Polymer chemistry
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199498900
2008-03-20T02:03:52Z
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'''Polymer chemistry''' or '''macromolecular chemistry''' is a multidisciplinary [[science]] that deals with the [[chemical synthesis]] and [[Chemical property|chemical properties]] of [[polymer]]s or [[macromolecule]]s. According to [[IUPAC]] recommendations <ref>[[IUPAC]] definition [http://www.iupac.org/reports/1996/6812jenkins/substances.html#2.2 [[IUPAC]] Polymer]</ref> <ref>[[IUPAC]] definition [http://www.iupac.org/reports/1996/6812jenkins/molecules.html#1.1 Macromolecule]</ref>, macromolecules refer to the individual molecular chains and are the domain of [[chemistry]]. Polymers describe the bulk properties of polymer materials and belong to the field of [[polymer physics]] as a subfield of [[physics]].
*[[Biopolymer]]s produced by living organisms:
**structural [[protein]]s: [[collagen]], [[keratin]], [[elastin]]…
**[[chemical reaction|chemically functional]] proteins: [[enzyme]]s, [[hormone]]s, [[transport protein]]s…
**structural [[polysaccharide]]s: [[cellulose]], [[chitin]]…
**storage polysaccharides: [[starch]], [[glycogen]]…
**[[nucleic acid]]s: [[DNA]], [[RNA]]
*[[chemical synthesis|Synthetic]] polymers used for [[plastic]]s — [[fiber]]s, [[paint]]s, [[building material]]s, [[furniture]], [[machine|mechanical parts]], [[adhesive]]s:
**[[thermoplastic]]s: [[polyethylene]], [[Teflon]] [[polystyrene]], [[polypropylene]], [[polyester]], [[polyurethane]], [[polymethyl methacrylate]], [[polyvinyl chloride]], [[nylon]], [[rayon]], [[celluloid]], [[silicone]], [[fiberglass]]…
**[[thermosetting plastic]]s: [[vulcanization|vulcanized]] [[rubber]], [[Bakelite]], [[Kevlar]], [[epoxy]]…
Polymers form by [[polymerization]] of [[monomer]]s. A polymer is chemically described by its [[degree of polymerisation]], [[molar mass distribution]], [[tacticity]], [[copolymer]] distribution, the degree of [[branching (chemistry)|branching]], by its [[end-group]]s, [[cross-link|crosslinks]], [[crystallinity]] and thermal properties such as its [[glass transition temperature]] and melting temperature. Polymers in [[solution]] have special characteristics with respect to [[solubility]], [[viscosity]] and [[gel|gelation]].
== History ==
The work of [[Henri Braconnot]] in 1732 and [[Christian Schönbein]] in 1846 led to the discovery of [[nitrocellulose]], which, when treated with [[camphor]] produced [[celluloid]]. Dissolved in [[ether]] or [[acetone]], it is [[collodion]], used as a [[wound]] dressing since the [[American Civil War|U.S. Civil War]]. [[Cellulose acetate]] was first prepared in 1865. In 1834, [[Friedrich Ludersdorf]] and [[Nathaniel Hayward]] independently [[plastic|discovered]] that adding sulfur to raw natural [[rubber]] ([[isoprene|polyisoprene]]) helped prevent the material from becoming sticky. In 1844 [[Charles Goodyear]] received a U.S. patent for [[vulcanization|vulcanizing]] rubber with [[sulfur]] and heat. [[Thomas Hancock]] had received a patent for the same process in the UK the year before.
In 1884 [[Hilaire de Chardonnet]] started the first artificial [[fiber]] plant based on regenerated [[cellulose]], or [[viscose]] [[rayon]], as a substitute for [[silk]], but it was very flammable.<ref>[http://www.plastiquarian.com/top.htm plastiquarian]</ref> In [[1907]] [[Leo Baekeland]] invented the first [[chemical synthesis|synthetic]] polymer, a [[thermoset]]ting [[phenol]]-[[formaldehyde]] resin called [[Bakelite]]. [[Cellophane]] was invented in 1908 by [[Jocques Brandenberger]] who squirted sheets of viscose rayon into an [[acid]] bath.<ref>[http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blcellophane.htm inventors of blcellophane]</ref> In 1922 [[Hermann Staudinger]] was the first to propose that polymers consisted of long chains of [[atoms]] held together by [[covalent bond]]s. He also proposed to name these compounds [[macromolecule]]s. Before that, [[scientist]]s believed that polymers were clusters of small [[molecule]]s (called [[colloid]]s), without definite [[molecular mass|molecular weights]], held together by an unknown [[force]]. Staudinger received the [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry]] in 1953. [[Wallace Carothers]] invented the first synthetic rubber called [[neoprene]] in 1931, the first [[polyester]], and went on to invent [[nylon]], a true silk replacement, in 1935. [[Paul Flory]] was awarded the [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry]] in 1974 for his work on polymer [[random coil]] configurations in solution in the 1950s. [[Stephanie Kwolek]] developed an [[aramid]], or [[aromatic]] nylon named [[Kevlar]], patented in 1966.
There are now a large number of [[commerce|commercial]] polymers, including [[composite material]]s such as [[carbon fiber]]-[[epoxy]], [[polystyrene]]-[[polybutadiene]] (HIPS), [[acrylonitrile]]-[[butadiene]]-[[styrene]] (ABS), and other such materials that combine the best properties of their various components, including polymers designed to work at high [[temperature]]s in [[automobile]] [[engine]]s.
==See also==
*[[Radical polymerization]]
*[[RAFT (chemistry)]]
*[[Robert Gilbert (chemist)|Robert Gilbert]]
==References==
<references/>
==External links==
* [http://www.polymerchemistryhypertext.com/ Polymer Chemistry Hypertext, Educational resource]
{{BranchesofChemistry}}
[[Category:Polymer chemistry]]
[[ar:كيمياء بوليمرات]]
[[bn:পলিমার রসায়ন]]
[[cs:Makromolekulární chemie]]
[[de:Polymerchemie]]
[[es:Química de los polímeros]]
[[ko:고분자화학]]
[[id:Kimia polimer]]
[[it:Chimica dei polimeri e delle macromolecole]]
[[la:Chemia Polymerica]]
[[nl:Polymeerchemie]]
[[ja:高分子化学]]
[[ru:Химия полимеров]]
[[fi:Polymeerikemia]]
[[th:เคมีพอลิเมอร์]]
[[wuu:高分子化学]]
[[zh:高分子化学]]