THE CHEMISTRY OF POLYMERS

In this chapter we deal with a very basic concept—from where does everything start We begin with the raw materials for the polymer industry, the so-called monomers, and explain how they are produced. The process for polymer synthesis—polymerization—should be well understood regarding both the mechanism as well as the industrial technology. We avoid going into too many details but still point out the basic principles. 

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This book seeks to introduce readers to the chemistry of polymers. It is aimed primarily at new graduates who have not previously studied polymer chemistry as part of their degree course, but it ought to prove useful to others as well. I hope that final year students studying polymer chemistry and more experienced chemists in industry looking for concise information on the subject will find their needs met as well. 

In preparing this book I have attempted to do two distinct things (i) to provide a brief, readable introduction to the chemistry of polymers and (ii) to emphasise the applied aspects of the scientific knowledge presented. I believe that any introductory book ought to be written in a way that encourages its proposed audience actually to read it. Also as an applied scientist myself I want to emphasise the applications of polymer chemistry since I believe that these are worth covering in a book of this type. 

The Chemistry of Polymers by J. W. Nicholson Vitamin C - Its Chemistry and Biochemistry... 

Since COMC II (1995), published work in this area has included several studies of the influence of catalyst and monomer structure on the dehydropolymerization of silanes, as this likely affect the chemistry of polymer chain growth. 

This section introduces simple polymer reaction chemistry used to produce many commodity polymers. Understanding this simplified approach to the chemistry of polymer production Is Important In troubleshooting many extrusion processes, especially those that are producing unwanted degradation products that contaminate the discharge resin. There are two general types of polymer production processes 1) step or condensation reactions, and 2) addition or vinyl polymerization reactions. An overview of the reaction mechanisms wifi be presented in the next sections. 

Nicholson, J.W. 2006. The Chemistry of Polymers. Royal Society of Chemistry, London. 

If the chemistry of polymer molecules were different from that of simple compounds resembling the repeating units (model compounds), the study of the chemical resistance of organic polymers would be difficult. Fortunately, Nobel laureate Paul Flory found that the rate of esterification of molecules with terminal hydroxyl and carboxyl groups is essentially independent of the size of the molecules. Thus it is customary to assume that the rates of most reactions of organic molecules are similar regardless of the size of the molecule. 

Elias, H-G. 1997. An introduction to polymer science. New York, NY Wiley-VCH. Nicholson, J. W. 1997. The chemistry of polymers. 2nd ed. London The Royal Society of Chemistry. 

Nicholson, J. W. 1997. The chemistry of polymers. 2nd ed. London The Royal Society of Chemistry. 

Polymer chemistry is definitely a growth industry, but most chemistry teachers have had few polymer chemistry or materials science courses even at the college level. This textbook gives a teacher a thorough introduction to the chemistry of polymers, both synthetic and natural. Moreover it is easy to understand and enjoyable to read. 

Ring-opening polymerization is an important field of research in the chemistry of polymer synthesis. Usually, it proceeds by ionic mechanisms, i.e. cationic, anionic and coordinate anionic mechanisms. Research on ring-opening polymerization proceeding via free-radical propagating species in which the so-called molecular design of monomer plays an important role has recently been reported. 

The reaction of high polymers is another research field of molecular engineering of polymers. In classical polymer chemistry, the synthesis of poly(vinyl alcohol) by hydrolysis of poly(vinyl acetate) may be quoted as a typical example. The chemistry of polymer reactions is still advancing, and many interesting studies are being carried out. In this chapter, a study of Smith et al.55) is described, which illustrates the characteristics of polymer reactions and the production of a functional polymer. 

Chemistry of Polymer Oxidation. The conclusions drawn from the total acid and active oxygen titration data and the results from re-ozonization can be used to form an over-all picture of polymer oxidation. The chemistry of polymer oxidation can be represented as shown below. 

Willi Volksen and Robert Miller, both IBM Almaden, diligently manufactured and provided the samples for this study. Their insight into the chemistry of polymers, copolymers and pore generators was invaluable for the understanding of the data. Samples from a wide range of other sources were investigated. Data from some are used here. 

While the chemistry of polymer synthesis can be explained by the usual themes of organic reactions, the large size of polymer molecules gives them some unique physical properties compared to small organic molecules. 

A large number of publications are available on paints and coatings, plastics and concrete. Unfortunately, the information available on polymeric construction products is scattered in journals, society reports and huge tomes which cover various technologies. This has tended to confuse and befuddle rather than enlighten the uninformed user. In this book an attempt has been made to present information on the chemistry of polymers, specific polymer systems in construction and health and safety issues. 

Chapter 2 covers the chemistry of polymers, keeping in view the chemistry involved in construction products. Chapters 3-9 detail specific polymer systems. Health and safety issues have also been covered in a general way. It is important to maintain that these general comments are for guidance only any product should be used only in accordance with... 

THE CHEMISTRY OF POLYMER THERMAL DECOMPOSITION - General aspects... 

The chemistry of polymers is more complex if the starting units are asymmetric ... 

Macrogalleria is a homepage produced by the Department of Polymer Sciences, University of Mississippi, which clearly describes the chemistry of polymers, http //www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog. 

The Chemistry of Polymers is a concise, easy-to-read, inexpensive introduction to the subject and fulfils the need for a polymer text wrifF from an applied angle. It covers the basics of polymer chemistry while emphasising the practical applications and is essential for those who wish to acquire a rapid overview of the field. This book covers the. basics of polymer synthesis, characterisation, reaction kinetics and materials science, as well as important specialised topics such as polymer degradation, polymers and pollution, and a variety of technological developments... 

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