Addition Polymerisation

Lab Brief #6

🎯 Your mission

Predict it first. Then prove yourself right (or wrong).

⚡ The twist

Nature loves to surprise the careful watcher.

What you'll learn

Alkene molecules join end to end when their double bonds open, forming a long saturated chain with no other product. Ethene gives poly(ethene). The polymer's inertness is exactly what makes it useful and what makes it persist in the environment.

Key words

polymerisation
The joining of many small monomer molecules into a long chain.
poly(ethene)
The addition polymer made from ethene monomers.

Make a hypothesis first

Before you start: write down what you think will happen, and why.

Say your guess out loud — then find out if you were right.

Get ready

🧰 What you need

paper clips
poster paper
coloured pens

⚠️ Safety first

Have an adult check your set-up before you start, and tidy everything away afterwards.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

Think about what you just learned: say what "polymerisation" and "poly(ethene)" mean in your own words before you start.

Step 2 of 4 · Do

Use paper-clip chains to model addition polymerisation, then research and tabulate the decomposition time of four common plastics. Design a labelled poster proposing one realistic reduction in single-use plastic at your school.

Step 3 of 4 · Observe

Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.

Step 4 of 4 · Record

Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.

Question 1 of 2

In addition polymerisation, the monomer must contain a:

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 2

Addition polymerisation produces:

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

🔬 The more you look, the more nature shows you.

Nice work!

You got 0 of 2 right.

All lessons

🎯

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✨ More to explore

🌍 Where you see this in real life: This shows up in your everyday life more than you'd think.

🏆 Stretch challenge (try it this week): Try one experiment in real life this week — even a tiny one.

👨‍👩‍👧 For the dinner table: “What's the most surprising thing you learned today?”

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Addition Polymerisation

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