Video Transcript
What is the commercial name given
to the polymer formed from the following monomer?
A polymer is a chemical that can be
formed by joining together lots of individual units. These units are known as
monomers. The monomer given in the question
contains a carbon-carbon double bond. Monomers with an unsaturated bond
form addition polymers, polymers that can form from monomers without the formation
of byproducts. Addition polymers are formed when
the monomers are treated with a catalyst, heat, and pressure. Under these conditions, the 𝜋
bonds in the monomers can break. The new carbon-carbon single bonds
can be formed between the monomers to create the polymer.
As polymers consist of many
repeating units, we typically represent a polymer in condensed notation by placing
the repeating unit inside of brackets. The 𝑛 represents the number of
repeating units in the polymer, which can vary.
Now that we know what polymer is
formed from this monomer, we need to give it a name. Polymers are named by placing the
term poly- in front of the monomer name written in parentheses. The name of this monomer is
1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethylene. So the IUPAC name of the polymer is
poly(1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethylene). The monomer is more commonly called
tetrafluoroethene, which gives us the polymer name poly(tetrafluoroethene). This is sometimes abbreviated as
PTFE.
We’ve given the IUPAC and common
names of this polymer, but the question asked for the commercial name. The chemical company DuPont, which
originally discovered and trademarked this polymer, created a snappier name by using
just two portions of the IUPAC name. O-N was added to the ending of the
name to model the word after other polymers, such as nylon and rayon. As Teflon is hydrophobic and has an
incredibly low coefficient of friction, it is often used as an ideal coating for
cookware because it does not tend to stick to food or absorb water.
In conclusion, we have determined
that the commercial name of the polymer formed from the given monomer is Teflon.
