Consider the Polydispersity Index (PDI), defined as the ratio of weight average to number average mo — Polymers Chemistry Question
Question
Consider the Polydispersity Index (PDI), defined as the ratio of weight average to number average molecular mass ($M_w/M_n$). Which of the following statements is strictly correct regarding polymer systems?
Answer: B
💡 Solution & Explanation
Natural polymers (like pure biological proteins) have chains of exact, uniform lengths, meaning $M_w = M_n$ and PDI = 1. Synthetic polymers invariably have a distribution of chain lengths, so $M_w > M_n$ and PDI > 1.
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