ORGANIC MOLECULES CAN LINK TO FORM POLYMERS

Identify all the functional groups in these four molecules (ignore the sulfur group in penicillin G)  

Was this your answer Acetaldehyde aldehyde penicillin G amide (two amide groups), carboxylic acid testosterone alconol and ketone morphine alcohol, phenol, ether, and amine. 

Many of the molecules that make up living organisms are polymers, including DNA, proteins, the cellulose of plants, and the complex carbohydrates of starchy foods. We leave a discussion of these important biological molecules to Chapter 13. For now, we focus on the human-made polymers, also known as synthetic polymers, that make up the class of materials commonly known as plastics. 

We begin by exploring the two major types of synthetic polymers used today—addition polymers and condensation polymers. This provides a good background for the discussion of plastics in Chapter 18. 

A polymer is a long molecule consisting of many smaller monomer molecules linked together. 

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Each organic molecule group has small molecules (monomers) that are linked to form a larger organic molecule (macromolecule). Monomers can be jouined together to form polymers that are the large macromolecules made of three to millions of monomer subunits. 

For a polymer to form, monomers must react with one another to form links. Most monomers are organic molecules containing particular functional groups. These are groups of atoms that impart specific chemical functions. In this section, we introduce ftinctional groups that can form the linkages that are characteristic of polymers. 

Ethene or ethylene is the most important organic chemical used in commercial applications. Annual production of ethylene in the United States was over twenty-five million tons in the year 2000. Propylene is also used in large quantities with an annual production of over thirteen million tons. Alkenes such as ethylene and propylene have the ability to undergo addition polymerization. In this process, multiple addition reactions take place and many molecules link together to form a polymer. A polymer is a long chain of repeating units called monomers. For example, the addition of two ethylene molecules can be represented as... 

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