The Chemistry of Carbon Compounds

 Introduction: Polymers are macromolecules having high molecular weights and are composed of smaller repeating units called monomers.  The term polymer is derived from the Greek root 'poly' means 'many' and 'meros' means 'parts'.  Monomers are small and simple molecules and have the capacity of forming two chemical bonds with two other monomers. The functionality of monomers depends upon the number of bonding sites in monomers.  DNA in a human body, proteins, muscles, nerve fibers, nails, hairs, etc. are all polymers. Carbohydrates have important functions in biological systems. The toys of our children are plastic polymers. Classification: There are various ways to classify polymers based on source, structure, mode of forming, molecular forces, etc. classification based on source: Polymers are classified into three subclasses as given below, Natural polymers: These polymers are obtained either from plants or animals and are named plant polymers and anim...

 Reaction mechanism: An organic reaction mechanism is a complete, step-by-step account of how a reaction of organic compounds takes place.  The description of an organic reaction mechanism typically includes designation of the overall reaction type (viz. substitution, addition, elimination, reduction, oxidation, or rearrangement), the presence of any reactive intermediates, the nature of the reagent that initiates the reaction, the presence of any catalysis, and its stereochemistry. A common method for showing the progress of a reaction is a potential energy diagram, which plots the free energy of the system as a function of the completion of the reaction. The highest point along the reaction pathway called the transition state. The transition state indicates how easily the reaction can occur. One of the other ways to illustrate the steps involved in a reaction mechanism is a kinetic scheme, which shows all the individual reaction steps and their rate constants. The energ...