- From what
monomer(s)
is the polymer made?
- Draw the
molecular
structures of the polymer and its monomer(s).
- Name some uses for the polymer.
- What natural materials did the polymer replace? What advantages does your material have over the materials it replaces? What are its relative disadvantages?
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Your teacher is going to divide the class into teams of three students, and will assign each team a synthetic polymer. The teacher will then step back and let you teach the class all about it. One member of the team will write a 1-2 page written report about the polymer. The second member will give a five-minute presentation about that polymer. The third member will prepare a poster about the polymer.
Your reports, presentations, and dioramas should include the following information:
Finally, the posters should include pictures of items made from the polymer and chemical equations for the synthesis of the polymer including the molecular structures of the polymer and its monomer(s). If possible, the poster should have information about the people involved in inventing the polymer and real items made from the polymer.
To get you started, here's a good resource for polymer information:
-
The Macrogalleria
— a comprehensive polymer information resource from the University of Southern Mississippi.