What are the uses of polystyrene and which of it's properties enables it to be used in that way? Laymans terms

Answer 1

Polystyrene was one of the first industrial polymers developed. Of course one of the most visible uses is white Styrofoam. Polystyrene starts out as a simple monomer, Styrene. An initiator compound is added to these little styrene molecules and they begin to link up into very long chains, called a polymer. Styrene has a neat property in that they can also use pressure to drive a propellant like Freon or propane into the pot of monomers before initiating the chain reaction. Then they add the initiator, and release the pressure. The gasses try to escape while the polymer is forming and this leaves behind the airy structure of Styrofoam. It is a great insulator.

Styrene can also be polymerized without these propellants, and this makes hard plastic films that are optically clear. Many of the bottles you find in stores today are still made of styrene, even though it is not yet recyclable. Polystyrene is also not very inert to chemical attack for organic solvents.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polystyrene

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