Constitution of polymers

Constitution states what atoms the polymer is made from and how they are arranged in relation to one another. This makes up a repeating unit, which simply describes each polymer's lowest common denominator, e.g. for poly(vinyl chloride), PVC, -[CH2-CHCl]n- or Polypropylene shown in Figure 2.

The constitution also includes information about the polymer’s molar mass and molar mass distribution. It also states if it is a homopolymer, consisting solely from one repeating unit or if it is a copolymer with two or more repeating units. Whether the polymer is linear, branched or cross-linked is also part of its constitution.

Polypropylene

Figure 2. Repeating unit of Polypropylene.

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