Sage-Tips

How does the molecular structure of a polymer affect its properties?

Because of the structure of the molecules, polymeric materials have different properties compared to other materials, like metals. Specifically, the relatively high molecular weight and long polymer chain length result in entanglement, and the lack of covalent intermolecular bonds facilitates polymer chain mobility.

How does molecular structure affect properties?

The molecular structure affects the molecular properties because the shape of of a molecule has a lot to do with the polarity of the compound. Polar compounds tend to dissolve in polar compounds, have higher boiling and higher melting points and form solids or liquids.

What can impact the physical properties of a polymer?

The processing conditions which can affect the properties of the polymer include the temperature and pressure used during the polymerization, the solvent in which the polymer is polymerized, the types of monomer units used, the concentration of monomers in the reaction, the reagent which is used to initiate the …

How do polymer properties depend on their molecules?

Polymer properties depend on the chemicals that the polymer is made from and polymerization conditions that ultimately set molecular architecture: chemical linkage type, chain length, and the nature of the end groups. The type of the monomer-repeat unit that forms a polymer has a strong effect on polymer properties.

How does the molecular structure of a compound influence its function?

Each molecule has a characteristic size and shape that determines its function in the living cell. The shapes of molecules are determined by the positions of the atoms’ orbitals. When an atom forms covalent bonds, the orbitals in its valence shell are rearranged.

Why is molecular level structure is important in the functioning of designed materials?

The properties of materials related to their molecular structure are important to consider in the design of materials. For example, materials may exhibit properties such as conductivity, flexibility and hardness, based on their molecular structure and atom choice.

Is molecular structure a physical property?

physical property: Any characteristic that can be determined without changing the substance’s chemical identity. chemical property: Any characteristic that can be determined only by changing a substance’s molecular structure.

How does the structure of hydrocarbons affect its properties such as physical state and boiling point?

Physical properties The boiling points of alkanes increase with increasing number of carbons. For a given number of carbon atoms, an unbranched alkane has a higher boiling point than any of its branched-chain isomers. This effect is evident upon comparing the boiling points (bp) of selected C8H18 isomers.

What are physical properties of polymers?

Physical properties of polymers include molecular weight, molar volume, density, degree of polymerization, crystallinity of material, and so on.

How do the physical properties of polymers depend on chain length?

The physical properties of a polymer such as its strength and flexibility depend on: chain length – in general, the longer the chains the stronger the polymer; cross-linking – if polymer chains are linked together extensively by covalent bonds, the polymer is harder and more difficult to melt.

What are the physical properties of polymers?

How does molecular structure affect hardness?

Stronger bonds between atoms make them more difficult to separate and, in general, stronger chemical bonds result in greater hardness, higher melting and boiling points, and smaller coefficients of expansion.