Question

Can nucleic acids, proteins and starch be considered as step growth polymers?

Answer 1

Step-growth polymers

Step-growth polymerisation is a stepwise reaction between bi-functional or multifunctional monomers in which high-molecular-weight polymers are formed after many steps.

Are nucleic acids step-growth polymers $?$

• Yes, nucleic acids such as DNA, RNA, proteins, and starch can be considered step-growth polymers.
• Nucleic acid is a polynucleotide, proteins are polypeptides, and starch is a polymer of D-glucose
• All these polymers are formed by the linking of monomeric units with the loss of water molecules, i.e. they are formed by condensation polymerisation

Hence, they are also called step-growth polymers.