Monomer

A monomer (/ˈmɒnəmər/ MON-ə-mər; mono-, "one" + -mer, "part") is a molecule that can react together with other monomer molecules to form a larger polymer chain or three-dimensional network in a process called polymerization.

For example, the formation of many nylons requires equal amounts of a dicarboxylic acid and diamine.

For example, small amounts of 1-octene monomer are copolymerized with ethylene to give specialized polyethylene.

For polynucleic acids (DNA/RNA), the monomers are nucleotides, each of which is made of a pentose sugar, a nitrogenous base and a phosphate group.

The most abundant natural monomer is glucose, which is linked by glycosidic bonds into the polymers cellulose, starch, and glycogen.