Physical Properties and Physical Chemistry of Polymers -- Free-Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization -- Ionic Chain-Growth Polymerization -- Ring-Opening Polymerizations -- Common Chain-Growth Polymers -- Step-Growth Polymerization and Step-Growth Polymers -- Naturally Occurring Polymers -- Reactivity and Chemical Modifications of Polymers -- Polymeric Materials for Special Applications.

This successful textbook undergoes a change of character in the third edition.  Where earlier editions covered organic polymer chemistry, the third edition covers both physical and organic chemistry. Thus kinetics and thermodynamics of polymerization reactions are discussed. This textbook also covers such hot topics as photonic polymers, electricity conducting polymers, polymeric materials for immobilization of reagents and drug release, organic solar cells, and organic light emitting diodes. This textbook contains review questions at the end of every chaper, references for further reading, and numerous examples of commerically important processes.