POLYMERS

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POLYMERS

• SIMPLE PIECES
• MAKING
• COMPLEX CHEMICALS

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POLYMERS that we know and love
BALLET TIGHTS SHOES
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POLYMERS that we know and love
CELL PHONES
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POLYMERS that we know and love
RUBBER BALLS
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POLYMERS that we know and love
NYLON STOCKINGS
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POLYMERS that we know and love
NYLON STOCKINGS
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POLYMERS that we know and love
NYLON STOCKINGS
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POLYMERS that we know and love
NYLON STOCKINGS
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POLYMERS that we know and love
NYLON STOCKINGS
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POLYMERS that we know and love
NYLON STOCKINGS
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SOME DEFINITIONS

• POLYMER
• poly- means MANY
• mer means PARTS
• from the Greek word meros for parts

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SOME DEFINITIONS

• POLYMER
• poly- means MANY
• mer means PARTS
• from the Greek word meros for parts
• POLYMERS are made from MONOMERS
• mono- means ONE
• Monomer means ONE PART.

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SOME DEFINITIONS

• Just like a pop-bead necklace is made from many
  
• single beads.

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SOME DEFINITIONS

• Just like a pop-bead necklace is made from many
  
• single beads,

a polymer is often a long chemical chain of
smaller chemical parts.
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• Carbon is particularly talented, since with
  four valence electrons, it can bond in many ways,
  with many elements, to form compounds.

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• Carbon can bind with itself with single, double,
  and triple bonds. The carbon atom has four
  electrons to share with other elements.

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• Carbon can bind with itself with single, double,
  and triple bonds. The carbon atom has four
  electrons to share with other elements.

Below is an ethene molecule (C2H4) with a double
bond between the two carbons.
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From a chemical perspective
The ETHENE molecule, drawn as a stick figure
model.
H H
H H
C C
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From a chemical perspective
H H C C
H H
The ETHENE molecule, drawn as a
straightened stick figure model. showing the
double bond between the 2 carbon atoms.
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From a chemical perspective
H H C C
H H
The DOUBLE BOND between the two carbon atoms.
. .
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From a chemical perspective
H H - C - C
- H H
The DOUBLE BOND between the two carbon atoms
breaks and allows carbon to make more single
bonds, with adjacent carbon atoms, to form a long
chain of carbon atoms.
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Forming the polymer, POLYETHYLENE, shown below
H H H H H
- C -
C - C - C - C -
H H
H H H
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Forming the polymer, POLYETHYLENE, shown below
H H H H H
- C -
C - C - C - C -
H H
H H H
Each hydrogen forms 1 single bond (sharing 1
electron) with carbon.
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Forming the polymer, POLYETHYLENE, shown below
H H H H H
- C -
C - C - C - C -
H H
H H H
Each carbon forms 4 single bonds (sharing 4
electrons) with the neighboring carbons and
hydrogens.
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Forming the polymer, POLYETHYLENE, shown below
H H H H H
- C -
C - C - C - C -
H H
H H H
Each carbon forms 4 single bonds (sharing 4
electrons) with the neighboring carbons and
hydrogens.
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Forming the polymer, POLYETHYLENE, shown below
H H H H H
- C -
C - C - C - C -
H H
H H H
Each carbon forms 4 single bonds (sharing 4
electrons) with the neighboring carbons and
hydrogens.
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A TIMELINE

• Are POLYMERS new?
• Are they only part of our MODERN WORLD?

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A TIMELINE

• Are POLYMERS new?
• Are they only part of our MODERN WORLD?
• Well! They are older than you think!

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• The Ball Court at the Temple of the Jaguars,
  at Chicken Itsa, Mexico is shown below.

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• The Ball Court at the Temple of the Jaguars,
  at Chicken Itsa, Mexico is shown below.
• It is a 15th century Mayan temple where
  Mayans had competitions, using balls they made by
  boiling latex (a natural polymer) obtained from
  the rubber trees.

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• But the start of the modern polymer industry
  is usually listed around the 1830s.

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• But the start of the modern polymer industry
  is usually listed around the 1830s.when
• Charles Goodyear added sulfur to the Mayan
  peoples boiled latex to first produce VULCANIZED
  RUBBER.

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• But the start of the modern polymer industry
  is usually listed around the 1830s.when
• Charles Goodyear added sulfur to the Mayan
  peoples boiled latex to first produce VULCANIZED
  RUBBER.

When sulfur is added to the boiled latex, the
vulcanized rubber does not become brittle in
cold temperatures and does not melt in hot
temperatures, like the Mayans rubber tended to
do.
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• But if you think the POLYMER industry was an
  instant rags to riches success story, think
  again!
• The Goodyear Tire Rubber Company
• was founded in 1898, 60 years after the
  discovery of vulcanization and 30 years after
  Charles Goodyear died penniless.
• Click here to read the not rags to riches story
  of rubber.

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• The founder of the Goodyear Tire Rubber
  Company (Frank Seiberling) realized that his
  companys future was only possible because of
  Charles Goodyears invention.
• So the company immortalized the inventors name.
• And the companys timing was perfect. Bicycling
  was booming and a new-fangled horseless carriage
  had just appeared!

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• Look at what all those tires can be used for!

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• Look at what all those tires can be used for!

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• Look at what all those tires can be used for!

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• Look at what all those tires can be used for!

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POLYMERS TimelineClick within each circle to
learn more.
1500s Mayans boil latex to make natural
rubber.
1832 Goodyear adds S to latex to make
rubber _vulcanized.
1907 Bakelite is 1st synthesized polymer
from starch
1930s Polystyrene, styrofoam and nylon
1920s Vinyl chloride (PVC) cellophane.
1970s Liquid crystals , GoreTex Kevlar
1990s Biological Polymers click here
1990s Biological Polymers
1940s Polyethylene
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POLYMERS are everywhere

• Polymers really do make up our world.
• By 1976, the world was using more plastic than
  steel by 1995, plastic outstripped the amount of
  steel, aluminum and copper combined.
• Visit the POLYMER MALL to get an idea of how many
  everyday things are polymers.

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POLYMERS last A LONG TIME

• Polymers make our lives what they are today.
• Thats the good news.
• Click here for some of the bad news.

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POLYMERS

• In the next Power Point presentation, you will
  see why one polymer is stronger than another
  type.
• Why do some plastics tear easily and others
  require a lot of force?
• Stay tuned.