Title: enthalpy of polymerisation
Long Title: IUPAC Gold Book - enthalpy of polymerisation
DOI: 10.1351/goldbook.15399
Status: current

Definition
Change of enthalpy, in a chain polymerization forming a homopolymer, associated with the conversion of one mole of monomer into polymer under isobaric and isothermal conditions.

Notes
1) Under defined standard conditions the enthalpy of polymerization is designated \(\Delta H_{\rm{m}}^{\circ}\).
2) The subscripts in \(\Delta_{\rm{ab}} H_{\rm{m}}\) denote (a) the state of the monomer and (b) the state of polymer, as follows: g: gaseous state (hypothetical in the case of polymer);l: liquid state (must be specified in the case of a mesophase);s: in solution (solvent and mesophases, if any, must be specified);c: (condensed) amorphous, glassy states;c′: crystalline or partly crystalline state; e.g., \(\Delta_{\rm{lc}} H_{\rm{m}}\) means: from liquid state to amorphous or glassy state; \(\Delta_{\rm{ss}} H_{\rm{m}}\) means: from monomer in solvent to polymer in solvent.
3) The symbol \(\Delta H_{\rm{ab}}\), in common usage in polymer chemistry, is discouraged as the IUPAC-recommended symbol is \(\Delta_{\rm{ab}} H_{\rm{m}}\).

Source
- PAC, 2008, 80, 2163. 'Glossary of terms related to kinetics, thermodynamics, and mechanisms of polymerization (IUPAC Recommendations 2008)' on page 2174 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac200880102163)

Other Outputs
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- json: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/15399/json
- xml: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/15399/xml

Citation: Citation: 'enthalpy of polymerisation' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. 10.1351/goldbook.15399
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Accessed: 2026-04-18T06:47:43+00:00