This deep dive covers What are Polymers? 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 2 of 15 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 2 of 15
Practice
20 questions
Recall
14 flashcards
🔬 What are Polymers?
Basic Definition
A polymer is a very large molecule made by joining many small molecules (monomers) together in a long chain. Think of it like a paper chain — each piece of paper is a monomer, and the whole chain is the polymer.
Common Polymers Around Us
- Poly(ethene) — plastic bags and bottles (from ethene, C₂H₄)
- Poly(propene) — food containers and carpets (from propene, C₃H₆)
- PVC (poly(chloroethene)) — pipes and window frames
- PTFE (poly(tetrafluoroethene)) — non-stick coating on pans
- Polystyrene — foam packaging
- Natural polymers: starch, cellulose, proteins, DNA