Monomers and Polymers in Chemistry

Monomer and Polymer Definitions

• Monomer means "one." Think of words like monobrow or monocle.
• Polymer means "many." Think of polygons which have many sides.

Monomers and Polymers in Chemistry

• Monomers are single, simple units.
• Polymers are chains of monomers bonded together.

Example of Monomers and Polymers

• Lego bricks are a visual representation of monomers and polymers. Individual bricks are monomers, and a joined series of bricks are polymers.

Biological Molecules – Glucose Test

• Glucose is a simple sugar.
• Carbohydrates are made of many small sugar molecules called monomers (simple sugars). Polysaccharides (polymers) are long chains of these monomers
• A polymer is a carbohydrate molecule such as starch or glycogen (many linked monomers)
• A monomer is a simple sugar such as glucose.

Benedict's Test for Glucose

• Purpose: Test for simple sugars like glucose.
• Materials Needed: Food sample, Benedict's solution, test tube, water bath.
• Procedure:
• Prepare a sample of the food.
• Put 5 ml of the food sample into a test tube.
• Add 5 ml of Benedict's solution using a syringe and mix.
• Place the test tube in a water bath at 80°C for 10 minutes.
• Record the colour change after 10 minutes.
• Results:
• Negative result (no glucose): blue
• Low glucose: green/yellow
• Medium glucose: orange
• High glucose: brick red

Important Notes for Benedict's Test

• Always wear goggles during the experiment.
• Follow the procedure step-by-step.