Definitions
Polymer
The word polymer is derived from two words in Greek: poly ( meaning many ) and meros ( meaning parts ). A polymer is a substance composed of molecules with a large molecular weight formed from many repeating units, usually covalently bonded together.
Because of thir high molecular weight polymer molecules are also called macromolecules. Examples of polymers are polystyrene, polyethylene, and poly vinyl chloride ( PVC ). The long chin nature of polymers gives them special properties.
Monomer
The word monomer is from the Greek word “mono” ( meaning alone ). A monomer is a simple molecular unit which when it is reached with other monomers forms a polymer. Examples of monomers are styrene, ethylene or vinyl chloride.
Polymerization
Polymerization is the process of forming of a polymer by linking monomers together by chemical reaction. For example polymerization of rthylene yields polyethylene, a typical sample of which may contain molecules with 50,000 carbon atoms linked together in a chain.
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