This memory aid covers Memory Aid: ADD vs CONDENSE within Polymers for GCSE Chemistry. Revise Polymers in Organic Chemistry for GCSE Chemistry with 20 exam-style questions and 14 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 12 of 15 in this topic. Use it for quick recall, then test yourself straight afterwards so the memory aid becomes usable in an answer.
Topic position
Section 12 of 15
Practice
20 questions
Recall
14 flashcards
🧠 Memory Aid: ADD vs CONDENSE
The two types of polymerisation are easy to distinguish:
- Addition — alkene opens double bond, chains add together, nothing else produced. Think: ADD = ADD monomer, NOTHING leaves.
- Condensation — two functional groups react, chains join, a small molecule (water) condenses out. Think: CONDENSE = water drops condense out (like water droplets on a cold glass).
Drawing polymers — the four-step checklist:
- Start with the monomer
- Change C=C to C-C (double → single)
- Add continuation lines from each end carbon
- Add brackets with subscript n
Naming polymers: Put the monomer name in brackets with "poly" — ethene → poly(ethene), propene → poly(propene).