Chapter 22.5, Problem 25SSC

Interpretation Introduction

Interpretation: The physical properties of the polymer formed from a given monomer need to be predicted. Whether it is thermoplastic or thermosetting needs to be determined.

Concept Introduction: The monomer units combine together to form a polymer in the polymerization reaction. There are two types: addition and condensation polymerization. The polymers can be synthetic and natural.

Explanation of Solution

The given monomer is as follows:

  

The polymer formed from the above monomer will be by addition polymerization as no side product is released after the polymerization reaction.

The polymer formed will be as follows:

  

This is polypropene or PP.

The above polymer is non-polar in nature thus; it will be insoluble in water as water is polar in nature.

Since the given polymer is non-polar and insoluble in water, it does not conduct electricity. Also, it belongs to the groups of polyolefins. They have a partial crystalline texture. It does not have a permanent solid-state thus, it is not a thermosetting polymer. It is a thermoplastic polymer because it can be melted and cooled to form various shapes, thus, it is used in a number of applications. Considering the chemical reactivity, polypropene is formed via chain-growth polymerization from the propylene monomer. It is very rigid and has very low chemical reactivity towards organic solvents. Due to this reason, non-oxidizing acids and bases are kept in the PP containers.