Polymers (OCR GCSE Chemistry A (Gateway)): Revision Note

Polymers

• Not all covalent molecules are small; covalent molecules can also be very large.

• Polymers are very large covalent molecules, sometimes called macromolecules

• Polymers are large molecules of high relative molecular mass and are made by linking together large numbers of smaller molecules called monomers

• Each monomer is a repeat unit and is connected to the adjacent units via strong covalent bonds

• The intermolecular forces acting in between polymer chains are larger than those in between simple molecules so polymers are usually solid at room temperature

  • Common polymers include polythene which is used extensively in plastic bags and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) which has many industrial applications, most notably in the production of water pipes.

• Many everyday materials such as resins, plastics, polystyrene cups, nylon etc. are polymers

• These are manufactured and are called synthetic polymers

• Nature also produces polymers which are called natural or biological polymers

  • Examples include DNA, proteins, silk and wool

Polymers are made from very long carbon chains with a repeating unit

This diagram shows a short section of polystyrene, a polymer used widely in packaging materials