Final answer:
The 'residue' in a growing biopolymer chain refers to the individual monomer that has been incorporated into the chain, and it is formed through a process known as polymerization, often by condensation reactions that may result in the release of small molecules.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the growing biopolymer chain, the "residue" refers to the monomer after it has been incorporated into the chain and is formed through polymerization. For example, in the formation of polypeptides, which are biopolymers composed of amino acid residues, the residues are linked together by peptide bonds in a process known as condensation polymerization. In the case of a polysaccharide, the monomer residues are monosaccharides that are connected to form long chains, which may be branched or unbranched.
The process of polymerization often involves the loss of small molecules like water. For example, the formation of synthetic polymers like Dacron and Nylon 66 occurs through a step-growth polymerization, which typically involves a carbon-heteroatom bond formation (C-O & C-N bonds, respectively) and may result in the release of a small molecule as a byproduct.