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This lesson covers polymers — long-chain molecules made from repeating units — as required by the Edexcel GCSE Chemistry (1CH0) specification. You need to understand how addition polymers are formed, how to draw sections of polymer chains, and the difference between thermosoftening and thermosetting polymers.
A polymer is a very large molecule (a macromolecule) made up of many small, repeating units called monomers joined together.
The word "polymer" comes from Greek: poly = many, mer = parts.
Exam Tip: Make sure you can define monomer, polymer and polymerisation separately. These are common 1-mark definition questions.
Addition polymerisation is the process by which many alkene monomers (molecules with a C=C double bond) join together to form a polymer. No other product is formed — the only product is the polymer.
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