This deep dive covers Properties of Polymers within Polymers for GCSE Chemistry. Revise Polymers in Organic Chemistry for GCSE Chemistry with 20 exam-style questions and 14 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 7 of 15 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
🔧 Properties of Polymers
Structure and Bonding
Polymers have strong covalent bonds within each chain, but only weak intermolecular forces between different chains. This explains all their properties.
Key Properties and Explanations
- Strong and durable: Covalent bonds within chains are very strong
- Flexible: Weak forces between chains allow them to slide past each other
- Electrical insulators: No free electrons or mobile ions to carry current
- Low melting points (compared to metals): Only need to overcome weak intermolecular forces
- Waterproof: Non-polar molecules don't mix with polar water
Practice questions for Polymers
What type of monomers are needed for addition polymerisation?
Explain how addition polymerisation works. Include the role of the double bond.