The degree of polymerization at t = 10 h of a polymer formed by a stepwise process with a polymerization rate constant of 3 × 10⁻² M⁻¹ s⁻¹ and an initial monomer concentration of 50 mM is

Concept:

• In polymer chemistry, polymerization is a process of reacting monomer molecules together in a chemical reaction to form polymer chains.
• The degree of polymerization  is given by,

Where,  is the degree of polymerization,

 is the initial monomer concentration,

t is the time required for the polymerization and,

 k is the polymerization rate constant

Explanation:

For the given polymerization reaction,

 t = 10 h

 = 50 mM

k = 3 × 10−2 M−1 s−1 

Thus, the degree of polymerization () is,

Conclusion:

Hence, the degree of polymerization is 55