How to Calculate the Degree of Polymerization

How to Calculate the Degree of Polymerization
••• Emilija Randjelovic/iStock/GettyImages

A degree of polymerization is a key characteristic of polymers that determine physical properties of polymer materials. Polymers are large molecules that consist of repeating structural (monomer) units. For example, polyethylene is composed of repeating units (CH2-CH2)n where “n” is an integer number that indicates the degree of polymerization. Mathematically, this parameter is a ratio of the molecular weights of the polymer and the respective monomer unit.

    Write down the chemical formula.of the polymer For example, if the polymer is tetrafluoroethylene then its formula is -(CF2-CF2)n -. The monomer unit is placed in parentheses.

    Obtain atomic masses of the elements that compose the monomer unit molecule, using the periodic table of elements. For tetrafluoroethylene, the atomic masses of carbon (C) and fluorine (F) are 12 and 19, respectively.

    Calculate the molecular weight of the monomer unit by multiplying the atomic mass of each element by the number of atoms in the monomer of each, then add the products. For tetrafluoroethylene, the molecular weight of the monomer unit is 12 x 2 + 19 x 4 = 100.

    Divide the molecular weight of the polymer by the molecular weight of the monomer unit to calculate the degree of polymerization. If the molecular mass of tetrafluoroethylene is 120,000, its degree of polymerization is 120,000 / 100 = 1,200.

Related Articles

How to Calculate Kovats Index
How to Calculate Particle Concentration
How to Calculate the Moles of a Compound
How to Convert Micromolar to PPM
How to Convert Kilojoules to Kilocalories
What Are Representative Particles of Elements?
How to Convert ATM Pressure to Celsius
What Is Molarity & How Is It Calculated?
How to Determine Moles in Chemistry
How to Convert From Moles Per Liter to Percentage
Conversion of PPM to Micromoles
How to Convert Micrograms to Micromoles
The Conversion Factors Inherent in Chemical Formulas
How to Calculate Solubilities
How to Convert From Molarity to Molality
What Are the Monomers of Triglycerides?
How to Find a Z Score
How to Calculate Volume of a Rectangular Prism
How to Calculate Mole Percent

Dont Go!

We Have More Great Sciencing Articles!