Addition Polymers

• Alkene


  A molecule with a carbon-carbon double bond
• Alkenes


  • Unsaturated
  • Double bond can break into a single bond, allowing new bonds to form
• Addition polymerization of alkenes

  1. Monomers (e.g. ethene) form new bonds with each other

  2. Resulting in a long chain polymer
• Monomer


  The smaller units that make up a polymer
• Repeating unit


  The group of atoms that is repeated throughout the polymer, containing the same atoms as the monomer
• To draw the reaction, show a single monomer on the left and a single repeating unit on the right</b>
• Bonds of the monomer should be drawn facing up and down, while bonds of the repeating unit should point left and right through the brackets
• The 'n' represents the number of monomers and repeating units in the polymer
• Butane


  A 4-carbon alkene
• Drawing the addition polymerization of butane

  1. Rearrange the groups attached to the double-bonded carbons

  2. Draw the repeating unit with the double bond removed and bonds extending through brackets
• Polymerization name


  Poly[monomer name]
• Addition polymerization requires high pressure and a catalyst