Lab Report 4: Making Polymers

Objective
The objective of this experiment is to illustrate three different ways to create polymers. Polymers
are large molecules made of basic units called monomers; three main types of polymerization
exist: condensation, chain addition and slime. During condensation, monomers come together to
form amide bonds but releasing water or HCl. For every amount of HCl added, a little NaOH is
added to neutralize it. For the chain reaction, an initiator of benzoyl peroxide is needed as it
makes radicals when heated to 80°C-95°C. These radicals react with styrene monomers to start
the process. For chain reactions, a vinyl type monomer is used, a simple hydrocarbon with
pendant functional groups and identical empirical formulas exist. The third method is slime in
which poly PVA and borax cross link. The borate ions connect to the alcohol groups in PVA yet
Data
Preparation of Polystyrene

Volume of Styrene 5.0 mL

Weight of Benzoyl Peroxide 0.252 g

Observations
A. Polystyrene
a. While heating the styrene and benzoyl peroxide mixture turned from clear to
yellow
b. Took the mixture a little over an hour to come to a soft gel consistency
c. Solubility
i. Acetone: Yes
ii. Toluene: No
iii. Ethanol: Not all of the way but some
B. Nylon-10,6
a. Hexamethylene was at the bottom and it was yellow, while the nylon formed on
top of it and was white and thin
b. Nylon was viscous and stringy; when put in cold water tightened up and felt
rubbery
c. The lump of Nylon was a white/clear substance that felt like slim
d. Solubility
i. Acetone: No
 i. Toluene: Broke it apart some but did not dissolve completely
ii. Ethanol: No
C. Slime
a. 5 mL of borax added
b. Vigorous mixing to turn the slime into slime
c. Green and slippery
Results
There was no solubility for the Nylon, however the toluene did break it apart some but it didn’t
dissolve the nylon all of the way. Polystyrene was soluble in acetone but not in toluene, however
ethanol broke it down a little bit but not all of the way.
Discussion
During this experiment there were no errors by human or machine. Although the polystyrene
did take a little over an hour to form because we had to suddenly stop for a fire drill. Other than
that everything else ran smoothly. A yard of nylon was formed, the polystyrene formed into a
soft gel consistency, and there were no problems with making the slime.
Conclusion
The overall purpose of this experiment is to understand the different techniques of creating
polymers. The polystyrene was successfully made into a crystalized solid. The nylon-10,6 was
created correctly and there was a yard to carry out the experiment to its fullest potential. As
stated above there was no solubility for the Nylon, however the toluene did break it apart some
but it didn’t dissolve the nylon all of the way. Polystyrene was soluble in acetone but not in
toluene, however ethanol broke it down a little bit but not all of the way.
Such makes sense for nylon due to it having to be used for clothing so it should be able to
withstand most chemicals so no tears or holes appear. The slime formation was successful due to
the cross linked bonds between the acid and the borax.

Post-Lab Questions
1) Define the following terms
a. Monomer: a molecule that can participate in polymerization reactions with
other such molecules to form polymers.
b. Repeating unit: a monomer or combination of monomers that, when repeated,
forms the polymer, other than the ends.
c. Condensation polymerization: a polymerization reaction that, in addition to
the formation of a polymer, forms small molecules like water or HCl (in our
nylon
synthesis).
d. Cross-linked polymer: a polymer that is formed by polymer chains that
have further bonding that bring the chains together.