Canadian Medical Guide > Chemicals and Drugs > Biomedical and Dental Materials > Polymers Terms and Definitions

Polymers

Medical Definition:	Compounds formed by the joining of smaller, usually repeating, units linked by covalent bonds. These compounds often form large macromolecules (e.g., polypeptides, polysaccharides, nucleic acids, plastics).
Guide Notes:	D25-26 qualif

Polymers Categories.

	Elastomers - A generic term for all substances having the properties of natural, reclaimed, vulcanized, or synthetic rubber, in that they stretch under tension, have a high tensile strength, retract rapidly, and recover their original dimensions fully.
	Fluorocarbon Polymers
	Glass - Hard, amorphous, brittle, inorganic, usually transparent, polymerous silicate of basic oxides, usually potassium or sodium. It is used in the form of hard sheets, vessels, tubing, fibers, ceramics, beads, etc.
	Latex - A milky, product excreted from the latex canals of a variety of plant species that contain cauotchouc. Latex is composed of 25-35% caoutchouc, 60-75% water, 2% protein, 2% resin, 1.5% sugar & 1% ash. RUBBER is made by the removal of water from latex.(From Concise Encylopedia Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 3rd ed) However, the term latex has been broadened in scope to include RUBBER and other synthetic polymers. Latexes are used as inert vehicles to carry antibodies or antigens in LATEX FIX ATION TESTS.
	Plastics - Polymeric materials (usually organic) of large molecular weight which can be shaped by flow. Plastic usually refers to the final product with fillers, plasticizers, pigments, and stabilizers included (versus the resin, the homogeneous polymeric starting material). (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 4th ed)
	Polyesters - Polymers of organic acids and alcohols, with ester linkages--usually polyethylene terephthalate; can be cured into hard plastic, films or tapes, or fibers which can be woven into fabrics, meshes or velours.

Polymers Medical Definitions and Terms

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