Organic & Inorganic Chemistry

Polymers and Monomers

A polymer is a large unit of molecule, or macromolecule, composed of many repeated subunits. Because of their wide range of properties, both synthetic and natural polymers play an essential role in daily life.  Polymers range from familiar synthetic plastics such as polystyrene to natural biopolymers such as DNA and proteins that are fundamental to biological structure and function. Polymerization is a method of creating natural and synthetic fibers from monomers (small molecules) many small molecules known as monomers. Their consequently large molecular mass relative to small molecule compounds produces unique physical properties, including toughness, viscoelasticity, and a tendency to form glasses and semi crystalline  structures rather than crystals.