Macromolecular chemistry is the branch of chemistry concerned with the molecular constitution, synthesis, stereochemistry, transformation, and structural characterization of macromolecules and polymeric substances. A macromolecule is a molecule of high relative molecular mass whose structure substantially comprises multiple repetitions of units derived, actually or conceptually, from molecules of lower relative molecular mass, while a polymer is a substance composed of macromolecules [1]. The chemical description of a macromolecular system encompasses monomer-derived constitutional units, covalent connectivity, degree of polymerization, molar-mass distribution, chain-end structure, comonomer sequence, branching, crosslinking, molecular topology, and stereochemical organization such as tacticity [1][2]. Macromolecular chemistry also encompasses the chemical reactions by which these structural features are established or transformed, including chain-growth, step-growth, ring-opening, and other polymerization processes and subsequent reactions of polymer chains [2][3]. Its defining scope therefore centers on the relationship between molecular synthesis, repeated-unit constitution, chain architecture, stereochemical arrangement, and the chemical identity of high-molar-mass molecular systems [1][2][3].
🔵 Chemistry and Stereochemistry Studies • 🟣 Organic Chemistry • 🟡 Chemistry • 🔴 Physical Sciences