Free interactive chemistry · SIM-POLY-001
Polymerisation
Polymers form by addition (chain growth) or condensation (step growth).
Open the interactive simulation →How to use this simulation
- Choose a polymer.
- Change the number of units shown.
- For rubber, turn on “Vulcanise” to add sulfur cross-links.
- Compare chain length against conversion in the graph.
What to notice
- Addition polymers lose nothing; condensation polymers lose a small molecule at each link.
- Step growth only gives long chains at very high conversion.
Try this
At 99% conversion, how long are step-growth chains on average?
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