Characteristics and Nomenclature of Homopolymers

Homopolymers are constituted of identical monomers, and the resulting polymer chain contains a single type of repeating unit.

Note that the polymers are chemically represented by placing parentheses or brackets around the repeating unit in the polymer chain, with the degree of polymerization as a subscript to the right.

The common names for homopolymers attach the prefix 'poly' to the name of the monomer.

The monomer name may be put in parentheses, especially if its name has multiple components, such as two-word names or names with multiplicative prefixes of their own.

The notations indicating stereochemistry, locants, functional groups, or unsaturation in either the monomer or the repeating unit may be seen before the prefix 'poly'.

Often, the polymer is best known by its trade name, as in the case of polytetrafluoroethylene.