ORIGIN OF POLYMERS

 


  •  The word polymers comes from the union of two Greek words: polys (“many”) and mere (“parts, segments”), and they were named for the first time in 1866 by Marcellin Berthelot.


  • Many of the materials used by humanity since ancient times are polymers, such as wood, wool or silk, and from their modification it was possible to obtain more resistant and useful forms.


  • The first fully synthetic polymer was obtained in 1907, when Dutchman Leo Hendrik Baekeland developed Bakelite from phenol and formaldehyde.


  • However, the formal study of polymers began in 1922, when the German Hermann Staudinger determined (1926) that they were long molecular chains and began the process of their nomenclature and understanding, laying the foundations for macromolecular science. The latter would take a definitive push after the Second World War and from the second half of the 20th century a true revolution of synthetic polymers would come.

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POLYMERIZATION

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 The process of building polymers is polymerization and consists of the union by covalent bonds of the different monomers that comprise it. This process can be of two types: By condensation.  It results in copolymers and homopolymers, through the loss of a small molecule (of water, for example) at each monomer bond. It is also known as step polymerization. By addition.  It occurs in a three-phase process: initiation, propagation, and termination, during which homolytic cleavage occurs and monomers come together. No low molecular mass molecules are released.
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EXAMPLES OF POLYMERS

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   Polymers are very important compounds, since some fulfill vital functions in living beings. For example: proteins, DNA. Many of them are present in nature and in practically everything that surrounds us. For example: plastic in a toy; the rubber in car tires; the wool in a sweater. Some well known are: Cellulose . It is the biopolymer from which wood and paper are made. DNA . It is the deoxyribonucleic acid present in the nucleus of our cells is a good example of a natural polymer. The PCV . Polyvinyl chloride is obtained by polymerizing vinyl chloride and is one of the most versatile plastic derivatives that exist. Starch . It is a white, odorless and tasteless substance, composed of two types of sugars. It is used by plants as an energy reserve material. Nylon . Known as nylon or nylon, it is a polyamide used in the manufacture of traditional female stockings as well as for ropes, parachutes and thousands of other textile supplies. Bakelite . It is the first synthetic plastic subs
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POLYMER'S APPLICATIONS AND DEFECTS

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Polymers are enormously versatile. Their resistance to electrical conduction has made them ideal for coatings and insulation. Some, with a very high melting point, are also used to thermally insulate kitchen utensils. In other cases, they are suitable construction materials for coatings and waterproofing, or as a structural material. Many petroleum-derived polymers are the raw material for making plastics of all kinds and functions, from containers, tools, parts, toys, etc. Idustrial polymers often have defects, which have to do with non-homoeneous distribution of their monomers, or the contamination of the chain with elements foreign to the substance. These defects are usually not visible to the naked eye and require examination by LUMOS microscopes
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