🔵Monomer vs Polymer⛓️
Polymers are made by linking many monomers together. The relationship is like beads forming a long necklace.
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🔵Monomer
- ✓A single small molecular unit
- ✓The building block of a polymer
- ✓Can react and join with other monomers
- ✓Low molecular mass
- ✓Examples: ethene, glucose, amino acids
⛓️Polymer
- ✓A long chain of many monomers
- ✓Built by polymerization
- ✓Very high molecular mass
- ✓Has properties unlike its monomers
- ✓Examples: polythene, starch, proteins
Verdict
A monomer is one small unit; a polymer is many of them joined into a long chain. Polymerization links monomers, often releasing small molecules in the process.
Frequently asked
How are polymers made?+
By polymerization, where many monomer units bond together into a long chain.
Do polymers act like their monomers?+
No. Polymers usually have very different properties from the monomers that build them.
Is starch a polymer?+
Yes. Starch is a natural polymer built from many glucose monomer units.
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