Introduction A polymer is a large molecule composed of many smaller repeating units. First synthetic polymers: Poly(vinyl chloride)in 1838. ■Polystyrene in1839. Now,250 billion pounds are produced annually,worldwide. Chapter 26 2 Chapter 26 2 Introduction ▪ A polymer is a large molecule composed of many smaller repeating units. ▪ First synthetic polymers: ▪ Poly(vinyl chloride) in 1838. ▪ Polystyrene in 1839. ▪ Now, 250 billion pounds are produced annually, worldwide