This question is about addition polymerisation and polymer structures.
Phenylethene (C6H5CH=CH2\text{C}_6\text{H}_5\text{CH}=\text{CH}_2C6H5CH=CH2) undergoes addition polymerisation to yield poly(phenylethene), commonly known as polystyrene. The chemical equation representing this process is shown below:
Identify the chemical group represented by WWW and the symbol represented by ZZZ.
Poly(phenylethene) is classified as a thermosoftening polymer. Suggest why thermosoftening polymers are easier to recycle and reshape than thermosetting polymers.
Explain why high-density poly(ethene) (HDPE) has a higher density than low-density poly(ethene) (LDPE) by referring to the arrangement of their polymer chains.
Synthetic and naturally occurring polymers (chemistry only) Questions
Practise AQA GCSE Chemistry Synthetic and naturally occurring polymers (chemistry only) with exam-style questions for Foundation and Higher tier. 18 questions covering Addition polymerisation, Condensation polymerisation (HT only), Amino acids (HT only), and DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and other naturally occurring polymers, matched to the AQA GCSE Chemistry (8462) specification and written in Paper 1 and Paper 2 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.