Condensation polymerization

The very idea that large polymer molecules can indeed exist was hotly debated during the early part of the 20th century. As highlighted by Sivaram in his articles on Carothers and Flory, Staudinger’s macromolecular hypothesis was fl- nally accepted, and the study of polymers gained momentum because of the remarkable efforts of the these two individuals who laid down the foundations concerning the processes that led to the formation of large polymer molecules, and to those that led to an understanding of many of their extraordinary physical properties. Condensation polymerizations, as the name suggests, utilizes bond-forming reactions that generate a small molecule condensate, which often needs to be continuously removed to facilitate the formation of the polymer. In this article, I shall describe some of the essential principles of condensation polymerizations or more appropriately called step-growth polymerizations; and I will also describe some interesting extensions that lead to the formation of polymer networks and highly branched polymers.