The polyvinylchloride in some pipes and polyvinyl floor tiles are also synthetic polymers, as is the teflon in our frying pans. However, polymers have existed on earth even before life itself. In our bodies, our muscles and bones are made of the polymer we call protein. Our genetic material, DNA and RNA, is also a polymer. The cellulose we find in all plant material is a polymer, as are the complex carbohydrates we find in bread and pasta.
Rubber is a good example of a naturally occurring polymer.
Polymers form when many of the same molecule, or similar molecules, called monomers, are attached together like beads on a string. The links between the beads in polymers are chemical bonds. Most polymers are comprised of many long strings of beads. Scientists have been able to create polymers with very different properties by using different monomers and different cross-linking reagents. In this lab we have the students form people polymers to demonstrate some of the different properties between monomers, straight chain polymers and crosslinked polymers.