POLYMERIZATION

 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.