Synthetic and naturally occurring polymers (chemistry only): Practice Questions

Which of the following polymers is produced by addition polymerisation from the monomer propene?

Low density (LD) and high density (HD) poly(ethene) are both produced from the same monomer, ethene. Which factor is primarily responsible for the difference in their physical properties?

DNA is a large molecule essential for life. Which statement best describes the structure of a DNA molecule?

Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Which two functional groups are found in every amino acid molecule?

A specific polymer is produced from the monomer \(HO-CH_{2}-CH_{2}-COOH\). Which statement correctly describes this polymerisation process?

Amino acids, such as glycine, react by condensation polymerisation to produce polypeptides.
Identify the two different functional groups in an amino acid molecule and name the small molecule produced during this reaction.

Compare addition polymerisation with condensation polymerisation in terms of the types of monomers involved and the number of products formed during the reaction.

A polyester can be formed through the condensation polymerisation of a diol and a dicarboxylic acid.

a) Describe the functional groups involved in this reaction and explain why this process is referred to as 'condensation' polymerisation.

b) Using the symbols HO-□-OH to represent the diol and HOOC-□-COOH to represent the dicarboxylic acid, draw the structure of the repeating unit for the resulting polyester.

c) Polyesters are examples of synthetic polymers. Identify two different types of naturally occurring polymers and name the specific monomer from which each is made.