Chemistry-biological polymers

• Glucose monomer

  Unit that can join with another glucose molecule to form a polymer
• When sugars join together

  They make a polymer - carbohydrates
• Carbohydrates

  • Glucose
  • Starch & cellulose
  • Biological molecules containing C, H, O
• Amino Acids


  Building blocks of proteins, consisting of 20 different groups, amine group, and carboxylic acid group
• Amino Acids

  • Glycine
  • Alanine
  • Valine
• Proteins


  • Helix held in shape by hydrogen bonds, α-helix, β-sheet, 1y structure held by covalent bonds between amino acids, 2y structure held by hydrogen bonds, 3y structure held by hydrogen bonds, disulfide bonds, ionic attractions
• DNA

  • Sugar-phosphate-sugar-phosphate structure, bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), thymine (T)
• DNA is a polymer made of sugar-phosphate-sugar-phosphate
• Base pairs in DNA

  • Adenine (A) - Thymine (T), Guanine (G) - Cytosine (C)
• What are polymers made up of?

  Monomers
• What is the formula for the monomer propine?

  c₃h₆
• How can you identify a polymer molecule?

  By finding the repeating monomer unit
• Why do polymers have high melting and boiling points compared to simple molecular substances?

  They have many weak intermolecular forces
• What is the significance of the letter 'n' in polymer chemistry?

  • Represents the number of repeating units
  • Used in polymer formulas
• What type of bonds are present within polymers?

  Covalent bonds
• What must be broken to melt or boil polymers?

  Intermolecular forces between polymer molecules
• How do the melting and boiling points of polymers compare to giant covalent structures?

  Polymers have lower melting and boiling points
• Why are polymers generally solid at room temperature?

  They have many intermolecular forces
• What are the two main types of polymers mentioned?

  • Addition polymers
  • Condensation polymers
• What is the main polymer found in plastic?

  Polypropylene
• How do you represent a polymer reaction with many monomers?

  Use the repeating unit and 'n'
• What happens to the intermolecular forces when polymers are heated?

  They require energy to break
• Why do polymers require a lot of energy to break intermolecular forces?

  They have a high surface area