Question

What is the meaning of polymer?

Answer 1

1. Polymers are the macromolecules that are formed by the combination of many small units called monomers.
2. 'Poly' means many and ‘mer’ means associated parts and together they are called many associated parts or polymer.
3. The naturally occurring polymer in the human body is a biopolymer called DNA strand.
4. Polymers are mainly classified as Natural polymers, Synthetic polymers, and semi-synthetic polymers.
5. Natural polymers are those that are found in plants and animals, such as proteins, rubber, cellulose, etc.
6. Synthetic polymers are those that are formed manually.
7. These are the widely used polymers such as plastic, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), nylon-6,6, polyether, etc.
8. Semi-synthetic polymers are those polymers that are chemically synthesized and modified such as cellulose, acetate, etc.
9. Example: formation of polyvinyl: By the use of Ethyne and Hydrochloric acid we get Chloroethane and the polymerization of Chloroethane to form Polyvinyl.