JEE Main · 2021 · 25 Jul 2021 · Shift 2 · Polymers

A polyamide requires two monomers that can join through $-\mathrm{CONH}-$ links, and it is biodegradable when those links are of the kind that enzymes and soil micro-organisms already hydrolyse, as in a protein. Glycine and 6-aminocaproic acid are both amino acids, and their condensation gives nylon-2-nylon-6, an alternating polyamide that is broken down in the soil. Hexamethylenediamine with adipic acid gives nylon-6,6, a polyamide whose long hydrocarbon runs resist attack, while isoprene and styrene carry no group that can form an amide link at all. The biodegradable polyamide is made from glycine and aminocaproic acid.