2. ¿WHAT IS A POLYMER?
• The polymers are macro molecules formed by
the joint of smaller molecules called monomers.
• The polymers can be:
– Natural: Found in nature, they appear naturally.
– Synthetic: Created by humans, they are the ones we
are used to see in daily life.
– Semisynthetic: Modified natural polymers.
3. MONOMERS
• It is a molecule with a small molecular mass that
joint with other monomers, sometimes hundreds
or thousands, generally covalent, form theMonomer
macromolecules known as polymers.
Monomer
Polymer
4. NATURAL
Silk, obtained from
the cocoons of one
Plants Animals typeProduced by
of larva. Esential for live
• As we said, they appear naturally, they were living beings
created at the same time that the living beings,
Polymer Starch Proteins Wool, Silk DNA
such as: DNA, we can say that it’s
Monomer Glucose Amino acids the first polymer in the Acids
Nucleic
Earth because it is the
base of live, it contains
What they are? Basic particule They form the Used in industry. It has all the
the genetic information
that forms most of animal genetic
of each living being.
thestructure of tisues. information, a
Wool, obtained from the
the plants. polymer present
hair of sheeps, very present
in all the living
in the Spani’s economy
beings, from
since the Middle Age
microorganisms
to plants.
5. SINTHETIC
• Created by humans, A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY:
almost of them came
Natural They were developed in the
from petrol, a fossil
rubber Second World War because
fuel that comes from the supplies of rubber from
the discomposed
rests of living beings Asian countries were cut by
died millions of years Japan, so scientists
ago, it is found in developed a type of rubber
wells and it is one of created artificially, and with
the most wanted Artifficia
the time, others were
materials in ourl days.
rubber
created to cover new
necessities.
6. SEMISINTHETIC
• Created by the modification of a natural polymer.
• Examples:
– Nylon: Created when the structure of the Silk was
discovered. Used in clothes because it is cheaper
Nylon
than the silk.
Silk
– Celluloid: The first semisinthetic polymer, created
from cellulose.
