Very large molecule made by joining together thousands of small identical molecules called monomers
Monomer
Small molecule that is the starting material for making a polymer, often an alkene molecule
Monomers
Ethene
Forming a polymer
Join together thousands of monomer molecules
Polyethene
Polymer formed by joining together ethene monomers
Polymer bonds
Covalent bonds between carbon atoms are extremely strong
Repeating unit
Shorthand way to represent a polymer, shows a single covalent bond between carbon atoms, bonds extend out on either side, lowercase n represents a large number of repeating units
Intermolecular forces between polymer molecules
Relatively strong, require a lot of energy to break in order to melt the polymer
Most polymers are solids at room temperature due to their high melting point
