| Polythene Sheeting is made from a thermoplastic | | | | commonly called polythene, although that is not |
| commodity heavily used in consumer products | | | | recognised scientifically. Polyethylene is created |
| especially the plastic shopping bag. Over 60 million | | | | through polymerization of ethene. It can be produced |
| tons of the polythene is manufactured worldwide | | | | by radical polymerization, anionic addition |
| each year. Polyethylene is a polymer consisting of | | | | polymerization, ion coordination polymerization or |
| long chains of the monomer ethylene. The scientific | | | | cationic addition polymerization. This is because |
| name for polyethene is derived from the scientific | | | | ethene does not have any substituent groups that |
| name of the monomer. It is useful in certain | | | | influence the stability of the propagation head of the |
| circumstances to use a structure–based | | | | polymer. Each of these methods results in a different |
| nomenclature. In such cases IUPAC recommends | | | | type of polyethylene. Polyethylene is classified into |
| poly(methylene). The difference is because of the | | | | several categories mostly based on its branching and |
| opening up of the monomer's double bond upon | | | | density. The mechanical properties of PE depend |
| polymerisation. In the polymer industry the name is | | | | significantly on variables such as the extent and type |
| sometimes shortened to PE in the same way that | | | | of branching, the crystal structure and the molecular |
| other polymers like polypropylene and polystyrene | | | | weight. |
| are shortened to PP and PS. In the UK the polymer is | | | | |