monomer

/mon-uh-mer/US // ˈmɒn ə mər //UK // (ˈmɒnəmə) //

单体,单质

Definitions

n.名词 noun

1
Chemistry.
- : a molecule of low molecular weight capable of reacting with identical or different molecules of low molecular weight to form a polymer.

Her lab is figuring out how to induce microbes to convert sugar from plants into monomers that can then be chemically converted into polymers to create plastic.
Those monomers can then be separated from dyes and other contaminants.
Piecing pure monomers back together creates plastic that’s good as new.
Simply dunking the plastic in an acid solution with a pH of 1 or 2 is enough to break the bonds between its monomer building blocks.
The molecules that make up plastics are called polymers, which are made of smaller monomers.