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polymers are formed when
- many monomers (monomers have a c=c double bond)
- join or react together to form a long chain molecule
- . When monomers join to form a polymer and no other product is formed it is called addition polymerisation
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a polymer is
- a long chain molecule made from many monomers
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a monomer is
a short chain molecule that joins togther to form a polymer
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polythene is
flexible and used to make plastic bagsand cling film
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polypropylene is
flexible and is used to make crisp packets , crates , ropes and carpets
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PVC is
tough and hard and is used to make widnow frames , gutters and pipes
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PTFE is
tough and slippery and is used to make frying pan coatings
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perspex is
hard , tough and clear and is used in shatterproof windows
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PVA
dissolves in water and is used in hospital laundry bags
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most polymers are buried with doemstic and industrial waste in
landfill sites
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putting polymers on landfill sites is
cheap and easy but can cause many problems . It is becoming more difficult to find places to put more landfill sites as we bury more and more rubbish . Also most polymers are not biodegradeable
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what does it mean if a polymer is not biodegradable
microorganisms cannot break them down , so they will not decompose , or rot away if they are buried
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polymers burn well and a lot of polymer waste is burned in
incinerators . However carbon dioxide is produced when polymers are burnt , this contributes to global warmimg . In addition unless the conditons in the incinerator were controlled carefully to ensure there is enough oxygen from the air toxic gases including carbon monoxide are produced . However the heat produced can be used to generate electricity
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most polymers can be recycled . Less
crude oil and energy are used in recycling polymers than making them from raw materials . Also recycling avoids the problems caused by burning or burying waste polymers
polymers must be seperated into their different types to be recycled . The sorting has to be done by hand and is time consuming and expensive
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polymers are made from
crude oil
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crude oil can be used to produce
medicines , solvents , and detergents . we can also make much use of crude oil for fuels and to keep us warm and for transport
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fuels , polymers and other substances from crude oil have
greatly improved our everyday lives . However the , the problems of disposal of some of these substances made from crude oil and the pollutants produced from their use as a fuel are problems we have to deal with as a society
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