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What polymer is the main chemical constituent of natural rubber?
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The main chemical constituent of natural rubber is the polymer polyisoprene.
Specifically, natural rubber consists almost exclusively of the cis-1,4 isomer of polyisoprene. This polymer is a polyterpene hydrocarbon with the chemical formula , where n typically ranges from 4,000 to 5,000. Produced in the latex of plants such as the rubber tree, this material is classified as an elastomer due to its ability to stretch and recover its original shape.1234