Bonding in polymers

• Polymer


  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


  Joining together thousands of monomer molecules
• Polyethene


  Polymer formed by joining together ethene monomers
• Polymer bonds


  • Single covalent bonds between carbon atoms, all extremely strong
• Repeating unit


  Shorthand way to represent a polymer, shows a single covalent bond between carbon atoms with bonds extending out on either side, and a lowercase n representing 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