[xk9x]

There are a few questions I have on the recyclable plastics (PETE, HDPE, PVC, LDPE, PP, and PS).

First:
Which of the six are polyolefins?  Besides PETE, are they not all polyolefins? Isn't a polyolefin something that has the C=C backbone?

Here's where I got confused. Which are step growth and which are chain growth? I may be misunderstanding this, but step growth is when only one monomer at a time can add to a polymer chain, and chain growth is when a polymer chain can bond to another polymer chain?

If this is true, are not all 6, except PETE, chain growth polymers? And is it possible to have be both a Chain and Step Growth polymer (I don't think so, right?).

Thanks for any help, everyone. I tried, I'm just a little confused

[FeLiXe]

first is right. only you have to remember that polyolefins don't have the C=C backbone. you only start with olefins and you have an alkane backbone.