The document defines the terms most commonly encountered in the field of polymer reactions and functional polymers. The scope has been limited to terms that are specific to polymer systems. The document is organized into three sections. The first defines the terms relating to reactions of polymers. Names of individual chemical reactions are omitted from the document, even in cases where the reactions are important in the field of polymer reactions. The second section defines the terms relating to polymer reactants and reactive polymeric materials. The third section defines the terms describing functional polymeric materials.

The reader will find basic knowledge about the degradation of polymers, its causes, course and consequences in a broader context, as indicated through the list of the chapter titles: Introduction; Depolymerization; Initiated cleavage (degradation) of macromolecules; Thermal degradation; Photochemical degradation; Mechanochemical degradation; Oxidative degradation; Polymer burning; Kinetics of cleaving macromolecules when chain depolymerization is negligible; Degradation in polymer recycling; Protection of polymers against degradation.

This document defines the terms most commonly encountered in the field of polymers containing ionizable or ionic groups and polymers containing ions. The scope of the document has been limited to organic polymers. Inorganic materials, such as certain phosphates, silicates, etc., which also may be considered ionic polymers, are excluded from the present document. The terms selected are those that are widely used in the field of polymers containing ionizable or ionic groups and polymers containing ions. Only those terms that could be defined without ambiguity are considered. The terms are listed in alphabetical order, and cross-references to definitions given in other documents are provided.

These recommendations are specifically for polymers and polymer systems showing a significant response to an electromagnetic field or one of its components (electric field or magnetic field), i.e., for electromagnetic-field-responsive polymer materials. The structures, processes, phenomena and quantities relating to this interdisciplinary field of materials science and technology are herein defined. Definitions are unambiguously explained and harmonized for wide acceptance by the chemistry, physics, polymer and materials science communities. A survey of typical electromagnetic-field-responsive polymers is included.

This document defines class names of polymers based on the class names of starting monomers and characteristic features of the chemical constitution of polymer molecules (macromolecules), i.e., class names that have gained general acceptance in the polymer and material literature, science and technology as well as in public. The glossary is divided into three parts: Source-based class names, which identify common classes of starting monomers such as "acrylic", "diene", "phenolic", "vinylic". Class names based on chemical structure, which identify characteristic groups in the main chains (backbones) of the polymer molecules such as (i) inter-unit groups derived from functional groups, e.g., "amide", "ester", "ether"; (ii) a specific group of atoms, e.g., "alkenylene", "siloxane", "sulfone"; (iii) ring structures, e.g., "benzimidazole", "benzoxazole", "quinoxaline". Class names based on molecular architecture, which identify mainly the overall shapes of polymer molecules through the type of their graphical representation such as "linear", "branched", "dendritic", "comb". Each part of the glossary is arranged in a non-hierarchical alphabetical order. Each entry provides: (a) the polymer class name; (b) its definition; (c) specific or generic examples including IUPAC names and a structure or graphical representation; (d) relations to other polymer classes and subclasses; (e) notes on the inclusion or exclusion of borderline cases. An alphabetical index of all class names is included.