Today, without the use of a variety of polymers, it is perhaps impossible to imagine any modern production. They have won a dominant place both in heavy industry and construction, as well as in light and food industries. What is this miraculous material?
What are polymers
A polymer is a macromolecular substance consisting of periodically repeating chain structures (monomers). Such links in the polymer chain can be incredibly many. Their interaction with each other is carried out using covalent bonds, which contribute to the formation of macromolecules.
Polymers come in organic or inorganic origin. In organic molecular compounds, the presence of carbon is mandatory, which is not fundamental to inorganic or synthetic structures. Organic polymeric compounds are organoelemental, carbochain and heterochain.
In addition, polymers are also divided into natural, artificial and synthetic. Moreover, artificial macromolecular compounds are also obtained from organic mono-chains using certain chemical reactions. For example, wool or cotton as a result of a chemical process turns into artificial polymer fibers.
And what are the distinguishing features of artificial polymers from synthetic ones? Modern technological processes make it possible to artificially create or synthesize polymers without using organics, that is, the formation of artificial materials. Synthetic polymers are obtained by synthesizing simple low molecular weight substances or from other synthetic polymeric substances.
Polymer Classification
Conditional systematization subdivides them into the following groups:
1. Natural animal polymers used by mankind for a long time. Examples are the following: gelatin, glycogen.
2. Natural plant polymers, which are also familiar to us. These are starch, rubber, lignin and cellulose.
3. Natural mineral polymers are a commonly used silica or quartz mineral called rock crystal. The colored crystalline becomes a gem - amethyst. In crushed form, it turns into the usual sand for us.
4. Artificial polymers made from organic monomers. Using leaching, polyesters are made from the cellulose substance: ethyl cellulose, benzyl cellulose, and also methyl cellulose used in the paint and varnish industry. Many of these substances are made from wool, leather, fur, silk, etc.
5. Synthetic polymers, widely used in many industrial sectors, have become widespread. For example, in light industry, fabrics and knitwear are created from synthetic fibers such as lavsan, nylon, polypropylene, nitron. They are very durable and practically indelible. Synthetic polymers, representing the basic composition of the fibers of these tissues, are obtained by polycondensation of certain chemical acids with substances such as ethylene glycol, hexamethylene diamine, polyolefin or polyacrylonitrile. Therefore, the basic qualities of the “progenitor” polymers are also transferred to completely new poly compounds. As a result, we get very light and flexible materials with low thermal conductivity, resistant to chemical, physical and atmospheric influences.
Due to many valuable properties, synthetic polymers have found application not only in the textile industry, but also in medicine, cosmetics and perfumery, agriculture, automotive, construction, in the home and in other fields.