Homopolymer Definition in Chemistry

This is the chemical structure of polyvinyl chloride.
This is the chemical structure of the homopolymer polyvinyl chloride. Todd Helmenstine
By
Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Chemistry Expert
  • Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville
  • B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College
Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels.
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Updated on July 08, 2019

A homopolymer is a polymer where every monomer unit (mer) of the chain is the same.

Glutamic Acid
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Monomers: The Core of Polymer Science
By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.

Homopolymer Examples

Polyvinylchloride (PVC) is a homopolymer consisting of vinyl chloride units. Polypropylene consists of repeating propylene units.

In contrast, DNA is a polymer that is not a homopolymer. Different sequences of base pairs are used to encode genetic information.

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Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Homopolymer Definition in Chemistry." ThoughtCo, Jun. 25, 2024, thoughtco.com/definition-of-homopolymer-605216. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2024, June 25). Homopolymer Definition in Chemistry. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-homopolymer-605216 Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Homopolymer Definition in Chemistry." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-homopolymer-605216 (accessed July 20, 2024).