Polymerization reactions

Polymers are high-molecular-weight compounds, fashioned by the aggregation of many smaller molecules called monomers. The plastics that have so changed society and the natural and synthetic fibres used in clothing are polymers. There are two basic ways to form polymers: (a) linking small molecules together, a type of addition reaction, and (b) combining two molecules (of the same or different type) with the elimination of a stable small molecule such as water. This latter type of polymerization combines addition and elimination reactions and is called a condensation reaction .

An example of the first type of reaction is the union of thousands of ethylene molecules that gives polyethylene. nH₂C=CH₂ → [―CH₂CH₂―]_n Other addition polymers include polypropylene (made by polymerizing H₂C=CHCH₃), polystyrene (from H₂C=CH C₆H₅), and polyvinyl chloride (from H₂C=CHCl).

Starch and cellulose are examples of the second type of polymer. These are members of a class of compounds called carbohydrates, substances with formulas that are multiples of the simple formula CH₂O. Both starch and cellulose are polymers of glucose, a sugar with the formula C₆H₁₂O₆. In both starch and cellulose, molecules of glucose are joined together with concomitant elimination of a molecule of water for every linkage formed. nC₆H₁₂O₆ → ―[―C₆H₁₀O₅―]―n + nH₂O

The synthetic material nylon is another example of this type of polymer. Water and a polymer (nylon-6,6) are formed when an organic acid and an amine (a compound derived from ammonia) combine.

The natural fibres of proteins such as hair, wool, and silk are also polymers that contain the repeating unit (-CHRCONH-), where R is a group of atoms attached to the main polymer. These form by joining amino acids with the elimination of a water molecule for each CONH or peptide linkage formed; for example, the structure of the tripeptide chain is formed from three units of the amino acid glycine (NH₂CH₂CO₂H).

Solvolysis and hydrolysis

A solvolysis reaction is one in which the solvent is also a reactant. Solvolysis reactions are generally named after the specific solvent—for example, the term hydrolysis when water is involved. If a compound is represented by the formula AB (in which A and B are atoms or groups of atoms) and water is represented by the formula HOH, the hydrolysis reaction may be represented by the reversible chemical reaction AB + HOH ⇌ AH + BOH.

Hydrolysis of an organic compound is illustrated by the reaction of water with esters. Esters have the general formula RCOOR′, R and R′ being combining groups (such as CH₃). The hydrolysis of an ester produces an acid and an alcohol. The equation for the reaction of methyl acetate and water is CH₃COOCH3(aq) + H₂O(l) → CH₃COOH(aq) + CH₃OH(aq). Hydrolysis reactions play an important role in chemical processes that occur in living organisms. Proteins are hydrolyzed to amino acids, fats to fatty acids and glycerol, and starches and complex sugars to simple sugars. In most instances, the rates of these processes are enhanced by the presence of enzymes, biological catalysts.

Hydrolysis reactions are also important to acid-base behaviour. Anions of weak acids dissolve in water to give basic solutions, as in the hydrolysis of the acetate ion, CH₃C OO⁻. CH₃COO⁻(aq) + H₂O (l) → CH₃COOH(aq) + OH⁻(aq) Although this is a reactant-favoured reaction, it occurs to an extent sufficient to cause a solution containing the acetate ion to exhibit basic properties (e.g., turning red litmus paper blue).

Hydrolysis reactions account for the basic character of many common substances. Salts of the borate, phosphate, and carbonate ions, for example, give basic solutions that have long been used for cleaning purposes. Many food products also contain basic anions such as tartrate and citrate ions.

Chain reactions

Chain reactions occur in a sequence of steps, in which the product of each step is a reagent for the next. Chain reactions generally involve three distinct processes: an initiation step that begins the reaction, a series of chain-propagation steps, and, eventually, a termination step.

Polymerization reactions are chain reactions, and the formation of Teflon from tetrafluoroethylene is one example. In this reaction, a peroxide (a compound in which two oxygen atoms are joined together by a single covalent bond) may be used as the initiator. Peroxides readily form highly reactive free-radical species (a species with an unpaired electron) that initiate the reaction. There are a number of different ways to terminate the chain, only one of which is shown. (In the following equations, the dots represent unpaired electrons, and R is a generic organic group.)

1. Decomposition of a peroxide to radicals:ROOR → 2 RO∙
2. Chain initiation:RO∙ + F₂C=CF₂ → ROCF₂CF₂∙
3. Chain-propagation steps:ROCF₂CF₂∙ + F₂C=CF₂ → ROCF₂CF₂CF₂CF₂∙ROCF₂CF₂CF₂CF₂∙ + (n−2)F₂C=CF₂ → RO―(CF₂CF₂∙)_n―
4. A possible chain-termination step:RO―(CF₂CF₂∙)_n― + ∙OR → RO(CF₂CF₂)_nOR