Is polymer more reacctive than its monomer? (1 Viewer)

[enigma_1]

Eg Is polybutene more reactive than butene and why?

I reckon it's not more reactive than butene cause it doesn't have a double bond. is that right?

 

[Queenroot]

You are correct

 

[strawberrye]

You are essentially right in speculating that polymers are more stable, i.e. less reactive compared to the monomers that it is constituted from. I think a part of the reason is because of the changes from the existence of a double bond in the monomer compared to single bonds in the polymer, which makes it less reactive because of the decrease in electron density in single bonds compared to double bond, which reduces its reactivity with electronegative elements such as fluorine, oxygen, chlorine.

However, this generalisation can also be partly attributed to the consideration that chemical properties such as reactivity with other chemical substances is dependent on the molecular structure and bonds that a substance has, and because there are a variety of possible polymerisation processes, such as addition and condensation polymerisation, where depending on the conditions of the polymerisation, can result in formation of cross-links, branched and straight chain polymers, where the addition of inhibitors and other chemical substances can all come to have a significant influence on the final properties of the polymer compared to the monomer, resulting in it being generally much more stable and less reactive.

 

[SuchSmallHands]

Presence of a double bond = more reactive
Lower molecular weight = more reactive
So yes, an alkene is more reactive than the polymer it forms.

 

[fatassmcfat]

yea cause it saturated

 

[QZP]

Presence of a double bond = more reactive
Lower molecular weight = more reactive
So yes, an alkene is more reactive than the polymer it forms.

I'd argue that reactivity increases with molecular weight due to the increasing strength of dispersion forces.

 

[Trebla]

Molecular weight doesn't have anything to do with reactivity.

Intermolecular forces (which are related to molecular weight) are based on electron densities which are impacted by the electronegativities of the component atoms as well as the relative position of atoms in a molecule.

Reactivity (in polymers) is based on the tendency of covalent bonds to form and is related to the energy levels of the electrons.

A simple example to illustrate is to compare any long chain alkane any alkanol. No matter how long or short the alkane chain, the alkanol will always be more reactive because of the acidic properties of its hydroxyl group.