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Can chains of carbon atoms be thousands of atoms long?

Answer 1

Why not.......?

Typical straight chains polyethylenes have molecular weights of #200-300xx10^3# #"amu".# We divide thru by #14*"amu"# and we get a chain length of approx. #20000# methylene units. Why did I divide thru by #14*"amu"#?

Ultra high molecular weight polyethylenes can approach #3xx10^6# #"amu"#, What is a typical chain length in these polymers?

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Answer 2

Lucy Alessi

Yes, chains of carbon atoms can indeed be thousands of atoms long. This is commonly observed in polymers, which are large molecules composed of repeating units called monomers. Carbon atoms can form long chains or branches, resulting in various forms of polymers with diverse properties and applications.

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Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.