Addition Polymers

Question 1

Addition polymerisation is the reaction in which……….

Answer 1

many monomers containing at least one C=C double bond form long chains of polymers as the only product

Just like in other addition reactions of alkenes, the π-bond in each C-C bond breaks and then the monomers link together to form new C-C single bonds

Question 2

The small, reactive molecules that join together to form the polymer are called

Answer 2

monomers

Question 3

polymerisation reaction can be represented by a general formula or by using displayed formulae

Answer 3

Eg. poly(ethene) and poly(chloroethene) (also known as PVC) are polymers made up of the ethene and chloroethene monomers respectively and are commonly used in making plastics

Question 4

repeat unit is the smallest group of atoms that when connected one after the other make up the polymer chain
It is represented by

Answer 4

square brackets in the displayed and general formula

Question 5

In poly(alkenes) (such as poly(ethene)) and substituted poly(alkenes) (such as PVC) made of one type of monomer the repeating unit is the same as the monomer except that

Answer 5

the C=C double bond is changed to a C-C single bond