ABSTRACT
What is a polymer? If that question had been asked during the latter half of the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th, it would have been met with either a blank uncomprehending stare or, worse, by derision from sections of the scientific community. This question, which is very much pertinent today, concerns substances that are so pervasive in our everyday lives that we would have difficulty in avoiding them but that may be handled, used, ignored, commented on, and normally taken for granted. Some of these substances are new and recent products resulting from the ingenuity of the chemist; some are naturally occurring and have been used by humans for several thousand years, and some form part of our bodies. All the substances, referred to as polymers or macromolecules, are giant molecules with molar masses ranging from several thousands to several millions.
