Where does the word ‘polymer’ come from?

          Polymer is a Greek word. Poly means many and mer means units. The Greek word thus translates to ‘many units’.

         The smaller parts are known as monomers. The word was coined in 1840 by Jons Jacob Berzelius. He was a chemist, but most of his works do not actually concern polymers.

         The repeating chains may be simple at times, say a string of five or six atoms. Monomers can also form complex structures like a ring. The repeating units of polymers are often made of hydrocarbons. Sometimes, other elements like oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur, chlorine, fluorine and phosphorous are also used.

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