atactic polymer

chemistry

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June 18, 2026

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An atactic polymer is a type of polymer that exhibits no stereochemical regularity in its structure. This means the arrangement of its side groups along the polymer chain is random, unlike stereoregular polymers such as isotactic or syndiotactic polymers, which have ordered arrangements.12

The term "atactic" is often used in contrast to "isotactic" and "syndiotactic" when discussing polymers like polypropylene, which can be synthesized with different spatial orientations of their pendant groups. Polymers with ordered structures tend to be high-strength materials due to close packing and crystallinity, whereas atactic polymers have a random structure.2

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catalysis
Catalysis in stereoregular polymerization
…a syndiotactic polymer, and an atactic polymer. These have the following arrangements of their molecular chains:
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…a syndiotactic polymer, and an atactic polymer. These have the following arrangements of their molecular chains:
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chemistry of industrial polymers
Organometallic catalysis
…groups is said to be atactic. Stereoregular polymers are usually high-strength materials because the uniform structure leads to close packing of the polymer chains and a high degree of crystallinity. The catalyst systems employed to make stereoregular polymers are now referred to as Ziegler-Natta catalysts. More recently, new soluble organometallic…
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…groups is said to be atactic. Stereoregular polymers are usually high-strength materials because the uniform structure leads to close packing of the polymer chains and a high degree of crystallinity. The catalyst systems employed to make stereoregular polymers are now referred to as Ziegler-Natta catalysts. More recently, new soluble organometallic…
Read More