Monomer

Monomers are fundamentally important building blocks in chemistry. They consist of small molecules that are highly reactive and often carry two or more functional groups. These functional groups are the regions of the molecule that can undergo chemical reactions. Monomers are essentially the basic building blocks for the production of polymers, the large molecules that are formed by linking monomers together.

The diversity of monomers enables a broad range of polymers with different properties and applications, from plastics through to biological macromolecules such as proteins and DNA. The reactivity of monomers makes it possible to link them together in controlled chemical reactions, whereby polymers with specific structures and properties can be produced. Monomers therefore play a central role in chemistry and materials science.