Teflon is an inert polymer. Why?
Answers
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It is composed of carbon and fluorine atoms which form very strong chemical bonds with each other.For this reason Teflon is highly unreactive causing it to have a very low coefficient of friction, allowing things slide across its surface very easily.
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Answer:
Polytetrafluoroethylene, better known as Teflon, is a synthetic fluoropolymer. A synthetic fluoropolymer is a fluorocarbon-based polymer with multiple strong carbon-fluorine bonds, making it highly resistant to solvents, acids and bases.
The discovery
Polytetrafluroethylene was discovered by Roy Plunkett (photo, right), an American chemist from New Carlisle, Ohio in 1938. In an experiment to try and make a new CFC refrigerant, the tetrafluroethylene polymerized with the container it was in to make a white waxy substance called polytetrafluroethylene, later patented in 1941, and then commercially sold as Teflon in 1946.
The science behind Teflon
Teflon is a polymer, which is made by joining together lots of smaller molecules called monomers. In this case, the monomer is tetrafluoroethene (TFE), and when polymerised it becomes poly-TFE, or PTFE as it's sometimes called.
Properties and appliances
Teflon's amazing properties are down to its structure. Like most polymers, Teflon has a carbon-based chain. However, instead of reactive C-H bonds which occur in most polymers, Teflon has all its hydrogens replaced by fluorines. These strong C-F bonds are extremely resistant to attack by any other reagents, making Teflon very inert. This means that no other molecules will react with or stick to Teflon.