Editing Polymer (section)

===Synthetic===
The [[list of synthetic polymers]], roughly in order of worldwide demand, includes [[polyethylene]], [[polypropylene]], [[polystyrene]], [[polyvinyl chloride]], [[synthetic rubber]], [[phenol formaldehyde resin]] (or [[Bakelite]]), [[neoprene]], [[nylon]], [[polyacrylonitrile]], [[polyvinyl butyral|PVB]], [[silicone]], and many more. More than 330 million tons of these polymers are made every year (2015).<ref>{{cite web| url = https://committee.iso.org/files/live/sites/tc61/files/The%20Plastic%20Industry%20Berlin%20Aug%202016%20-%20Copy.pdf| title = World Plastics Production}}</ref>

Most commonly, the continuously linked backbone of a polymer used for the preparation of plastics consists mainly of [[carbon]] atoms. A simple example is polyethylene ('polythene' in British English), whose repeat unit or monomer is [[ethylene]]. Many other structures do exist; for example, elements such as silicon form familiar materials such as silicones, examples being [[Silly Putty]] and waterproof plumbing sealant. [[Oxygen]] is also commonly present in polymer backbones, such as those of [[polyethylene glycol]], [[polysaccharide]]s (in [[glycosidic bond]]s), and [[DNA]] (in [[phosphodiester bond]]s).