ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the availability of the general feedstocks. It deals with the synthesis of particular polymer reactants. The chapter then focuses on the monomer synthesis chemical flow diagram based on the methane feedstock, the ethylene feedstock, the acetylene feedstock, the propylene feedstock and the benzene feedstock. Commercial monomer synthesis is based on both the availability of inexpensive materials and on an "interconnectedness" between products and synthetic by-products that are essential to the synthesis of other essential materials. There is an increased emphasis on green chemistry in the production of monomers. The chapter deals with the reactants for step-reaction polymerization and synthesis of vinyl monomers and free radical initiators. Monomer synthesis is both an art and a science developed by major and ongoing research efforts, allowing the inexpensive and safe availability of the starting materials upon which the polymer industry is based.
