It is some time since Laurence Harwood suggested to me the idea of this
volume of the Practical Approach in Organic Chemistry series, and whilst
initially I could see the value of such a contribution, as the subsequent delay
in production testifies, I have had some difficulty in transposing this topic to a
relatively small text. There are many scientific publications devoted entirely
to the area of polymer synthesis, with tens of thousand pages devoted to the
topic in the scientific literature every year I have focused on those aspects of
the topic which I find interesting, and consequently there are certainly many
omissions. I hope, however, that the examples I have included will give a
flavour of what can be achieved (generally without recourse to highly specialized
equipment) in terms of the development of novel macromolecular
systems. As with all the volumes in the Practical Approach Series, this book
aims to provide a detailed and accessible laboratory guide suitable for those
new to the area of polymer synthesis. The protocols contained within this
manuscript provide information about solvent purification, equipment and
reaction conditions, and list some potential problems and hazards. The latter
point is particularly important and in most instances I have referred to the
manufacturers’ safety data sheet (MSDS, which companies such as Merck
and Aldrich provide on-line); however, often these vary in detail from sourceto-
source and from time-to-time, and of course local rules always must take
precedance.

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