Overview

The term nylon is used to describe a family of organic polymers called the polyamides that contain the amide (-CONH) group. The members of the family are distinguished from each other by a numbering system indicating the chemical composition of the polymer molecule. The two most important nylons are nylon 6 and nylon 66 which, between them, account for nearly all of the nylon produced in the United States. Other nylons that are produced in much smaller amounts include nylon 11, nylon 12, nylon 46, and nylon 612.

The polyamides are thermoplastic polymers. The term "thermoplastic" means that the polymer can be repeatedly melted and hardened by alternate heating and cooling. By contrast, certain other types of polymers, known as thermosetting plastics, can not be re-melted once they have hardened.

Key Facts

Formula:

Nylon 6: -[-CO(CH₂)₅NH-]-_n; Nylon 66: -[-CO(CH₂)₄CO-NH(CH₂)₆NH-]-_n...