The Contribution of IUPAC to Polymer Science Education

Abstract

Polymer education relies on generally agreed terminology and nomenclature rules. The Polymer Division of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) generates and recommends such rules for naming processes and materials in polymer science. It is the goal of IUPAC that these recommendations be applied in polymer science curricula worldwide. For this purpose, a large amount of material has been provided by the Polymer Division of IUPAC, and in this paper these resources are described from the personal perspective of the authors. A discussion of terminology is then provided, including a detailed discussion of the term “dispersity” (Mw/Mn) and the rationale behind the recommended IUPAC names of different polymerization mechanisms. This is followed by a commentary on polymer nomenclature with examples. Finally, exemplary applications of resources provided by the Polymer Division of IUPAC for educational purposes around the world are presented.