Clear plastic wrap. Tupperware containers. Scotch tape. Swimsuits. Are all of these things plastic in different forms? What is the unifying chemical structure common to all these different things that makes them all plastic?
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They are made up of small repeating hydrocarbon units, usually extracted from crude oil.
For instance, PVC (polyvinylchloride) is 2 carbons, 3 hydrogens, and a chlorine per unit, and that unit (called a polymer) can be repeated any number of times, linked end to end by the carbons.
The unifying chemical structure, then, is a hydrocarbon chain, with something else attached to the side of it at regular intervals, ie, a chain of polymers.
As for what counts as plastic… yes, most modern clothing, tape, etc, but also tyre rubber, hair styling gum, some types of glue, faux leather, and so many other things.
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