Addition: Two or more molecules combine to form one large molecule. $$\mathrm{CH}_2=\mathrm{CH}_2+\mathrm{Cl}_2 \rightarrow \mathrm{CH}_2 \mathrm{Cl}-\mathrm{CH}_2 \mathrm{Cl}$$
(1,3-Butadiene)
$\mathrm{Na}$
Condensation reactions:
Nylon 6,6.
$nH_2N-(CH_2)_6-NH_2 (hexamethylene \hspace{1mm} diamine)+nHOOC-(CH_2)_4-COOH (adipic \hspace{1mm} acid) \rightarrow [-HN-(CH_2)_6-NH-CO-(CH_2)_4-CO-]_n+(2n-1)H_2O$ (Polyamide hexamethylene adipimide) Nylon 6,6
$nH_2N-(CH_2)_5-COOH \rightarrow [-HN-(CH_2)_5-CO-]_n+(2n-1)H_2O$ Nylon 6
PET
$CH_2=CH-C_6H_5 \rightarrow [-CH_2-CH-]_n-C_6H_5-$
$CH_2=CH-R+ I^.$ $\rightarrow$ $I-CH_2-C^* H-R $ + $CH_2=CH-R$ $\rightarrow$ $I-CH_2-CH(R)-CH_2-C^{*}H-R$
Polymers are produced by addition of monomers at the end of growing chain $\rightarrow$ Chain-growth polymerization, Chain-growth polymers
Termination
4-Based on mechanism of polymerization
Radical cation anion
Propagation
$$I^.$$
Thermal initiators: covalent bonds which can be homolytically cleaved into the radicals by heating
$\phi-CO-O-O-CO-\phi(benzoyl \hspace{1mm} peroxide) \xrightarrow {\Delta} 2\phi-CO-O^. \rightarrow 2\phi^.+2CO_2$
t-butyle peroxide $(CH_3)_3-C-O-O-C-(CH_3)_3$
Acetyl peroxide
$CH_3-CH_2-CO-O-O-CH_2-CH_3$
$(CH_3)_2CN^-C-N=N-C-(CH_3)_2CN^-$
$X \xrightarrow {\Delta} 2I^. \xrightarrow {CH_2=CH-R} I-CH_2-C^.H-R$
$-CH_2-C^.H_2-$
$-CH_2-CH_2-$
$-CH_2-CH_2-CH_2-CH_2-$ coupling
$-CH=CH_2$
$-CH_2-CH_3$ disproportionation
Polyester formation
$nHO-R-OH (monomer \hspace{1mm} A)+ nHOOC-R^{’}-COOH (monomer \hspace{1mm} B) \rightarrow -CO-O-+H_2O \rightarrow OH-R-O-CO-R^{’}-COOH$ (dimer)
Dimer $\hspace{1mm} + \hspace{1mm}$ monomer $\rightarrow$ trimer
Dimer $\hspace{1mm} + \hspace{1mm}$ Dimer $\rightarrow$ tetramer