Editing Polymer backbone (section)

==Organic polymers==
:[[File:Polystyrene formation.PNG|left|thumb|390 px|Formation of polystyrene, a polymer with an organic backbone.]]
Common synthetic polymers have main chains composed of carbon, i.e. C-C-C-C....  Examples include [[polyolefin]]s such as [[polyethylene]] ((CH<sub>2</sub>CH<sub>2</sub>)<sub>n</sub>) and many substituted derivative ((CH<sub>2</sub>CH(R))<sub>n</sub>) such as [[polystyrene]] (R = C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>5</sub>), [[polypropylene]] (R = CH<sub>3</sub>), and [[acrylate]]s (R = CO<sub>2</sub>R').

Other major classes of organic polymers are [[polyester]]s and [[polyamide]]s.  They have respectively -C(O)-O- and -C(O)-NH- groups in their backbones in addition to chains of carbon.  Major commercial products are [[polyethyleneterephthalate]] ("PET"), ((C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>4</sub>CO<sub>2</sub>C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>4</sub>OC(O))<sub>n</sub>) and [[nylon-6]] ((NH(CH<sub>2</sub>)<sub>5</sub>C(O))<sub>n</sub>).