A monomer is a an organic molecule that is involved in polymerization reactions. During these reactions, they are chemically linked forming macromolecules, or polymers, which have large molecular weights. Monomers are the starting materials for a wide range of materials. Numerous kinds are available from both natural and synthetic sources.

While polymers have been used by humans for centuries, it was not until the early twentieth century that their chemistry was understood. The groundwork for modern understanding of polymer science was laid by Nobel laureate Hermann Staudinger in the 1920s. He theorized that polymers were composed of simpler molecules, or monomer units, that were linked together in a chainlike fashion. In 1928, Meyer and Mark used x-ray techniques to confirm Staudinger's models. By the 1930s the monomer/polymer model was accepted by most polymer scientists.

The first type of polymers that were used by humans were naturally occurring. The...