End-group

End groups are an important aspect of polymer synthesis and characterization. In polymer chemistry, end groups are functionalities or constitutional units that are at the extremity of a macromolecule or oligomer (IUPAC). In polymer synthesis, like condensation polymerization and free-radical types of polymerization, end-groups are commonly used and can be analyzed for example by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to determine the average length of the polymer. Other methods for characterization of polymers where end-groups are used are mass spectrometry and vibrational spectrometry, like infrared and Raman spectrometry. Not only are these groups important for the analysis of the polymer, but they are also useful for grafting to and from a polymer chain to create a new copolymer. One example of an end group is in the polymer poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate where the end-groups are circled.