Final answer:
The monomer for the polymer Acrilan is acrylonitrile (CH2=CH-CN). The question refers to the monomer's structure within the polymer chain, which results from the monomer's double bond opening and connecting to form the polymer polyacrylonitrile.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student has asked about the structure of the monomer that comprises the polymer Acrilan. Acrilan is a trade name for a polymer made from the monomer acrylonitrile (CH2=CH-CN).
The structure mentioned '-CH2-CH-CH2-CH-CH2-CH-CH2- | | | CN CN CN' indicates the repeating unit in the polyacrylonitrile polymer chain. Every monomer that is added to the chain during the polymerization process contributes all its atoms to the polymer structure, without loss of any atom. In this case, the monomer would be a molecule with a vinyl group (-CH2=CH-) and a cyano group (CN) attached to the vinyl group's carbon. This is because addition polymerization typically involves the opening of a double bond in the monomer, allowing it to connect with other monomers to form the polymer.
The abbreviated representation of polymerization often shows the monomer and the resulting polymer with an 'n' to indicate a large number of repeating units:
nCH2=CH-CN → [CH2-CH(CN)]n