Question:

The polydispersity index of a polymer containing $10$ molecules with molecular mass $1.0 \times 10^4$ and $10$ molecules with molecular mass $1.0 \times 10^5$ is approximately

Updated On: Aug 20, 2024
  • 1.67
  • 0.59
  • 1.55
  • 0.83
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The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

The PDI (polydispersity index) $=\frac{M_{w}}{M_{n}}=1.67$

$M_{w}=$ Weight average molecular weight.

$M_{n}=$ Number average molecular weight.

$M_{n}=\frac{N_{1} M_{1}+N_{2} M_{2}}{N_{1}+N_{2}}=55,000$

$M_{w}=\frac{N_{1} M_{1}^{2}+N_{2} M_{2}^{2}}{N_{1} M_{1}+N_{2} M_{2}}=91818$
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Concepts Used:

Molecular Mass of Polymers

It is described as the distribution rather than a specific number due to the occurrence of polymerization in such a way as to produce different chain lengths. Polymer MW is derived as follows:

\[M_{W} = \sum^{N}_{i=1} w_{i}MW_{i}.\]

Where,

wi = the weight fraction of polymer chains having a molecular weight of MWi.

The MW is typically measured by light dispersing experiments. The degree of dispersing arises from the molecule size and, thus, molecular weight dispensation can be mathematically set on the total scattering created by the sample.