Polymer chemistry is a field which has seen recent and substantial growth. The increase in this discipline’s importance to current research and development in the professional sphere necessitates an increase in exposure to such concepts during a student’s undergraduate studies. Therefore, our goal is to develop an organic laboratory experiment which would serve as an appropriate introduction to the synthesis and characterization of polymers. Other laboratory experiments of this nature have been established, but our usage of a Monowave 50 Synthesis Reactor in this exercise is a novel element. The first phase of the laboratory consists of synthesizing and identifying the monomer styrene with successive weeks pertaining to the construction and characterization of the polymer polystyrene. Within the experiment are several opportunities for the implementation of spectroscopic and microscopic analyses – Infrared (IR) Spectroscopy, <sup>1</sup>H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (<sup>1</sup>HNMR), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) are specifically employed here. As a result, students will have the opportunity to enmesh their other organic laboratory studies with polymerization concepts and advanced instrumentation. In theory and upon completion of these experiments, students will understand how polymer chemistry fits in relation to the discipline as a whole.

Polymer synthesis: Multiweek experiment for collegiate organic laboratory curricula

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.