Chemistry – Organic chemistry - Polymers | e-Consult

Polymers are large molecules that are formed by the joining together of many smaller, repeating units called monomers. This process is known as polymerisation. Essentially, a polymer is a chain or network of monomers linked covalently. The properties of a polymer depend on the type of monomer used and the way the monomers are arranged. For example, polyethylene is a polymer made from many ethylene monomers.

• Monomer: A small molecule that can bond with other similar molecules to form a polymer.
• Polymer: A large molecule formed by the repeated bonding of many monomers.
• Polymerisation: The process of joining monomers together to form a polymer.