Mahupolümerisatsioon

Mahupolümerisatsioon, often translated as "chain polymerization," is a fundamental process in polymer chemistry. It describes a type of polymerization reaction where a monomer molecule adds to a growing polymer chain. This addition occurs sequentially, with each monomer unit typically reacting at the "active site" of the chain. The active site can be a radical, an anion, or a cation, depending on the specific mechanism.

There are several distinct mechanisms within chain polymerization. Radical polymerization, perhaps the most common, involves free radicals initiating the chain growth. Anionic polymerization utilizes carbanions as active sites, while cationic polymerization employs carbocations. Each mechanism has its own set of conditions, initiators, and monomer requirements.

The key characteristic of mahupolümerisatsioon is that the rate of chain growth is generally much faster than the rate of initiation. This leads to the formation of high molecular weight polymers relatively quickly. Unlike step-growth polymerization, where any two molecules can react, in chain polymerization, only monomers can add to the growing chain end. This distinction is crucial for understanding the different molecular weight distributions and properties of polymers produced by these two major polymerization types. Chain polymerization is widely used in the industrial production of many common plastics and synthetic materials.