Structure of Polyethylene

Repeating Ethylene units made a polymer which is called as a Polyethylene. Ethylene is a hydrocarbon molecule with the chemical formula C₂H₄, and it consists of two carbon atoms and four hydrogen atoms. When polymerized, ethylene forms long chains of repeating units, resulting in the creation of polyethylene.

Polyethene Molecular Structure

The molecular structure of polyethylene is based on the repeating unit derived from its monomer, ethylene. Ethylene (C₂H₄₎ is a simple hydrocarbon with a double bond between two carbon atoms and two hydrogen atoms attached to each carbon. When ethylene undergoes polymerization, it forms a long chain of repeating units.

Chemical Formula for Polyethylene: (C₂H₄)n, where “n” represents the number of repeating units in the polymer chain.

Polythene Addition Reaction

The reaction for formation of polyethylene is mentioned below:

Polyethylene

Polyethylene is an important thermoplastic polymer, it is abbreviated as PE and is a lightweight, durable, synthetic resin, that has a variety of uses. It is a polymer of ethylene hence the name polyethylene and is the most commonly used plastic. The chemical formula for polyethylene is (C₂H₄)_n. Polyethylene is also called, Polyethene, and Polythene.

In this article, we have covered, the definition of plastic, its structure, chemical properties, applications, and others in detail.

Table of Content