What is characteristic of the process of Chain-Growth Polymerization
I. In the beginning of the polymerization process, there are many oligomers (an oligomer is made from a few monomers, its chain length is short).
II. High macromolecular weights are only reached at the very end of the polymerization process.
III. The macromolecular weight of the polymer chains grows approximately linear during the time required for the polymerization process.
IV. Polymer chains grow by addition of monomers to the polymer.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Chain-growth polymerization is a process in which polymer chains grow by adding monomers to the active site of a growing polymer chain. Initially, the polymerization process generates oligomers, which are made from a few monomers, so statement I is correct. However, high molecular weights are achieved early in the polymerization process, not at the very end, so statement II is incorrect. The macromolecular weight of the polymer chains grows approximately linearly over time during the polymerization process (statement III). Finally, statement IV is true since the polymer chains grow by adding monomers to the active site of a growing polymer chain. Therefore, the correct answer is C (III, IV).

What Is Characteristic of the Process of Chain-Growth Polymerization