Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
H
CH
2
C
CH
2
CH
3
1-41
A particular common name is used even if the polymer could be synthesized
from an unusual monomer. Thus, structure 1-42 is conventionally called poly
(ethylene oxide), since it is derived from this particular monomer.
O
CH
2
CH
2
x
1-42
The same name would ordinarily be used even if the polymer were synthesized
from ethylene glycol (HOCH
2
CH
2
OH), ethylene chlorohydrin (ClCH
2
CH
2
OH),
or bischloromethyl ether (ClCH
2
OCH
2
Cl). Similarly, structure 1-13 is called
polycaprolactam because it is made industrially from the lactam by reaction (1-5),
in preference to polymerization of the parent amino acid, H
2
N(CH
2
)
5
COOH.
It is useful to digress at this point to review some common names for frequently
used vinyl monomers. These are summarized in
Fig. 1.4
. Alternative names will be
apparent, but these are not used by convention. (Thus, acrylonitrile could logically
be called vinyl cyanide, but this would be an unhappy choice from a marketing
point of view.) The polymer name in each case is poly “monomer.”
A few polymers have names based on the repeating unit without reference to
the parent monomer. The primary examples are silicones, which possess the
repeating unit:
R
Si
O
R'
1-43
The most common silicone fluids are based on poly(dimethyl siloxane) with
the repeating unit structure:
CH
3
Si
O
i
CH
3
1-44
