The Amoco Chemical Company has successfully raced a car with a plastic engine. Many of the engine parts, including piston skirts, connecting rods, and valve- train components, were made of a polymer called Torlon: What monomers are used to make this polymer?

Short Answer

Expert verified
The monomers used to make the polymer Torlon, a polyamide-imide, are 4,4'-Diaminodiphenylmethane (often referred to as methylenedianiline or MDA) with the chemical structure \(C_{13}H_{14}N_{2} = C_6H_4(CH_3)NH_2\), and Trimellitic anhydride (TMA) with the chemical structure \(C_{9}H_4O_5 = C_6H_3(COO)_3\). These two monomers react together to form the amide and imide linkages in the polymer chain of Torlon.

Step by step solution

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1. Research the chemical structure of Torlon

In order to identify the monomers used to make Torlon, we first need to research the chemical structure and composition of this polymer. Torlon is a high-performance amorphous thermoplastic known as polyamide-imide, which is formed by the polymerization of two types of monomers.
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2. Identify the monomers used to make Torlon

After researching Torlon's chemical structure, we can determine that the polymer is formed by the reaction of a diamine and an anhydride. The specific monomers used in the formation of Torlon are: 1. Aromatic diamine: 4,4'- Diaminodiphenylmethane (often referred to as methylenedianiline or MDA) 2. Tetracarboxylic dianhydride: Trimellitic anhydride (TMA) These two monomers react together to form polyamide-imide, which is the chemical structure of Torlon.
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3. Write the chemical structures of the monomers

To better understand the composition of the monomers that make up Torlon, we can write their chemical structures: 1. 4,4'- Diaminodiphenylmethane (MDA) has the chemical structure: \[C_{13}H_{14}N_{2} = C_6H_4(CH_3)NH_2\] 2. Trimellitic anhydride (TMA) has the chemical structure: \[C_{9}H_4O_5 = C_6H_3(COO)_3\] These two monomers react together to form the amide and imide linkages in the polymer chain of Torlon.

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