Copolymerization

/koʊˌpɑlɪməraɪˈzeɪʃən/ noun

Definition

The chemical process of joining two or more different types of monomer molecules together to create a copolymer.

Etymology

From copolymerize plus -ation (denoting an action or process). The term crystallized in polymer chemistry in the 1930s-1950s as this process became industrially important.

Kelly Says

The Ziegler-Natta catalysts revolutionized copolymerization in the 1950s, allowing factories to precisely control which monomers linked together—this single innovation enabled modern plastics and earned chemists Nobel Prizes.

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