CHAPTER 2. ORGANICMACROMOLECULES 2.2
(a)
C C
H
H
H
H
(b)
C C C C
H H H H
H H H H
Figure 2.1: (a) Ethene monomer and (b) polyethene polymer
C
H
H
C
H
H
n
Figure 2.2: A simplifiedrepresentation of a polyethene molecule
- Polypropene
Another example of a polymer is polypropene (fig 2.3). Polypropene (commonly
known as polypropylene) is also a plastic, but isstronger than polyethene and is
used to make crates, fibres and ropes. In this polymer, the monomer is the alkene
called propene.
(a)
C C
H
H
CH 3
H
(b)
C C C C
CH 3 H CH 3 H
H H H H
or C
CH 3
H
C
H
H
n
Figure 2.3: (a) Propenemonomer and (b) polypropene polymer
2.2 How do polymers form? ESCAD
Polymers are formed through a process called polymerisation, where monomer molecules
react together to form apolymer chain. Two types of polymerisation reactions are ad-
dition polymerisation and condensation polymerisation.
