Importance of Polymers

Introduction

Welcome to my blog about extremely interesting science that is chemistry. My name is Temirlan Raimbekov and I am a Bachelor student of Science in Chemistry at Nazarbayev University. I am very interested in chemistry and I have been studying it for more than 7 years. I created this blog to share my knowledge of chemistry with you. In my first post I want to acquaint you with chemical molecules – polymers, and explain their importance. 

What are polymers?

I think that most of you heard or may know something about polymers. So what are they? Polymers are very large molecular compounds made up of small repeating units, which are called monomers. For example, polyethylene that can be considered as simple polymer constructed from ethylene molecules (see Picture 1).


Picture 1. Polymerization of ethylene (link)
Polymers can be divided into two types: synthetic and natural ones. Synthetic polymers can be received from petroleum and synthesized in laboratories through a cycle of chemical reactions. Examples of synthetic polymers are: polyethylene, polyvinylchloride, rubber, nylon. Natural polymers are polymers that can be found in nature. For example: cellulose, proteins, wool, DNA. Both synthetic and natural polymers play significant role in a daily life of people.

 

Why polymers are useful?

In fact, most of beneficial synthetic matters are polymers. As it was mentioned, polyethylene is simple polymer, but at the same time it has many useful properties. Actually, polyethylene is a rigid and supple plastic material. It is used for different destinations, such as pipelines, bottles, electrical isolation, package of films, and other. As can be seen, it is very useful, but scientists found that its characteristics can be altered when ethylene monomer is substituted. For instance, hydrogen atoms on ethylene molecule can be substituted by fluorine atoms, this molecule is called tetrafluoroethylene (see Picture 2). The polymer of tetrafluoroethylene is known as polytetrafluoroethylene, but it is better known as Teflon. At temperatures below -250°C, Teflon is extremely strong, hard and self-oiling material, while at high temperatures (above -70°C) it is flexible. Due to these properties, Teflon can be used for nonstick coverings, tableware, electric insulations and low-temperature applying. To summarize, it can be said that by different substitutions broad diversity of polymers features can be achieved.

 Picture 2. Polymerization of tetrafluoroethylene (link)

Now you know that synthetic polymers are very helpful, but what about natural ones? Above, we mentioned that natural polymers are ones that occur in nature. Examples of these type of polymers are proteins. Proteins are essential for our life, because 15% of our bodies are composed of them and they provide useful properties. For example, fibrous proteins support tissues by giving them toughness and structural integrity. Another type of natural polymers is carbohydrates, and their monomers are monosaccharides. Carbohydrates are “biologically important molecules”, they supply structural stuff for plants and nutrition source for animals. To sum up, living organisms are not able to live without natural polymers, because they provide things that are essential for them.

In conclusion, it is known that there are 2 types of polymers: synthetic and natural. As a matter of fact, both types of polymers are highly useful. Synthetic polymers are frequently used for different purposes, such as production of nonstick coatings, bottles, pipelines etc. While natural polymers, such as proteins and carbohydrates, are extremely important for living organisms, because they provide them with essential things. If you want to know more about polymers, you can use sources that are listed in the reference list below.

References:

1. Gelfand. "Natural vs Synthetic Polymers." Carnegie Mellon University. Accessed September 22, 2014. http://www.cmu.edu/gelfand/k12-teachers/polymers/natural-synthetic-polymers/index.html
 2. McCrum, Norman Gerard, C. P. Buckley, and Clive B. Bucknall. Principles of Polymer Engineering. Oxford University Press, 1997. Accessed September 25, 2014. http://books.google.kz/books?hl=en&lr=&id=UX-sAQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP2&ots=b90l7G39t4&sig=gUYaE12DRYSrOsdpCg1c54Qs_wE&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

 3. Teflon, DuPont, and PTFE Fluoropolymer Resin. "Properties Handbook." (2012). Accessed September 25, 2014. http://www.rjchase.com/ptfe_handbook.pdf

 4. Zumdahl, Steven S. "Organic and Biochemical Molecules." In Chemical principles. 6th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co, 2009. 1035-1060. Accessed September 23, 2014. http://books.google.kz/books?hl=en&lr=&id=2OxrDtDaSqIC&oi=fnd&pg=PR15&ots=Bs-NNjjVJD&sig=g4KW8WwzcbZj4AYsLQmj6rixFFM&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false