Worksheet Chapter 4: Polymer Chemistry

1. True or False: Thermoplastics decompose or char upon heating and cannot be remoulded or recycled.

2. Explain the step-by-step chemical mechanism of how adding ethanoic acid causes latex to coagulate.

3. Synthetic plastic waste poses severe environmental pollution issues. State two environmental problems caused by improper plastic disposal and describe two sustainable management methods to address this issue.

4. True or False: Addition polymerisation produces a polymer and eliminates a small molecule such as water or hydrogen chloride.

5. Fill in the blank: The repeating molecular unit that joins together to form a polymer macromolecule is called a ________.

6. Which of the following options correctly pairs a synthetic polymer with its monomer?

7. Compare unvulcanised natural rubber and vulcanised rubber in terms of molecular structure, elasticity, and resistance to oxidation.

8. Describe the process of vulcanisation and state two changes in physical properties observed in vulcanised rubber compared to unvulcanised rubber.

9. State the structural difference between thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics that explains why thermosetting plastics do not melt when heated.

10. Name the monomer of natural rubber and state its systematic IUPAC name.