The creation of the structures that are encountered in nature is at the heart of new materials such as polymers. The building block of a polymer is a monomer such as glucose which is one of the simplest forms of sugar. Glucose is a monosaccharide as are fructose and galactose. Combinations of these monosaccharides form disaccharides and polysaccharides. The basic elements that make up monosaccharides are carbon and water. The basic formula for a monosaccharide is Cx(H2O)y.The number of carbon atoms is higher than three with the number being used to classify the monosaccharides into dioses, trioses and tetroses etc. Glucose is a hexose with six carbon atoms. Inside the structure is a carbonyl which is a combination of the type C=O. The remaining cartbon atoms have one hydroxyl group each. A hydroxyl is a combination of hydrogen and oxygen, OH. Glucose, fructose and galactose are absorbed into the blood stream during the digestion process. One of the most common polysaccharides is cellulose which is found in the cell wall of plants, in cotton, in wood, and is used to produce paper. While glucose is the monomer that is used to build the polymer cellulose, amino acids are monomers that build up a polymer protein. While Glucose is made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, amino acids are made up of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen. They are made by a combination of an amine which is NH2 and carboxylic acid which is COOH and another side chain. Among polymers are a group called as alkenes which have the requirement of containing at least one carbon-carbon double bond. In a double bond, four electrons form the link instead of the usual two electrons. Ethylene is an alkene with the formula C2H4 which is the simplest alkene. The polymers that are man-made include polyvinyl chloride or PVC, nylon and synthetic rubber. The monomer that is used to build PVC is vinyl chloride with the formula H2C=CHCL. It is also known as Vinyl Chloride Monomer or VCM.

Polymers can be created to meet the requirements of manufacturing and processing industries. The use of chemicals in industries has to be made safe and efficient when they are utilised in a manufacturing process. A Diaphragm Pump can ensure smooth flow of the chemicals. The parts of pumps which are used for such specialised applications are made from polymers which can withstand the effects of chemicals. Polypropylene is a polymer that serves well in the manufacture of such pumps and machines. It has various other uses which flow from its toughness and flexibility. A similar material that has both properties of strength and malleability is acrylonitrile butadiene styrene which is known as ABS. Styrene is a derivative of Benzene. The structure of Benzene is made of six atoms of carbon and six atoms of hydrogen. The six atoms of carbon are formed as a ring with a hydrogen atom being attached to each carbon atom. The term Hydrocarbon which we use to refer to petrochemicals derives from the combination of hydrogen and carbon.