What kind of reaction breaks down polymers into monomers?

Answer 1

Hydrolysis

Hydrolysis adds a water molecule into the middle of a polymer chain. The water splits into an OH- and H+ group and they bond with either end of the now-split polymer, which will continue to occur rapidly until the polymer is broken down into monomers.

The opposite of this is dehydration synthesis, when the H+ and OH- groups bond and form a water molecule, leaving the ends of the monomers to bond on their own and create a polymer.

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Answer 2

Julian Aguilar

The kind of reaction that breaks down polymers into monomers is called hydrolysis. During hydrolysis, water molecules are used to break the bonds between the monomers that make up the polymer chain.

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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.