Chapter 26, Problem 26.45P

Interpretation Introduction

Interpretation:

The mechanism for the initiation and first two propagation steps for a given polymerization reaction and the structure of the repeating unit of the resulting polymer has to be determined.

Concept introduction:

Polymerization is a process of reacting monomer molecules together in a chemical reaction to form polymer chains or three-dimensional networks. There are numerous forms of polymerization and different systems available to classify them.

The polymerizations can be initiated by anions or cations, resulting in anionic polymerization or cationic polymerization, respectively. The three main stages 1) initiation, 2) propagation, and 3) termination in the polymerization

The initial step of the polymerization process is initiation. A polymer chain is produced from the an active centers is created in the initiation step. All monomers are not susceptible to all types of initiators.

The reactive intermediate is reagenerated in the propogation step and it can be terminated by addition of monomers.