The term “step-growth polymerization” remains in widespread use despite a 1994 document from the Subcommittee on Polymer Terminology deprecating it because all polymerizations are a series of steps. The term “chain-growth polymerization” was also deprecated at this time, but it is still also widely used. The lack of adherence to IUPAC terms suggested in the 1994 document is likely because no alternative to “step-growth” was suggested. The term “non-chain polymerization” now appears in documents of the Subcommittee on Polymer Terminology, but this is a poor term because it defines something based on what it is not. This project aims to update the 1994 Basic Classification and Definitions of Polymerization Reactions (Pure Appl. Chem., 1994, 66, 2483) document to address these concerns in the context of existing trends in polymer synthesis.
For more information and comments, contact Task Group Chair John Matson <jbmatson@vt.edu> • https://iupac.org/project/2019-027-1-400
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