Paper or plastic? I am asked this question every time I go grocery shopping. Asked another way, the question is, "Which polymer do you want?" To learn about polymers, go shopping at a great site from the University of Southern Mississippi, The Macrogalleria, a cyberwonderland of polymer fun at http://www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog/index.html . Plan to spend some time here. Bring along Chime and Shockwave plug-ins or download them from The Macrogalleria. The Macrogalleria shopping mall is divided into five levels.

On the first level, Polymers are Everywhere at http:/ /www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog/floor1.html, you can visit stores selling sporting goods, food, and clothing. Learn about natural polymers in shoes and in French fries at http://www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog/natupoly.html . Find out about nylon in toothbrushes at http://www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog/nylon.html and about carbon fibers in tennis racquets at http://www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog /carfib.html-great graphics and even better chemistry.

Skip up to level three for How They Work at http:/ /www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog/floor3.html. Take a look at the history of rubber on The Cross-linking Page at http:/ /www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog/xlink.html. Move on to level four for Makin' Polymers at http://www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog /floor4.html. Let's go right to the Ziegler-Natta Vinyl Polymerization at http://www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog/ziegler.html . Don't miss the humor in the initial explanation of the process. This page is excellent-with graphics, reactions, and a movie of a polymerization ( http://www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog/movies/zns.html ). This movie is worth seeing several times. Next take a look at another catalyst metallocene at http:/ /www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog/mcene.html. Explanations, graphics, and mechanisms help make this site worth visiting and great for teaching.

Several people contributed to The Macrogalleria, with major contributions from Mark Michalovic of the University of Southern Mississippi. Grants were from POLYED, a joint committee of the American Chemical Society Divisions of Polymer Chemistry and Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering and General Electric Corporation. The POLYED site, http:/ /chemdept.uwsp.edu/polyed/index.htm, is hosted by the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point. This National Center for Polymer Education is another good place to go for information.

More education is available at the Ziegler Research Group Home Page at http://www.chem.ucalgary.ca/groups/ziegler/index.html . Go to Metallocene as Olefin Polymerization Catalysis: An Introduction ( http://www.chem.ucalgary.ca/groups/ziegler/met_intro.html ) for historical accounts of metallocene and Ziegler-Natta catalysts. Movies are available here too. This Canadian site is well-documented and educational.

Back at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, The Why Files site at http://whyfiles.news.wisc.edu helps bring important chemical and technology news to the public. Go to the archived files of October 1997 ( http://whyfiles.news.wisc.edu/shorties/catalyst.html ) to find information about the importance of low-temperature metallocene catalysts. The Why Files received funding from the National Science Foundation. Go here for science information in an easy-to-read format.

One of the driving forces toward better catalysis is the attempt to reach 100% product, combining efficiency with lowered pollution. Companies can look to the Environmental Protection Agency for information: Environsense at http://es.epa.gov/ is pledged to offer "Common Sense Solutions to Environmental Problems".

So where can we get these polymers? The American Chemical Society can help. Go to Chemcylopedia at http://pubs.acs.org/chemcy99/ for great information. Both purchasers and users of chemicals can benefit from this site. Searches can be made on the chemical or on the supplier. Information provided includes CAS Registry Numbers and special shipping requirements as well as potential applications.

Do you remember that we started with paper? Let's end with information about making paper. Go to http://www.sci.fi /~saarives/pulpmfl.htm for Ahlstrom Machinery's Typical Offerings for Chemical Pulp Mills. Now this is a chemically rich plant that is worth the trip.

Carolyn Sweeney Judd teaches at Houston Community College System, 1300 Holman, Houston, TX 77004; phone: 713/718-6315; email: cjudd@tenet.edu.

World Wide Web Addresses

The Macrogalleria
http://www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog/index.html

Polymers Are Everywhere
http://www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog/floor1.html

Natural Polymers
http://www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog/natupoly.html

Nylon
http://www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog/nylon.html

Carbon Fibers
http://www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog/carfib.html

How They Work
http://www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog/floor3.html

The Cross-linking Page
http://www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog/xlink.html

Makin' Polymers
http://www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog/floor4.html

Ziegler-Natta Vinyl Polymerization
http://www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog/ziegler.html

Syndiotactic Ziegler-Natta Polymerization (movie, Shockwave plug-in required for viewing) at
http://www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog/movies/zns.html

Metallocene Catalysis Polymerization
http://www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog/mcene.html

POLYED Welcome Page
http://chemdept.uwsp.edu/polyed/index.htm

Ziegler Research Group Home Page
http://www.chem.ucalgary.ca/groups/ziegler/index.html

Metallocene as Olefin Polymerization Catalysis: An Introduction at http://www.chem.ucalgary.ca/groups/ziegler/met_intro.html

The Why Files
http://whyfiles.news.wisc.edu

Low-Temperature Metallocene Catalysts
http://whyfiles.news.wisc.edu/shorties/catalyst.html

Environsense
http://es.epa.gov/

Chemcylopedia 99
http://pubs.acs.org/chemcy99/

Ahlstrom Machinery's Typical Offerings for Chemical Pulp Mills at http://www.sci.fi/~saarives/pulpmfl.htm

access date for all sites: December 1998