Question

Answer the following questions regarding the formation of polymers.

a. What structural features must be present in a monomer in order to form a homopolymer polyester?

b. What structural features must be present in the monomers in order to form a copolymer polyamide? (Hint: Nylon is an example of a polyamide. When the monomers link together to form nylon, an amide functional group results from each linkage.)

c. What structural features must be present in a monomer that can form both an additional polymer and a condensation polymer?

Short answer

(a) For homopolymer polyester to form, an alcohol functional group needs to react with a carboxylic group.

(b) For copolymer polyamide to form or polymerization to happen, each monomer would need to have two reactive functional groups for them to react with each other.

(c) For addition polymer and condensation polymer to form, monomers will need at least two functional groups at each side or an bifunctional group to be present usually aside carbon double bond and react with each other

Step-by-step solution

Step 1: Structural feature present in a monomer form a homopolymer polyester

In order to form homopolymer polyester, a monomer would need to have an alcohol functional group present aside from the carboxylic acid group in its molecular structure.

Since for polyester to form, an alcohol functional group needs to react with a carboxyl group.

Hence For homopolymer polyester to form, an alcohol functional group needs to react with a carboxylic group.

Structural features present in the monomers to form a copolymer polyamide

In order to form copolymer polyamide, one monomer would need to consist of minimum two amine functional groups in its molecular structure while another monomer would need to consist of minimum two carboxylic acid functional groups present in its molecular structure.

Since for copolymer polyamide to form or polymerization to happen, each monomer would need to have two (an amine functional group would need to react with a carboxylic functional group).

Hence For copolymer polyamide to form or polymerization to happen, each monomer would need to have two reactive functional groups for them to react with each other.

Structural features present in a monomer that can form both an addition polymer and a condensation polymer

In order to form an addition polymer(also known as free-radical polymerization) and condensation polymer , two most commonly known methods for polymer synthesis, aside from carbon double bond being present a monomer would need to have an alcohol functional group present aside from carboxylic acid group in its molecular structure, or an amine functional group with a carboxylic functional group aside carbon double bond. Since for addition polymer and condensation polymer to form, monomers will need at least two functional

Hence For addition polymer and condensation polymer to form, monomers will need at least two functional groups at each side or an bifunctional group to be present usually aside carbon double bond and react with each other