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Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
CHAPTER 27
Synthetic Polymers
Important Terms
addition polymer
a polymer that is made by adding monomers to the growing end of a chain.
(chain-growth polymer)
alpha olefin
a monosubstituted ethylene.
alternating copolymer
a copolymer in which two monomers alternate.
anionic polymerization
a chain-growth polymerization where the initiator is a nucleophile and the propaga
tion site is an anion.
aramide
an aromatic polyamide.
atactic polymer
a polymer in which the substituents are randomly oriented on the extended carbon
chain.
biodegradable polymer
a polymer that can be degraded by microorganisms.
biopolymer
a polymer that is synthesized in nature.
block copolymer
a copolymer in which there are blocks of each kind of monomer within the poly-
mer chain.
cationic polymerization
a chain-growth polymerization where the initiator is an electrophile and the propaga-
tion site is a cation.
chain-growth polymer
a polymer that is made by adding monomers to the growing end of a chain.
(addition polymer)
chain transfer
a reaction in which a growing polymer chain reacts with a molecule XY in a manner
that allows X
#
to terminate the chain, leaving behindY
#
to initiate a new chain.
condensation polymer
a polymer that is made by combining two molecules while removing a small molecule
(step-growth polymer)
(usually water or an alcohol).
conducting polymer
a polymer that can conduct electricity down its backbone.
copolymer
a polymer formed using two or more different monomers.
cross-linking
connecting polymer chains with covalent bonds.
crystallites
regions of a polymer in which the chains are highly ordered.
elastomer
a polymer that can stretch and then revert back to its original shape.