Question

Whether or not an active center can be formed.

(a) Yes

(b) No

The question was asked in an interview.

This key question is from Chemistry of Polymerization Reaction topic in chapter Principles of Polymer Chemistry of Unit Processes

Answer 1

Right option is (a) Yes

To explain I would say: Whether or not an active center can be formed, i.e., whether or not an unsaturated molecule is suitable for addition polymerizations depends on a number of factors. In the first place, the energy necessary to open one of the two links of an aliphatic double bond depends upon the nature of the two atoms that are linked together by it, for instance, C=C or C=O. The electronic configurations of each of these atoms and the distances between them influence the dissociation energy of the double or triple bond.