Questions tagged [polymers]
For questions about synthetic or natural polymers, their chemical or physical properties, and their synthesis, etc.
638 questions
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Does paint contain plastic?
This came up from claims that paints is one of the major sources of microplastics in the environment, for example here is a question on Skeptics or here a random newspaper article.
Wikipedia defines ...
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Mechanism of the thermal polymerization of styrene, position of radical carbon?
In my book there is this depiction, but it's not clear to me how the radical ends up on the shown tertiary carbon:
After step two, is there another (intramolecular) homolytic cleavage of the hydrogen ...
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How to calculate epoxy - curing agent ratio
I have an epoxy resin with a known EEW (epoxy equivalent weight), which is the weight corresponding to one mole of epoxy groups. For example, I want to use TETA (triethylenetetramine) hardener, and a ...
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Encapsulating phenolphthalein in a cellulose acetate membrane
I am trying to encapsulate phenolphthalein in a cellulose acetate (CA) membrane without it leaching out when it gets wet. Is there a possibility to do so with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)?
I have tried ...
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How are things classified into polymers vs other compounds? [duplicate]
I just looked up the definition of a polymer and it says it's a single molecule which is made up of a chain of repeating structures called monomers.
What exactly makes this situation different from e....
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Why one plastic produces different VOCs, if it consists of one polymer?
For example, this research shows that plastics separately produce a lot of different volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Why, if plastics are polymers, i.e. instances of same polymer placed in chain? ...
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Functional Group and Reagent Identification in Condensation Polymer Formation
This problem appeared in JEE Advanced 2011 Paper 2. I have been trying this problem, and believe that (A, B, C, D) should be the correct answers, but the answer key to this exam gives (C, D) as the ...
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How to interpret TGA/DTG curves of enzyme-embedded PLA films?
I’m currently studying the thermal degradation of enzyme-embedded PLA films (from Swain et al., J. Polymer Science, 2025, visit: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pol.20250392?af=R#:~:text=...
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How do I prevent bacteria and fungi from growing on PVA hydrogel?
I am working with PVA hydrogel to make a medical phantom. The material performs well, but stuff grows on it. Is there a way to prevent this?
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Why don't condensation polymers form links between the alkyl chains of their constituent monomers?
I was reading about condensation polymerisation across many websites, but all gave a statement that says something along the lines (Chemistry LibreTexts)
Condensation polymerisations often, but not ...
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Does methacrylation of PGS require inert atmosphere?
I am running a methacrylation reaction on poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS). It's an ester formed between sebacic acid (dicarboxylic acid with 12 carbon atoms) and glycerol.
In the literature, there is no ...
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What chemical is distilled from HDPE plastic?
Numerous “recycling” videos on popular video-sharing platforms showcase individuals creating “fuel” from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic. The process involves cutting the plastic into small ...
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Can "drying" vegetable oils fully cure inside a block of wood?
This question is rather pragmatically oriented and I have to preface that whenever I mention vegetable oils, I mean the 100% pure natural product, no "boiled" or varnish-blended oils with ...
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Interpreting FTIR results of HDPE after cleanup
I cleaned HDPE flakes from oil containers that are contaminated using two different methods:
Caustic Wash – A solution of 0.5 wt% NaOH and 0.3 wt% polysorbate 80 was heated to $\pu{75 ^\circ C}$, and ...
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Cleaning a small batch of HDPE flakes obtained from motor oil containers
I am working on cleaning a small-batch of HDPE flakes obtained from motor oil containers. My goal is to remove contaminants such as residual oil, and adhesives to evaluate the cleaning efficiency of ...
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