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Understanding Polyethylene Types and Properties

Polyethylene is a popular organic polymer made up of repeating ethylene monomer subunits. It is used widely in plastic products. Polyethylene molecules can contain over 500 ethylene subunits linked together. There are two main types: high density polyethylene (HDPE) and low density polyethylene (LDPE). HDPE has a higher melting point and is stronger, while LDPE is more flexible. Both are made of chains of ethylene subunits, but LDPE chains are branched while HDPE chains are linear.

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53 views2 pages

Understanding Polyethylene Types and Properties

Polyethylene is a popular organic polymer made up of repeating ethylene monomer subunits. It is used widely in plastic products. Polyethylene molecules can contain over 500 ethylene subunits linked together. There are two main types: high density polyethylene (HDPE) and low density polyethylene (LDPE). HDPE has a higher melting point and is stronger, while LDPE is more flexible. Both are made of chains of ethylene subunits, but LDPE chains are branched while HDPE chains are linear.

Uploaded by

Jane Rose Superada
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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What Is Polyethylene?

Plastic containers, plastic bottles, plastic bags, and plastic toys; everywhere we look, we see plastic
items. Did you know that in 2012 alone, we managed to generate more than 32 million tons of plastic
waste? Now, that is what most people would call a lot of plastic! Although plastic is composed of
several different organic molecules, one in particular is called polyethylene. Polyethylene is an
organic polymer made of several monomer subunits, and it is one popular compound. Before we
address its popularity in industry, let's talk more about its structure.

The Structure of Polyethylene


As you can see here, polyethylene contains a lot of carbon and hydrogen atoms and serves as a
great illustration of a polymer.
Polymers are gigantic molecules that have many repeating molecules, or subunits, bound together
by bonds. Polyethylene is composed of several monomers called ethylene molecules. This is what
one monomer of ethylene would look like.

You may be wondering what the n represents in the first image. In chemistry, n acts as a placeholder
for a number. N gives you some idea about the potential length of the chain. As polyethylene
molecules can be very long, this type of information can be very helpful, in that a typical polyethylene
molecule can contain more than 500 ethylene subunits!
Polyethylene is a thermoplastic, and as such, plays a distinct role in the manufacturing of plastic
products. A thermoplastic is any polymer that can be shaped and molded as a liquid and remain in
that shape as a solid. Polyethylene performs this task quite well. Let's learn about some of the
physical properties of polyethylene that allow it to perform this task.
Properties and Types of Polyethylene
The two most common types of polyethylene compounds are high density polyethylene
(HDPE) and low density polyethylene (LDPE). Both compounds have very different physical
properties. For example, while LDPE compounds have a melting point of 115º C, HDPE compounds
melt at 135º C. LDPE is more flexible than HDPE, but when it comes to strength, HDPE is the
winner. Although we know what a general polyethylene looks like, both HDPE and LDPE have their
own unique structures, as shown here.
However, just remember that both are still polymers, and both contain ethylene subunits. Also,
pay close attention to the fact that LDPE chains are branched, and HDPE chains are linear.

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