Polyvinyl chloride or PVC is common plastic that is made by polymerising vinyl chloride, CHCl=CH2. The structure of PVC is best represented as

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Question restatement: The PVC polymer is formed from vinyl chloride, CHCl=CH2, and the repeating unit in the polymer backbone is the result of the addition polymerization of that monomer.
Option a: The sequence starts with –CHClCH2, then shows CH2CH2CHCl, and later CH2CH2– and CHCl– segments. This implies sections with consecutive CH2 units (CH2CH2CH2) and an irregular pattern, which does not match the expected alternating CH2 and CHCl occurrences in the PVC backbone. Therefore this option misrepresents the backbone connectivity.
Option b: This option displays a chain of CHCl units (CHClCHClCHCl) followed by CH2 units (CH2CHCl), then more CHCl units, and ends with CH2CH2. The presence of long runs of CHCl without alternating with CH2, and the ending CH2CH2 fragment, breaks the consistent alternation of CH2 and CHCl that characterizes the PVC repeating unit. This makes it incorrect.
Option c: The chain consists entirely of CHCl units (–CHCl–CHCl–CHCl–...), with no CH2 in the backbone. In PVC, every second carbon typically bears a hydrogen and a chlorine (CHCl) while the adjacent carbon carries a CH2 group in the repeating unit; a backbone made solely of CHCl units is chemically implausible for PVC, so this option is inaccurate.
Option d: The sequence shows an alternating pattern of CHCl and CH2 groups: –CHClCH2CHClCH2CHClCH2CHClCH2CHClCH2–. This reflects the correct repeating motif for PVC, which is derived from the monomer CH2=CHCl and yields a backbone that alternates CH2 and CHCl along the chain (up to the choice of starting point, e.g., starting at a CHCl or a CH2 unit). The structure preserves the essential alternation and connectivity of the PVC backbone, making this the correct representation among the choices.
In summary, options a and b disrupt the necessary alternation or introduce incorrect connectivity, option c omits the essential CH2 units in the chain, while option d accurately captures the CH2–CHCl repeating pattern inherent to PVC.

MUF0042 Chemistry Unit 2 - Semester 1, 2025 3.21 Quiz: Polymers

Polyvinyl chloride or PVC is common plastic that is made by polymerising vinyl chloride, CHCl=CH2. The structure of PVC is best represented as

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