Polymer Chemistry: Crash Course Organic Chemistry #35 | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

This Crash Course video explores the process of polymerization, different types of polymers, and how their structure influences their properties.

Key Insights

• ❓ Polymerization can occur through addition or condensation reactions, resulting in addition polymers or step-growth polymers, respectively.
• 💦 Addition polymers are formed by adding the same monomers together repeatedly, while condensation polymers release a small molecule, such as water, during the polymerization process.
• 🍦 The structure of a polymer can affect its properties, with linear polymers being harder and less flexible, and branched polymers being softer and more flexible.
• 🎒 Polymers can have crystalline or amorphous structures, depending on how their molecules pack together. Crystalline regions give polymers rigidity, while amorphous regions provide flexibility.
• 🤵 The glass transition temperature (Tg) of a polymer determines its flexibility and brittleness at different temperatures. Polymers with a Tg above room temperature are hard and brittle, while those with a Tg below room temperature are soft and flexible.
• 🛟 Understanding polymer chemistry is crucial as organic polymers have various applications in everyday life, and their properties can impact safety and performance.

Transcript

You can review content from Crash Course Organic Chemistry with the Crash Course App, available now for Android and iOS devices. Hi! I’m Deboki Chakravarti and welcome to Crash Course Organic Chemistry! Necessity may be the mother of invention, but, sometimes, complete chance can play a part, too. Not all chemistry discoveries were meticulously pla... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: How was Teflon, a non-stick material, discovered by accident?

Teflon, or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), was accidentally discovered when Dr. Roy Plunkett opened a cylinder of tetrafluoroethylene and found that it had polymerized into a white solid, which turned out to have non-stick properties.

Q: What are addition polymers, and how are they named?

Addition polymers are formed by adding the same monomers together. They are named by adding "poly" in front of the monomer's name. For example, polystyrene is made up of thousands of styrene monomers joined together.

Q: What are copolymers, and how are they named?

Copolymers are formed from more than one type of monomer. They are named using the initials of the monomers that make up the polymer, such as ABS for a copolymer made from acrylonitrile, 1,3-butadiene, and styrene monomers.

Q: What are the three ways in which polymerization reactions can occur?

Polymerization reactions can occur through free radical, cationic, or anionic mechanisms, depending on the type of initiator used. Each mechanism involves different steps and produces different types of polymers.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Polymerization is the process of joining small, identical subunits called monomers together to form large molecules called polymers.

• Addition polymers are formed by adding the same monomers together repeatedly, while copolymers are formed from more than one type of monomer.

• Polymerization reactions can occur through free radical, cationic, or anionic mechanisms.