synthetic and naturally occurring polymers

• addition polymerisation

  • alkenes can be used to make polymers such as poly(ethene) and poly(propene) by addition polymerisation
  • in addition polymerisation reactions, many small molecules join together to form large molecules
  • in addition polymers, the repeating unit has the same atoms as the monomer because no other molecule is formed in the reaction
• condensation polymerisation

  • the bonding of two molecules together by removing water
  • involves two monomers with two functional groups. when these types of monomers react they join together usually losing small molecules such as water.
  • simple polymers are produced from two different monomers with two of the same functional groups on each monomer
• amino acids

  • have two different functional groups in a molecule - carboxylic acid (-COOH) and amine group (-NH2)
  • amino acids react by condensation polymerisation to produce polypeptides
• what is DNA

  • dna is a polymer made up of nucleotide monomers
  • a nucleotide is made up of a phosphate group, pentosugar (deoxyribose) and a nitrogenous base (A,T,C,G)
• nucleotides

  • when two nucleotides bond they release water
  • n(nucleotide) -> DNA + water
• carbohydrates

  • glucose is the monomer in many carbohydrate polymers
  • starch and cellulose are both polymers of glucose
  • cellulose = support+structure of cell
  • starch = storage
• hydrolysis reaction vs condensation reaction

  • condensation = the bonding of two molecules together by removing water
  • hydrolysis = the breaking apart of two molecules by inserting water
• proteins

  • proteins are polymers made up of a variety of amino acids
  • same functional group -COOH and -NH2 (amine group)