When you are younger, you probably enjoy building things with blocks or putting little things on a necklace. using small units to make a larger object using these small units over and over again until you get the largest item you wanted to build.
A macromolecule is built in exactly the same way. The term macromolecule means a very large molecule. As you know, a molecule is a substance that is made up of more than one atom. The prefix macro means "large", and is an antonym of the prefix micro-which means "very small." Macromolecules are huge and made up of 10,000 or more atoms
Another term for a macromolecule is a polymer. You probably know from math classes that the prefix poly- means 'many', as in a polygon, or a figure with many sides. Because macromolecules are made of many building blocks, called monomers, you can see why these terms are synonymous. Think of a monomer as a brick, and a polymer, or macromolecule, as the entire brick wall made up of building blocks. The brick wall is made up of smaller units (the bricks) in the same way that a macromolecule is made up of monomer building blocks.
In addition to the very important biological macromolecules (proteins, lipids, polysaccharides, and nucleic acids), there are three main groups of macromolecules that are important in industry. These are elastomers, fibers and plastics.
Elastomers are macromolecules that are elastic and very flexible. This elastic property allows these materials to be used in products such as elastic bands and hair bands. These products can be stretched, but they return to their original structure. A natural, not artificial elastomer is rubber.
Fiber macromolecules are probably used. Polyester, nylon, and acrylic fibers are used in everything from shoes to belts, shirts and blouses. Fiber macromolecules are similar to ropes, which when woven together are very durable. Natural fibers include silk, cotton, wool, and wood.
Many of the materials that are used every day are made from these macromolecules. There are many types of plastics, but all of them are made through a process called polymerization, the joining of monomer units to form plastic polymers. Until recently, all plastics were made from petroleum products.
