1932

Abstract

The aggregation of monomers into polymers, whether by covalent or noncovalent interactions, is often reversible and frequently occurs with the entropy and enthalpy of the aggregation sharing the same sign. In such a case, the aggregation goes forward or reverses, depending on such variables as temperature and composition, rather like a phase transition. We explore the physical chemistry of three such systems: an organic monomer (α-methylstyrene), an inorganic monomer (sulfur), and a biopolymer (actin). We compare the available theories and experiments and list issues still open.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1146/annurev.physchem.53.082301.111949
2002-10-01
2024-12-04
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/content/journals/10.1146/annurev.physchem.53.082301.111949
Loading
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev.physchem.53.082301.111949
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Review Article
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error