Chemistry (Chang), 9th EditionChapter 25:
Synthetic and Natural Organic PolymerChapter Summary1. Polymers are large molecules made up of small, repeating units called monomers.
2. Proteins, nucleic acids, cellulose, and rubber are natural polymers. Nylon, Dacron,
and Lucite are examples of synthetic polymers.
3. Organic polymers can be synthesized via addition reactions or condensation reactions.
4. Stereoisomers of a polymer made up of asymmetric monomers have different
properties, depending on how the starting units are joined together.
5. Synthetic rubbers include polychloroprene and styrene-butadiene rubber, which is a
copolymer of styrene and butadiene.
6. Structure determines the function and properties of proteins. To a great extent,
hydrogen bonding and other intermolecular forces determine the structure of proteins.
7. The primary structure of a protein is its amino acid sequence. Secondary structure
is the shape defined by hydrogen bonds joining the CO and NH groups of the
amino acid backbone. Tertiary and quaternary structures are the three-dimensional
folded arrangements of proteins that are stabilized by hydrogen bonds and other
intermolecular forces.
8. Nucleic acids—DNA and RNA—are high-molar-mass polymers that carry genetic
instructions for protein synthesis in cells. Nucleotides are the building blocks of
DNA and RNA. DNA nucleotides each contain a purine or pyrimidine base, a
deoxyribose molecule, and a phosphate group. RNA nucleotides are similar but
contain different bases and ribose instead of deoxyribose.  | 
