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🧪 Chemistry  ·  Polymers  ·  NEET & JEE

Thermoplastic polymers can be:

Answer: Softened and reshaped on heating.

  • A Softened and reshaped on heating
  • B Rarely melted in routine practice
  • C Mainly used once overall in most cases
  • D Cross-linked permanently under typical conditions

Correct answer: A. Softened and reshaped on heating

Explanation: Thermoplastics (like polyethylene, PVC) soften reversibly on heating and can be remoulded.

Addition vs Condensation PolymerisationAddition (e.g. polythene)n (CH₂=CH₂)-[-CH₂-CH₂-]ₙ-No atoms lost - monomers just join at the double bondCondensation (e.g. Nylon-6,6)HOOC-R-COOH + H₂N-R'-NH₂-[-CO-R-CO-NH-R'-NH-]ₙ-+ n H₂OA small molecule (water here) is eliminated at EVERY linking step

Addition polymerisation simply links monomers containing a double bond with nothing left over, while condensation polymerisation joins two different monomers through a reaction (often forming an ester or amide bond) that releases a small molecule like water at each step.

Concept context

Large molecules made of repeating monomer units. Covers addition and condensation polymerisation, natural and synthetic polymers (nylon, PVC, Bakelite, natural rubber), and their real-world industrial applications.

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