Monomer

A Monomer is a molecule that binds other molecules to form a supramolecular polymers.

• Context:
• It can be:
  • • An Epoxide.
    • An Amino Acid.
    • A Nucleotide.
    • A Monosaccharide.
    • A Fatty Acid.
• Example(s):
  • Vinyl Chloride Monomer.
  • Glucose (a natural monomer).
  • Bisphenol (a monomer precursor for polycarbonate).
  • Ethylene Gas (a precursor monomer for polyethylene).
  • …
• Counter-Example(s)
  • A Polymer.
  • A Chemical Bond.
  • An Oligomer.
• See: Polycarbonate, Molecule, Chemical Bond, Polymer, Polymerization, Oligomer, Multiprotein Complex, Glucose, Glycosidic Bond.

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References

2017

• (Wikipedia, 2017) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomer Retrieved:2017-7-9.
  • A monomer ("Monomer". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House. 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2014.</ref> ) (mono-, "one" + -mer, "part") is a molecule that, as a unit, binds chemically or supramolecularly to other molecules to form a supramolecular polymer. Large numbers of monomer units combine to form polymers in a process called polymerization. Molecules of a small number of monomer units (up to a few dozen) are called oligomers. The term "monomeric protein" may also be used to describe one of the proteins making up a multiprotein complex.

    Biopolymer groupings, and the types of monomers that create them:

    • For lipids (Diglycerides, triglycerides)*, the monomers are glycerol and fatty acids.
    • For proteins (Polypeptides), the monomers are amino acids.
    • For Nucleic acids (DNA/RNA), the monomers are nucleotides, each of which is made of a pentose sugar, a nitrogenous base and a phosphate group.
    • For carbohydrates (Polysaccharides specifically and disaccharides — depends), the monomers are monosaccharides.
    • Diglycerides and triglycerides are made from smaller molecules by dehydration synthesis, which is not the same process as the end-to-end linking of similar monomers that qualifies as polymerization; thus, diglycerides and triglycerides are an exception to the term polymer.

      Examples: The most common natural monomer is glucose, which is linked by glycosidic bonds into polymers such as cellulose, starch, and glycogen. The term monomer also refers to organic molecules that form synthetic polymers, for example the vinyl chloride monomer, which is used to produce the polymer polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

Industrial polymers:

• Ethylene gas (H₂C=CH₂) is the precursor monomer for polyethylene
• Other modified ethylene molecules, such as tetrafluoroethylene (F₂C=CF₂) which leads to Teflon, vinyl chloride (H₂C=CHCl) which leads to PVC, styrene (C₆H₅CH=CH₂) which leads to polystyrene, etc.
• Epoxide monomers may be cross linked with themselves, or with the addition of a co-reactant, to form epoxy
• BPA is the monomer precursor for polycarbonate

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