The outer case of a mobile, a CD case, a polyester football jersey, sunglasses or the bumper of a scooter, they’re all solid! What do we do to get from naphtha, this heavy petrol, without any doubt at all a liquid, to all these products, generally solid and so varied? By the magic of a chemical reaction called polymerisation! What does it consist of? Certain molecules of hydrocarbons, the monomers, are capable, under special conditions of temperature and pressure and in the presence of catalysers (compounds encouraging the triggering of a reaction), to join together into a unique giant molecule, the polymer.
Polymers, enormous heavy molecules, have very different physical properties from their monomers. They can be very hard and shock-resistant, or on the contrary, soft and pleasant to the touch. Some resist heat very well, others are virtually biodegradable. They can be rigid or conversely very elastic. Look at Lycra, present in so many clothes … how could we manage without its marvellous elasticity?
In fact the monomers form a chain of which the characteristic property is to be rigid or very soft according to the nature of the links. Over time, researchers and industrial companies have selected the most interesting polymers to manufacture the products we find around us. Research into new and ever more effective polymers continues, thanks to the infinite richness of organic chemistry which continually presents us with new surprises. |