Addition and Condensation Polymers

• Addition polymers are formed by the joining up of many monomers and only occur in monomers that contain C=C bonds

  • one of the bonds in each C=C bond breaks and forms a bond with the adjacent monomer with the polymer being formed containing single bonds only
• Many polymers can be made by the addition of alkene monomers

  • Others are made from alkene monomers with different atoms attached to the monomer such as chlorine or a hydroxyl group
• The name of the polymer is deduced by putting the name of the monomer in brackets and adding poly- as the prefix

  • e.g. if propene is the alkene monomer used, then the name is poly(propene)
  • Poly(ethene) is formed by the addition polymerisation of ethene monomers
• Deducing the polymer from the monomer (1)

  • Polymer molecules are very large compared with most other molecule
  • Repeat units are used when displaying the formula
  • To draw a repeat unit, change the double bond in the monomer to a single bond in the repeat unit
  • Add a bond to each end of the repeat unit
• Deducing the polymer from the monomer (2)

  • The bonds on either side of the polymer must extend outside the brackets (these are called extension or continuation bonds)
  • A small subscript n is written on the bottom right hand side to indicate a large number of repeat units
  • Add on the rest of the groups in the same order that they surrounded the double bond in the monomer
• Polymer and Monomer Difference

  A) ethene

  B) polyethene

  C) chloroethene

  D) polychloroethene

  
• Deducing the monomer from the polymer

  • Identify the repeating unit in the polymer
  • Change the single bond in the repeat unit to a double bond in the monomer
  • Remove the bond from each end of the repeat unit

  
• You should be able to draw the box diagrams representing polymers where each box represents a part of the repeating hydrocarbon chain

  • The functional groups on the monomers and the link formed in the polymers are the important parts and must be clearly drawn
• Condensation polymers are formed when two different monomers are linked together with the removal of a small molecule, usually water
• Key difference between condensation polymers and addition polymers:

  • Addition polymerisation forms the polymer molecule only
  • Condensation polymerisation forms the polymer molecule and one water molecule per linkage
• Condensation polymers have monomers who have two functional groups present, one on each end

  • The functional groups at the ends of one monomer react with the functional group on the end of the other monomer, in so doing creating long chains of alternating monomers, forming the polymer
• Hydrolysing (adding water) to the compound in acidic conditions usually reverses the reaction and produces the monomers by rupturing the peptide link
• Nylon is a polyamide made from dicarboxylic acid monomers (a carboxylic with a -COOH group at either end) and diamines (an amine with an -NH2 group at eitherend)

  • Each -COOH group reacts with another -NH2 group on another monomer
  • An amide linkage is formed with the subsequent loss of one water molecule per link
• Nylon creation diagram

  A) dicarboxylic

  B) diamine

  C) repeating

  D) polyamide

  E) condensation polymerisation

  F) amide link

  
• The structure of nylon can be represented by drawing out the polymer using boxes to represent the carbon chains

  
• Forming polyesters

  • PET (polyethylene terephthalate) is a polyester made from dicarboxylic acid monomers (a carboxylic with a -COOH group at either end) and diols (alcohol with an -OH group at either end)
  • Each -COOH group reacts with another -OH group on another monomer
  • An ester linkage is formed with the subsequent loss of one water molecule per link
  • For every ester linkage formed in condensation polymerisation, one molecule of water is formed from the combination of a proton (H+) and a hydroxyl ion (OH-)
• Forming polyesters diagram

  A) dicarboxylic acid

  B) condensation polymerisation

  C) diol

  D) repeating unit

  E) polyester

  F) ester link

  
• PET is also used in synthetic fibres as is sold under the trade name of terylene
• You don't need to know the detailed chemical structure of PET, just the symbolic drawing showing the alternating blocks and the linking ester group

  • Be careful not to exactly repeat the linking group in nylon or PET; the link alternates by reversing the order of the atoms, rather like a mirror image
• Addition polymerisation - polymerization that forms only one product
• Macromolecules - the large molecule of polymer chains consisting thousands of monomer units

  • represented by -A-A-A-A where A is a monomer and -A-A is a small molecule
• • Different polymers

  A) vinyl chloride

  B) pvc

  C) polyvinylchloride

  D) pipes

  E) electrical insulation

  F) guttering

  G) strong

  H) hard

  I) tfe

  J) tetrafluroethene

  K) teflon

  L) polytetrafluroethene

  M) non-stick fry pans

  N) soles of irons

  O) non-stick

  P) withstands high temperatures

  Q) repeat unit

  R) propene

  S) polypropene

  T) ropes

  U) packaging

  V) tough

  W) durable

  X) 3 repeating units

  Y) 2 repeat units

  Z) styrene

  [) polystyrene

  \) insulation

  ]) packaging

  ^) light

  _) poor conductor

  
• Condensation vs Addition

  A) one type

  B) monomer

  C) adds

  D) same

  E) alkenes

  F) carbon double

  G) two different monomers

  H) small molecules

  I) water

  J) dioic acids

  K) diol

  
• • Condensation polymerisation
  • The OH of the acid always comes off during condensation polymerisation reactions

  A) other polymer

  B) other polymer

  C) dioic acid

  D) diol

  E) makes water

  F) ester linkages

  G) 2 repeat series

  
• Condensation polymer chains are made up of two starting molecules arranged alternately

  • water molecule is lost each time the molecules link up
  • represented as -A-B-A-B-A-B-
• An ester is formed and water is released when a carboxylic acid and an alcohol reacts because the molecules join together

  • if a dicarboxylic acid reacts with a diol, polyester is formed and water is released
• Condensation polymer using boxes and circle representation

  A) small

  B) monomers

  C) groups

  D) two

  E) functional groups

  F) dioic acid

  G) diol

  H) water

  I) long

  J) chain molecule

  K) polymer

  L) repeating unit

  M) polymer

  
• How to find the carboxylic acid and alcohol using the displayed formula

  An ester is made from one part that originates from the carboxylic acid and the other from the alcohol from which it is made:

  A) carboxylic acid

  B) alcohol

  
• How to draw polyester

  1. Remove OH from either end of the carboxylic acid and remove H from either end of the alcohol, leaving the bonds in place as -C=O and -O-
  2. Now join these together to form -O-C=O, remember to leave the bonds at either end to show that it's part of a chain
• Can saturated compounds undergo polymerisation?

  No.
• How many products does addition polymers produce?

  One product
• What type of polymerisation forms polyesters and polyamides?

  Condensation
• How to the polymer chain given the monomer 


  1. Count the number of carbon atoms present in each monomer
  2. Break the double bond in each monomer.
  3. Look for the corresponding polymer
• Define addition polymerisation


  The joining together of numerous alkene monomers to produce one long-chain polymer
• Property that prevents addition polymers from easily biodegrading

  Inert
• Does mass change in the addition polymerisation reaction

  There is only one product in addition polymerisation.This means that the mass of reactant will equal the mass of product.
• What are the organic compounds that make up polyesters?

  Polyesters are made up of dicarboxylic acids and diols.
• Define non-biodegradable

  Cannot be decomposed by organisms