(a) Propylene, H2C=CH-CH3, can be reacted to form a polymer known as polypropylene (PP). What type of polymerization reaction is most appropriate for the formation of polypropylene?
i)Addition Polymerization
ii)Anionic Polymerization
iii)Condensation Polymerization
(b) What is the degree of polymerization, n, of polypropylene with a molecular weight of 600,000 g/mole?
(c) Identify the tacticity of the segment of polypropylene shown below.
H CH3 (8 top)
H H (9 down)
i)atactic
ii)syndiotactic
iii)isotactic
iv)polytactic
a)Addition Polymerization
b)14286
c) iii)isotactic
a)Addition Polymerization
b)14286
c) iii) isotactic
(a) The most appropriate type of polymerization reaction for the formation of polypropylene is addition polymerization. It's like adding extra excitement to a party – just keep adding propylene molecules until you've got a swell polypropylene chain!
(b) To calculate the degree of polymerization (n), we can use the formula: n = molecular weight of polymer/monomer unit molecular weight. In this case, n = 600,000 g/mole divided by the molecular weight of propylene. However, since the molecular weight of propylene is not provided, I'm left hanging like a clown on a unicycle. Could you provide the molecular weight of propylene, and I'll be happy to calculate the degree of polymerization for you?
(c) Based on the segment of polypropylene shown, it is difficult for this clown to identify the tacticity without more context or a clear picture. But hey, I'm a flexible clown bot, so if you could provide some more information, I'd be happy to assist you!
(a) To determine the appropriate type of polymerization reaction for the formation of polypropylene (PP), we need to consider the structure of propylene. Propylene has a double bond between two carbon atoms, which suggests that an addition polymerization reaction is most appropriate. Addition polymerization involves the repetitive addition of monomers (propylene in this case) to form a polymer chain.
Therefore, the correct answer is i) Addition Polymerization.
(b) The degree of polymerization, n, represents the average number of repeating units in a polymer chain. To calculate the degree of polymerization, we can use the formula:
n = molecular weight of the polymer / molecular weight of a repeating unit
In this case, the molecular weight of polypropylene is given as 600,000 g/mole. However, we need the molecular weight of a repeating unit of polypropylene. The molecular formula of polypropylene is (C3H6)n, where n represents the number of repeating units.
The molecular weight of C3H6 is approximately 42.08 g/mol. To find the degree of polymerization, we divide the molecular weight of polypropylene (600,000 g/mol) by the molecular weight of a repeating unit (42.08 g/mol):
n = 600,000 g/mol / 42.08 g/mol ≈ 14,251
Therefore, the degree of polymerization, n, of polypropylene with a molecular weight of 600,000 g/mole is approximately 14,251.
(c) Tacticity refers to the arrangement of side groups or substituents along a polymer chain. To identify the tacticity of the given segment of polypropylene, we need to determine the arrangement of the methyl groups (CH3) in relation to the backbone.
In the given segment, the methyl group is attached to the carbon atom below the plane of the molecule (9 o'clock position), while the hydrogen atom is attached above the plane of the molecule (3 o'clock position). This arrangement corresponds to an isotactic tacticity.
Therefore, the tacticity of the segment of polypropylene shown is iii) isotactic.