Plastic

21 Pages 5223 Words

t is used to form polymers is the "mer" or monomer. Monomers are chemically joined together in one of two ways: addition polymerization or condensation polymerization.
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The plastics industry in the United States employed 1,337,700 workers in 1996.
Addition polymerization is comprised of three basic steps: initiation, propagation, and termination. For example, during the initiation phase of the polymerization of polyethylene, the double bonds in the ethylene "mers" break and begin to bond together. A catalyst or promoter may be necessary to begin or speed up the reaction. The second phase, propagation, involves the continued addition of monomers together into chains.
The final step is termination. During termination all monomers may be used, causing the reaction to cease. A polymerization reaction can cease by quenching the reaction. Similar to quenching someone’s thirst, water can be used to quickly cool a reaction. Polymers formed by addition polymerization include acrylic, polyethylene, and polystyrene, to name...