new in bold

(copied in normal text)

0.5g hex (1mol/116.21g)= 0.004302mol hex
0.5g adi (1mol/183.03g)= 0.002731mol adi

Limiting: 0.002731mol adi(1mol nylon/1mol adi)(226.319g/1mol nylon6.6)= 0.61807 g Nylon

Supposed to have theoretically: 0.61807g Nylon

What I had when I weighed it:
0.818g Nylon

You said:
"Remember it doesn't take very much water to weigh 200 mg; i.e., only about 0.2 mL (about four (4) big drops) and your product could easily absorb that much water if it wasn't completely dry. I didn't understand exactly how you converted the mols of nylon to grams; i.e., isn't the molar mass of nylon in the big numbers because it has polymerized"

Hm...well I did read somewhere that nylon absorbs moisture even from the air so that would account for it. As for the way I calculated the g of nylon. I based it on that site I tried to get you to go to in the first place. It's actually a pdf lab manual of the experiment and it says, I quote "(Theoretical yield can be calculated in grams. To do this, you do not need to know the molecular mass of the polymer – just calculate the molecular mass of the repetitive unit and multiply this by the number of moles of limiting reagent.)"
The repetative unit I calculated for nylon 6.6 was 226.319g. So I just multiplied it by the moles of limiting reagent since it was 1:1 molar ration btwn the nylon and the adi.

Thanks Dr.Bob =)

4 answers

Um this should be bolded.

Hm...well I did read somewhere that nylon absorbs moisture even from the air so that would account for it. As for the way I calculated the g of nylon. I based it on that site I tried to get you to go to in the first place. It's actually a pdf lab manual of the experiment and it says, I quote "(Theoretical yield can be calculated in grams. To do this, you do not need to know the molecular mass of the polymer – just calculate the molecular mass of the repetitive unit and multiply this by the number of moles of limiting reagent.)"
The repetative unit I calculated for nylon 6.6 was 226.319g. So I just multiplied it by the moles of limiting reagent since it was 1:1 molar ration btwn the nylon and the adi.
Personally, I think your sample had a little water in it. At least that would account for the discrepancy. As for the molar mass, I've not worked with polymers like this before. That's a new way of doing it so I learned something. As for the pdf site, my computer won't let me look at a pdf site unless I turn off my fire wall and I don't like to do that.
Okay, well I think I should also mention that when it was dried or so I thought, I pulled it off the paper towel but I think by the sound of it some paper fibers may have been stuck to it also accounting for the additional mass.

Hm, it's quite interesting as I have my firewall turned on but it allows me to see pdf files. It just asks me about downloads. I just checked this and my firewall security has a option to "block all incoming connections" but I have that not checked.
~
another thing is you would you know how to make plastics? (I notice you say you've worked with polymers before)

My hwk Q that I was trying to find the answer to yesterday is this below but I don't know exactly how the placticizing process works. I compiled the chemicals I think I need but other than that I'm stumped as to how to put them together or how.
Q:
A water pipe has burst in your home. Being a poor college student and a good organic laboratory student you decide to fix the pipe yourself keeping in mind that a simple patch will not work. You will have to construct your own piping. your are able to order any chemicals needed. Describe what polymer you would make, why, and how.

I don't even know why they ask us these things...anyway. I came up with polyethylene as the plastic I think is suitable for producing pipes.

I think I'd need
ethylene, Ziegler-Natta catalyst (TiCl4)+ alluminum based co-catalyst Al(C2H5)3

I read somewhere that commercially they put it in a fluidized bed but I'm not sure if I could just say that I would use the fluidized bed at this imaginary school..(I don't think any school has one of these in reality)

statement taken from site:
"ethylene is put into a fluidized bed, where a polymerization reaction takes place, converting the ethylene into polyethylene. This process needs very high pressures and a catalyst."

-The catalyst is the zielgler natta catalyst with the alluminium compound

but other than that..I don't know how it works or how I can describe it.

Thanks alot Dr.Bob =D
Okay now I've basically given up on this.(I have to go do physics now) The last thing I found is this:

I looked up "making plastic at home"

I came up with:
Making Polystyrene
by using acetone and styrofoam and allowing the styrofoam to be dissolved by the acetone. Then the styrofoam is molded into whatever you want.

problem: it's not standardly used for pipes and I'm not sure it would be strong enough.

Well that's all I came up with.

Hope you can help me out with this.

Thanks Dr.Bob