Learning outcomes - after studying this topic, you should be able to:

• describe the random coil conformation of a polymer, and calculate the random coil diameter and contour length of a vinyl (addition) polymer
  
• explain how entanglement and chain branching affects polymer properties
• give examples of natural addition and condensation polymers, and draw an amino acid and a peptide linkage
• explain primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure in proteins
• recognise the types of intermolecular forces in natural and synthetic polymers

• Sections 24.3 - 24.5 and 26.1 (in Blackman, Bottle, Schmid, Mocerino and Wille, Chemistry, 3^rd Edition, 2015 (John Wiley))

• Polymers (in ChemWiki)