NESA Chemistry Polymers

This incorrectly assumes 1000 water molecules are lost. A straight chain of 1000 monomers forms 999 bonds, so only 999 water molecules are lost during the condensation reaction.

The molar mass is calculated by taking the mass of 1000 monomers ($1000 \times 90.078$ g mol$^{-1}$) and subtracting the mass of the 999 water molecules lost during condensation ($999 \times 18.016$ g mol$^{-1}$), yielding approximately 72 080 g mol$^{-1}$.

This subtracts the mass of only a single water molecule from the total mass of 1000 monomers, rather than subtracting one water molecule per ester bond formed.

This is simply the mass of 1000 unreacted monomers ($1000 \times 90.078$ g mol$^{-1}$) and fails to account for the mass of water lost during the condensation reaction.

Chemical reactivity refers to the stability of the molecule against chemical changes, whereas the melting point is a physical property determined by the strength of intermolecular forces.

The strength of covalent bonds determines the polymer's thermal stability (resistance to decomposition), but the melting point is governed by the intermolecular forces holding separate chains together.

PTFE chains are linear and rigid, allowing them to pack very closely. This dense packing results in strong cumulative London dispersion forces between the chains, requiring significant energy to overcome.

Melting involves overcoming forces between different polymer chains (intermolecular), whereas interactions between atoms within the same chain (intramolecular) determine the chain's structure and stiffness.