Write the free radical mechanism for the polymerization of ethene

Chain initiation

The chain is initiated by free radicals, Ra , produced by the reaction between some of the ethene and the oxygen initiator.

Chain propagation

Each time a free radical hits an ethene molecule a new longer free radical is formed.

Chain termination

Eventually two free radicals hit each other producing a final molecule. The process stops here because no new free radicals are formed.Because chain termination is a random process, polyethene will be made up of chains of all sorts of different lengths.