyvinyl chloride).
Q: How are petrochemicals made?
A: Through cracking — heating petroleum to 800°C to produce ethene.
Q: What happens to ethene after it is produced?
A: It can be manipulated to make many plastic products.
Q: Why is plastic production risky?
A: Plastics don’t degrade easily and can take thousands of years to break down.
Q: What happens when plastics are burned?
A: They produce dioxins, which are highly toxic to people and the environment.
Q: What happens when plastics are thrown into water?
A: Animals can become trapped and suffocate.
Q: What is a modern solution to the plastic problem?
A: Reusing or recycling plastics to make new products.
Q: What can recycled plastic be turned into?
A: Jewelry, clothes, and furniture.
Q: What are examples of natural polymers?
A: Polysaccharides, proteins, and DNA.
Q: What do polysaccharides (like starch) do?
A: Release energy for the body.
Q: What do proteins do?
A: Build muscle and connective tissue.
Q: What does DNA do?
A: Acts as the genetic material inside cells.