Question

Which of the following are polyesters?
Cotton, Terylene, Nylon, PET, Rayon, Acrylic.
A. Cotton, Nylon, Rayon
B. Acrylic, PET, Cotton
C. Terylene, PET, Acrylic
D. PET, Nylon, Rayon

Answer 1

Hint:A monomer refers to the molecule having the capability to form a chemical bond with other molecules present in a long chain. While, a polymer is a complex molecule which generally refers to a chain of several numbers of monomers. In simpler terms, we can say that monomers refer to the building blocks of polymers. Polyester is also a category of polymer which comprises the ester functional group in the main chain.

Complete answer:
Polyester is actually a synthetic polymer made up of either purified terephthalic acid (PTA) or its dimethyl ester i.e. dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) or monoethylene glycol (MEG). Let us discuss each polymer mentioned in the question one by one:
1. Cotton: Cotton is a naturally occurring polymer which is composed of mainly pure cellulose. Cellulose is actually a carbohydrate and the molecule is basically a long chain of glucose molecules.
2. Terylene: Terylene is a synthetic polymer made from a polyester. It is formed by the condensation polymerization of terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol.
3. Nylon: Nylon, generally known as polyamide, is also a synthetic thermoplastic material that can be processed into films, fibres or shapes. It is a copolymer consisting of amide linkages formed by the reaction of difunctional monomers consisting of equal parts of carboxylic acid and amines.
4. PET: Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a member of the polyester family. It is considered as a strong synthetic fibre and resin. PET is spun into fibres for the permanent-press fabrics and usually blow-moulded into the disposable beverage bottles.
5. Rayon: Rayon is basically a manufactured regenerated cellulose fibre. Rayon is actually manufactured from the naturally occurring polymers and it is thus considered as a semisynthetic fibre.
6. Acrylic: Acrylic polymers are considered as a group of synthetic polymers which are prepared from the acrylate monomers. Acrylic fibres are made from a polymer i.e. polyacrylonitrile.

Hence, Option C is correct i.e. Terylene, PET and Acrylic are polyesters.

Note:
Polyester fabrics or fibres are considered to be extremely strong, highly durable, resistant to chemicals, wrinkle resistant, abrasion resistant. Moreover, polyester is hydrophobic in nature and thus quickly dries.