9. Introduction to Polymers Available to Purchase

Industrial plastics are basically polymeric materials, comprising very large molecules consisting of repeating chemical structural units connected by chemical covalent bonds. The word polymer is made up of the Greek roots poly (many) and meros (part). Most common polymers are based on carbon and hydrogen chemistry, and their chemical constitution and synthesis form a branch of organic chemistry. The chemical structure of such polymers is dominated by the valencies of four and one of carbon and hydrogen, respectively. An understanding of plastic materials requires knowledge of their chemical structure (polymer chemistry) and the behavior of very large molecules (polymer physics).