Synthetic polymer

A synthetic polymer is a human-made substance whose molecules consist of repeating units joined into chains or networks. Its properties depend on its chemical structure, molecular size, and processing.

Polymerization: A chemical process that joins small molecules into polymers. It is the general process that creates synthetic polymer chains.
Chain-growth polymerization: Polymerization in which active chain ends add monomers one at a time. This route makes polymers such as polyethylene and polystyrene.
Polyethylene: A polyolefin made from ethylene, used in films, containers, pipes, and many other products. Its low cost and adaptable grades make it one of the most widely produced synthetic polymers.
Leo Baekeland: A Belgian-American chemist who developed Bakelite, an early fully synthetic plastic. His 1907 material demonstrated that a useful plastic could be made synthetically.
Plastic pollution: The accumulation of plastic materials in the environment, where they can harm organisms and ecosystems. Persistent synthetic polymers can escape waste systems and accumulate on land and in water.
Monomer: A small molecule that can join with others to form a polymer. Monomers supply the repeating units in a synthetic polymer.
Step-growth polymerization: Polymerization in which molecules with reactive groups combine step by step. This route produces materials such as polyesters and polyamides.
Polypropylene: A thermoplastic polyolefin made from propylene. Its combination of low density, chemical resistance, and stiffness suits packaging and components.
Bakelite: A heat-resistant phenol-formaldehyde resin and one of the first fully synthetic plastics. It marked an early commercial success for synthetic polymer materials.
Microplastics: Small plastic particles, commonly defined as less than five millimeters across. Fragmentation and wear turn larger polymer products into particles that spread widely.

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