Addition polymers
Unsaturated hydrocarbon with a double bond between the carbon atoms. can be used to make A large molecule formed from many identical smaller molecules known as monomers..
Polymers are very large A collection of two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds. made when many smaller, reactive molecules join together, end to end. The smaller molecules are called monomers.
In general:
lots of monomer molecules â a polymer molecule
The polymers formed are called addition polymers.
This slideshow shows how several chloroethene monomers can join end to end to make poly(chloroethene), also called PVC:
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The method can be summarised as follows:
- monomers have their double bonds broken
- large numbers of monomer molecules will join together
- it forms a long chain called a polymer
Alkenes can act as monomers because they are An unsaturated compound contains at least one double or triple bond.:
- ethene can polymerise to form poly(ethene), also called polythene
- propene can polymerise to form poly(propene), also called polypropylene
- chloroethene can polymerise to form poly(chloroethene), also called PVC
- tetrafluoroethene can polymerise to form poly(tetrafluoroethene), also called PTFE or Teflon