An addition polymer is a polymer which is formed by an addition reaction, where many monomers bond together via rearrangement of bonds without the loss of any atom or molecule. This is in contrast to a condensation polymer which is formed by a condensation reaction where a molecule, usually water, is lost during the formation. An addition reaction, in chemistry, is in its simplest terms a organic reaction where two or more molecules combine to form a larger one. ... In chemistry, a monomer (from Greek mono one and meros part) is a small molecule that may become chemically bonded to other monomers to form a polymer. ... Condensation polymers are any class of polymers formed through a condensation reaction, releasing (or condensing) a small molecule by-product such as water or methanol, as opposed to addition polymers which involve the reaction of unsaturated monomers. ...

Contrast with condensation polymers

With the exception of combustion, the backbone of addition polymers are generally chemically inert. This is due to the very strong C-C and C-H bonds and lack of polarisation within many addition polymers. For this reason they are non-biodegradable and hard to recycle. This is, again, in contrast to condensation polymers which are bio-degradable and can be recycled. Combustion or burning is a complex sequence of chemical reactions between a fuel and an oxidant accompanied by the production of heat or both heat and light in the form of either a glow or flames. ... In English, to be inert is to be in a state of doing little or nothing. ...

Many exceptions to this rule are products of ring-opening polymerization, which tends to produce condensation-like polymers even though it is an additive process. For example, poly[ethylene oxide] is chemically identical to polyethylene glycol except that it is formed by opening ethylene oxide rings rather than eliminating water from ethylene glycol. Nylon 6 was developed to thwart the patent on nylon 6,6, and while it does have a slightly different structure, its mechanical properties are remarkably similar to its condensation counterpart. In chemistry, ring-opening polymerization is a subset of addition polymerization, in that an end of a growing polymer chain acts as a reactive center that can react with additional monomers to propagate the chain. ... Chemical structure of the polymeric polyethylene glycol Polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polyethylene oxide (PEO) are polymers having an identical structure except for chain length and end groups, and are the most commercially important polyethers. ... The chemical compound ethylene oxide is an important industrial chemical used as an intermediate in the production of ethylene glycol and other chemicals, and as a sterilant for foodstuffs and medical supplies. ... Ethylene glycol (monoethylene glycol (MEG), IUPAC name: ethane-1,2-diol) is an alcohol with two -OH groups (a diol), a chemical compound widely used as an automotive antifreeze. ... Caprolactam molecule used to synthesize Nylon 6 by ring opening polymerization Nylon 6 or polycaprolactam is a polymer developed to reproduce the properties of nylon 6,6 withiout violating the patent on its production. ... A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state to a person for a fixed period of time in exchange for the regulated, public disclosure of certain details of a device, method, process or composition of matter (substance) (known as an invention) which is new, inventive, and... Nylon represents a family of synthetic polymers, a thermoplastic material, first produced on February 28, 1935 by Gerard J. Berchet of Wallace Carothers research group at DuPont. ...

One universal distinction between polymerization types is development of molecular weight by the different modes of propagation. Addition polymers form high molecular weight chains rapidly, with much monomer remaining. Since addition polymerization has rapidly growing chains and free monomer as its reactants, and condensation polymerization occurs in step-wise fashion between monomers, dimers, and other smaller growing chains, the effect of a polymer molecule's current size on a continuing reaction is profoundly different in these two cases. This has important effects on the distribution of molecular weights, or polydispersity, in the finished polymer. The polydispersity index, or PDI, is the ratio of the weight average molecular weight to the number average molecular weight. ...

History

The first useful addition polymer was made by accident in 1933 by ICI chemists Reginald Gibson and Eric Fawcett. They were carrying out a series of experiments which involved reacting organic compounds under high temperatures and high pressures. They set up an experiment to react ethene with benzaldehyde in the hope of producing a ketone. They left the reaction vessel overnight the next morning found a small amount of a white waxy solid. It was shown later that this solid was polyethene. 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) is a British chemical company, based in London. ... Eric Fawcett (August 23, 1927-September 2, 2000, was a professor of physics at the University of Toronto for 23 years. ... Ketone group A ketone is either the functional group characterized by a carbonyl group linked to two other carbon atoms or a chemical compound that contains this functional group. ...

Usage

Addition polymers are widely used today in the form of plastic. This includes polyethene (polythene), polypropylene, polystyrene, and PVC. Household items made out of plastic. ... Polyethylene or polyethene is one of the simplest and most inexpensive polymers. ... Polypropylene lid of a Tic Tacs box, with a living hinge and the resin identification code under its flap Polypropylene or polypropene (PP) is a thermoplastic polymer, used in a wide variety of applications, including food packaging, textiles, laboratory equipment, loudspeakers, automotive components, and polymer banknotes. ... Polystyrene is a polymer made from the monomer styrene, a liquid hydrocarbon that is commercially manufactured from petroleum. ... Polyvinyl chloride Polyvinyl chloride, (IUPAC Polychloroethene) commonly abbreviated PVC, is a widely-used plastic. ...