Maya Ellison
Plastics are composed of carbon atoms connected in a chain-like structure, with hydrogen atoms attached to the carbon atoms. These chains comprise many repeating units formed from monomers. Each polymer chain consists of several thousand repeating units. The monomers are linked together to make the polymer chain. The smallest monomer molecule contains two carbon atoms. The molecular weight of a polymer is calculated by multiplying the molecular weight of the repeating functional group times the number of units comprising the chain.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Composition | Plastics are composed of carbon atoms connected in a chain-like structure, with hydrogen atoms attached to the carbon atoms. |
| Molecular Structure | Many molecules make up most plastic items. These molecules are formed through polymerization reactions, resulting in large molecules. |
| Plasticity | The defining characteristic of plastics, allowing them to be molded, extruded, or pressed into various solid forms. |
| Other Properties | Low weight, durability, flexibility, chemical resistance, low toxicity, low electrical conductivity, transparency, and toughness. |
| Production | Plastics are primarily produced from natural gas and petroleum, but some are made from renewable resources like polylactic acid. |
| Environmental Impact | Plastics have a slow decomposition rate, leading to environmental concerns. Most plastic is not reused, ending up in landfills or as pollution. |
| Applications | Packaging, construction, pipes, beverage bottles, garden hoses, food containers, windows, automobile interiors, and medical devices. |
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What You'll Learn
- Plastic is made of carbon atoms connected in a chain-like structure
- Hydrogen atoms are attached to the carbon atoms
- Carbon atoms can form single bonds with up to four other atoms
- Polymers are made up of chains of carbon atoms, with or without oxygen, nitrogen or sulphur
- Plastic is a polymer derived from petroleum products
Plastic is made of carbon atoms connected in a chain-like structure
Plastic is a polymer, which is a substance made up of many repeating units known as monomers. Monomers are small molecules, the smallest being two carbon atoms. These monomers are linked together through a process called polymerization, which creates a long chain of monomers.
All plastics are composed of carbon atoms connected to one another in a chain-like structure. These carbon atoms are bonded together through covalent bonds. In addition to carbon, hydrogen atoms are also attached to the carbon atoms in the chain. Other elements such as oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur, and chlorine can also be found in plastics. The presence of these additional elements categorizes some plastics as heterochain polymers.
The monomers used to make plastics can be derived from the processing of oil or natural gas. For example, ethylene is a monomer that can be converted into a plastic resin known as polyethylene (PE) through polymerization. During this process, ethylene, a gaseous hydrocarbon, is subjected to heat, pressure, and a catalyst, causing the monomers to join together into long, repeating carbon chains. The resulting polymer is then processed in a factory to create plastic pellets, which can be melted and moulded into various plastic products.
The unique structure of plastics, with their long chains of carbon atoms, contributes to their distinctive properties. For instance, the stretching property of plastics is due to the long carbon atom chains. When stretched, plastics can elongate without breaking, but they may not return to their original dimensions. Different types of plastics exhibit varying degrees of stretchability, with some, like plastic wrap, stretching easily, while others, like plexiglass, do not.
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Hydrogen atoms are attached to the carbon atoms
Plastics are polymers derived from petroleum products. They are human-made materials that are inspired by natural polymers. Most polymers are made up of carbon and hydrogen atoms, and many plastics are as well. Polymers that contain hydrogen and carbon atoms are called hydrocarbons.
Hydrogen atoms are attached to carbon atoms in plastics. The carbon atoms are connected to each other in a chain-like structure, with mostly or exclusively hydrogen atoms attached to them. This structure is also found in gasoline and candle wax, but the number of carbon atoms varies. For example, gasoline has about eight carbon atoms, while a plastic has about 10,000 carbon atoms.
The properties of plastics, such as strength, colour, elasticity, and resilience, are determined by the specific atoms and molecules involved. The fundamental factor influencing the cost of a plastic is the cost of its monomers. Monomers are small molecules that are chemically reacted to form polymers. The cheapest monomers are typically derived from natural gas or oil.
The carbon-hydrogen bond (CH) is very strong and relatively unreactive. Carbon atoms can form single bonds with up to four other atoms. If a carbon atom in a polymer is bound to four other atoms, the polymer is called a saturated hydrocarbon. If the carbon atom is not bound to four other atoms, it will typically form double or triple bonds with another carbon atom, resulting in an unsaturated hydrocarbon. Unsaturated polymers are generally less stable and more reactive than saturated polymers.
In some cases, hydrogen atoms attached to carbon atoms in plastics can be replaced by other atoms or groups. For example, replacing one of the hydrogens in ethylene with chlorine results in polychloroethene. Similarly, replacing one of the hydrogens with a phenyl group creates styrene, which can be polymerized into polystyrene. If all four hydrogens on ethylene are replaced with fluorine, the resulting polymer is bound entirely to fluorines, creating a highly stable molecule.
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Carbon atoms can form single bonds with up to four other atoms
Carbon atoms have four electrons in their outer shell. To achieve a stable configuration, they need eight electrons in their valence shell. This is known as the octet rule. To reach this configuration, carbon atoms can form single bonds with up to four other atoms, sharing four pairs of electrons. This is called a covalent bond, where two electrons are shared between the bonded atoms. The carbon-carbon single bond is a sigma bond, formed between one hybridized orbital from each of the carbon atoms.
The carbon-carbon single bond is the weakest and longest of the three types of carbon-carbon bonds. The double bond is formed with an sp2-hybridized orbital and a p-orbital, and the triple bond is formed with an sp-hybridized orbital and two p-orbitals. The double and triple bonds are stronger than the single bond, and the triple bond has the highest bond energy.
The ability of carbon atoms to form long chains of their own atoms, a property called catenation, coupled with the strength of the carbon-carbon bond, gives rise to an enormous number of molecular forms. This is why carbon compounds have their own field of study: organic chemistry.
Carbon atoms form the backbone of most polymers, which are found in plastics. The carbon atoms in plastics are connected in a chain-like structure, with mostly or exclusively hydrogen atoms attached to the carbon atoms. The monomers, or small molecules, that make up the polymers can be formed from natural gas or oil.
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Polymers are made up of chains of carbon atoms, with or without oxygen, nitrogen or sulphur
Polymers are large molecules made up of chains of smaller chemical units or monomers. These monomers can be simple, consisting of just one, two, or three atoms, or they can be more complex, ring-shaped structures containing a dozen or more atoms. The polymer chain forms when the same basic unit is repeated over and over in a regular chain structure.
The backbone of a polymer used for the preparation of plastics consists mainly of carbon atoms. Carbon atoms are linked together in a chain-like structure, with mostly or exclusively hydrogen atoms attached to them. For instance, the monomer ethylene consists of two carbon atoms and two hydrogen atoms, and when thousands of ethylene molecules are joined end-to-end, they form polyethylene, the simplest synthetic polymer.
Other polymers can be made of two or more different monomers. For example, ethanol consists of two carbon atoms, with one of the hydrogen atoms replaced with a hydroxyl group. While ethanol is not a monomer, if you replace the hydrogen atom with an alcohol group on both carbon atoms, you get ethylene glycol, a monomer used to make polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a clear plastic commonly used for beverage containers.
Oxygen is also commonly present in polymer backbones, such as those of polyethylene glycol and polysaccharides. Polymers containing amide or carbonyl groups can form hydrogen bonds between adjacent chains, resulting in high tensile strength and melting points. Polyesters, which contain oxygen atoms, have lower melting points and strength but greater flexibility.
The properties of a polymer, such as strength, flexibility, heat resistance, and recyclability, are determined by the length of the molecular chain. Longer chains result in stronger polymers due to the increased total binding forces between molecules.
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Plastic is a polymer derived from petroleum products
Plastic is a synthetic material composed primarily of polymers. The word "plasticity" refers to the deformability of the materials used in the manufacture of plastics, which allows them to be moulded, extruded, or compressed into a variety of solid forms. This adaptability, combined with other properties such as low weight, durability, flexibility, chemical resistance, low toxicity, and low-cost production, has led to the widespread use of plastics around the world.
Plastics are derived from natural, organic materials such as cellulose, coal, natural gas, salt, and crude oil through a polymerisation or polycondensation process. Crude oil, a complex mixture of thousands of compounds, is first distilled and separated into groups of lighter components called fractions. One of these fractions, naphtha, is crucial for plastic production. Polymerisation and polycondensation processes are then used to create polymers from these fractions, with the help of specific catalysts.
The main ingredient in most plastic materials is a derivative of crude oil and natural gas. Petroleum-based polymers are dominant in the production of high-volume consumer plastics. However, due to environmental and economic concerns, there is a growing trend towards the use of biodegradable polymers derived from renewable resources. These biodegradable plastics can be based on natural resources such as starch, cellulose, lignin, proteins, lipids, and polyesters produced by plants or microorganisms.
Synthetic polymers derived from petroleum include polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), nylon, polyester (PS), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and epoxy. The versatility of these compounds allows them to be used in a wide range of applications. On the other hand, bio-based plastics, such as polylactic acid, offer advantages such as the availability of large quantities of renewable starting materials at low costs and the potential to produce more biodegradable materials.
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Frequently asked questions
All plastics are composed of carbon atoms connected in a chain-like structure, with mostly or exclusively hydrogen atoms attached to the carbon atoms.
Monomers are small molecules (the smallest being 2 carbon atoms) which are chemically reacted to make polymers. Monomers are the individual units that are linked together to make the polymer chain.
Polyethylene is the most common plastic in the world, with over a million tons of it produced per year. It is formed from the polymerization of the ethylene monomer. Polyethylene terephthalate, used in clear plastic beverage containers, is formed from the monomer ethylene glycol.
