Illustrated Glossary of Organic Chemistry - Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)

Illustrated Glossary of Organic Chemistry

Poly ethylene terephthalate (PET, PETE): A copolymer formed by copolymerization of terephthalic acid (or a terephthalic acid derivative such as dimethyl terephthalate) and ethylene glycol. A commonly used, readily recyclable plastic.

	+	HOCH₂CH₂OH	Polymerization
Terephthalic acid		Ethylene glycol		Poly ethylene terephthalate

Polyethylene terephthalate can be formed by copolymerization of two different monomers: terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol.


A water bottle molded from PET.		The universal recycling symbol for PET.

Related terms: Nylon, rayon, Kevlar, Teflon, PTFE, polyester, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, PVC, polystyrene, biopolymer, cellulose, starch, amylose, amylopectin, peptide, protein, RNA, DNA, pet ether
Wikipedia entry
Return to glossary index