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The polymer industry began to develop rapidly about 100 years ago. Organic chemists synthesized new compounds with unique properties almost every day. Modern plastics are as strong as metal and do not have many of the disadvantages associated with traditional construction and structural materials. Today, an aircraft with a plastic fuselage or a ship with a polymer hull is no longer surprising. In addition to its unique physical and chemical properties, plastic has another important characteristic: a relatively low cost.
However, the emergence of polymers and their mass production have also caused serious environmental problems, which are increasingly becoming environmental disasters.
What are polymers?
From a chemical perspective, polymers are high-molecular-weight compounds made up of repeatedly recurring structural units called monomers. A defining feature of a polymer molecule is its enormous molecular mass, which can be tens or hundreds of times greater than the atomic mass of the heaviest metals. School-level knowledge of polymers is usually limited to a few common names, but the number of synthesized and described compounds has long exceeded 10,000. Organic chemistry classifies polymers according to the following characteristics:
- chemical composition (organic, inorganic, and organoelement polymers);
- origin (natural, artificially modified, and synthetic);
- main-chain structure (homochain and heterochain);
- spatial structure (stereoregular and non-stereoregular);
- macromolecular structure (linear, branched, ladder-like, and others);
- method of production (polymerization or polycondensation);
- temperature resistance (thermoplastic or thermosetting).
The variety of compositions and structures results in a very broad range of physical and chemical properties. Important characteristics of plastics include their ability to form films or fibers, directional strength, elasticity, and insulating properties. Polymers can exist in several physical states, some of which are truly unique, such as a viscous-flowing liquid or an elastic state not found in any low-molecular-weight compound.
