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Polymers
Polymers
1
Hydrocarbons
ex: Alkanes
1 – Meth-
2 – Eth-
3 – Prop-
4 – But-
5 – Pent-
6 – Hex-
7 – Hept-
8 – Oct-
9 – Non-
10 – Dec-
11 – Undec-
12 – Dodec-
Hydrocarbons
at Room Temperature
Gas Liquid Waxy Plastic
Methane 20 to 40 40 or more
Ethane 5 to 19 Carbons Carbons
Propane Carbons
Butane
Melting Point
As the length of hydrocarbons get longer, the Melting
Point grows Higher. Why?
What other material properties
change?
Viscosity
Hardness
Toughness
Flammability
Bonding
Covalent
Ionic (NaCl)
Polar (H2O)
8
Free-Radical AdditionPolymerization of
Ethylene
H2C CH2
200 °C O2
2000 atm peroxides
polyethylene
Free-Radical Polymerization of Propene
H2C CHCH3
CH CH CH CH CH CH CH
CH3 CH3 CH3 CH3 CH3 CH3 CH3
polypropylene
..
RO
..
• Mechanism
H2C CHCH3
..
RO: Mechanism
H2C CHCH3
•
..
RO: Mechanism
H2C CHCH3
•
H2C CHCH3
..
RO: Mechanism
H2C CHCH3
H2C CHCH3
•
..
RO: Mechanism
H2C CHCH3
H2C CHCH3
•
H2C CHCH3
..
RO: Mechanism
H2C CHCH3
H2C CHCH3
H2C CHCH3
•
..
RO: Mechanism
H2C CHCH3
H2C CHCH3
H2C CHCH3
•
H2C CHCH3
Likewise...
•H2C=CHC6H5 polystyrene
•F2C=CF2 Teflon
Important
constitutions
for synthetic
polymers
19
Supramolecular
structure of
polymers
20
Structural
properties of
linear
polymers:
conformational
flexibility and
strength
21
Molecular Structure
of Polymers
Linear
High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), PVC, Nylon, Cotton
Branched
Low Density
Polyethylene (LDPE)
Cross-linked
Rubber
Network
Kevlar, Epoxy
Chain Length: 1000 - 2000
Ultra-high-molecular-weight
polyethylene (UHMWPE)
Joint
Joint
Replacement
Replacement
Helmet
Gears
Rubber Tree
Sap:
Sticky
Viscous
Gooey
Goodyear
Experiment
Luck
Profit ($0)
Vulcanization
Condensation polymerization
Monomers
Ester
Kevlar
O OH
O
OH
Qui ckTi m e™ and a
Phot o - JPEG decompressor
ar e needed t o s ee t hi s pi ct ure.
hexamethylene diamine
nylon
32
Nylon
Hydrogen bonds between chains
Supramolecular
Structure of
nylon
Intermolecular
hydrogen bonds
give nylon
enormous tensile
strength
34
Biopolymers
35
Proteins: amino acid monomers
HO NH2
H
O R
Sugar Proteins
39
Proteins: condensation polymers
41
Three D representation of the structure of a protein
42
DNA
Thymine (T)
The monomers:
Adenine (A)
Cytosine (C)
Guanine (G)
Phosphate-
Sugar (backbone) of
DNA
44
Phosphate-
sugar
backbone
holds the DNA
macromolecule
together
45
One strand
unwinds to
duplicate its
complement via a
polymerization of
the monomers
C, G, A and T
46
Carbohydrates
48
Endless Possibilities
New
Functional
Groups
Different
Polymer
Backbones
Conclusions:
Polymers make up all sorts of materials that are all
around us!
They can have a huge range or material properties
based on their:
Functional Groups
Structure
Backbone
Keep thinking about how chemical interactions on the
nano-scale correspond to material properties on the
macro-scale
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_recycling
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkane
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higher_alkanes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra-high-molecular-weight_polyethylene
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycondensation
http://www.chemistryland.com/ElementarySchool/BuildingBlocks/BuildingOrganic.htm
http://www.ndt-
ed.org/EducationResources/CommunityCollege/Materials/Structure/polymer.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/21c/materials/molecstructpropertiesrev3.sh
tml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_der_Waals_force
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcanization
http://www.scribd.com/doc/26766586/08-Polymers-Why-is-Rubber-Elastic
http://www.ndt-
ed.org/EducationResources/CommunityCollege/Materials/Structure/polymer.htm