Question
Question: Nylon threads are made of: (A) Polyvinyl polymer (B) Polyester polymer (C) Polyamide polymer ...
Nylon threads are made of:
(A) Polyvinyl polymer
(B) Polyester polymer
(C) Polyamide polymer
(D) Polyethylene polymer
Solution
First find out about the compounds that react to form nylon fibres. The monomers of nylon are joined together by bonds which are chemically the same as the peptide bonds.
Complete step by step answer:
Let’s get to know about nylon in a bit more detail:
i) Nylon forms when multiple units of both hexamethylene diamine (NH2(CH2)6NH2) and adipic acid (COOH(CH2)4COOH ) react with each other.
ii) Nylon is a synthetic polymer. Its constituents and the process of preparation are completely artificial in nature, which means they do not have any similar natural counterparts.
iii) In the formation of nylon, water is eliminated at the bonding between its constituent molecules which undergo a condensation-polymerization reaction. It is therefore a type of condensation polymer. The reaction is as follows:
nNH2(CH2)6NH2+nCOOH(CH2)4COOHPolymerization[−NH(CH2)6NHCO(CH2)4CO−]n+nH2O
iv) Nylon is a type of synthetic fibre. It is known for its high tensile strength.
v) As nylon is formed from the combination of an amine and acid it is therefore chemically an amide. The general reaction is as follows:
RNH2+R′COOH⇌R′COO−NH3+RΔR′CONHR+H2O
Hence the answer to the above question is (C) Polyamide polymer.
Additional information:
Due to its toughness and elasticity, nylon is commercially a very popular product. Some of its uses are listed below:
Parts of a machine which require non-conductance of electricity and high heat resistance use nylon as one of its constituents. It is long lasting and comes at a cheaper price than other products.
Cooking items such as spatulas, spoons, forks also use nylon. Other items like tongs, brushes and kitchen decor are included in the list too.
Fabric produced from nylon is very lightweight, strong, elastic and cheaper than most of its other counterparts. Parachutes for example use nylon extensively.
Note:
Don’t get confused with all other options because a polyvinyl polymer as mentioned in option (A) is the polymer of vinyl groups (=CH2) such as polyvinyl chloride or PVC which has vinyl chloride (CH2=CH−Cl) as its monomer unit. A polyester polymer as mentioned in option (B) has monomer units which are joined together by ester bonds. A polyethylene as mentioned in option (D) has ethylene (CH2=CH2) as its monomer units.