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Monomers


A monomer (/ˈmɒnəmər/ MON-ə-mər) (, "one" + , "part") is a molecule that, as a unit, binds chemically or supramolecularly to other molecules to form a supramolecular polymer. Large numbers of monomer units combine to form polymers in a process called polymerization. Molecules of a small number of monomer units (up to a few dozen) are called oligomers. The term "monomeric protein" may also be used to describe one of the proteins making up a multiprotein complex.

*Diglycerides and triglycerides are made from smaller molecules by dehydration synthesis, which is not the same process as the end-to-end linking of similar monomers that qualifies as polymerization; thus, diglycerides and triglycerides are an exception to the term polymer.

Examples: The most common natural monomer is glucose, which is linked by glycosidic bonds into polymers such as cellulose, starch, and glycogen. The term monomer also refers to organic molecules that form synthetic polymers, for example the vinyl chloride monomer, which is used to produce the polymer polyvinyl chloride (PVC).


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