With the development of polymer science, more and more named reactions have been applied to synthesizing polymers. Introducing new reactions into polymer synthesis is undoubtedly an excellent expansion for monomer and polymer libraries. In this review, the named reactions employed in polymer-chain synthesis were divided into seven types: electrophilic reactions, nucleophilic reactions, transition metal-mediated cross-coupling reactions, free radical reactions, pericyclic reactions, multi-component reactions and rearrangement reactions. The discussion was mainly focused on the progress in the utilization of these named reactions in polymer synthesis, which could be a valuable reference for researchers in the polymer field.

Being an essential component of organic chemistry, named reactions are indispensable in organic synthesis. More and more named reactions have been devised to create unique polymer backbones, which has significantly accelerated the creation of new polymer materials. Yet, the university chemical knowledge system is deficient in relevant introductions. The purpose of this study is to incorporate the specified reactions within the teaching of polymer chemistry. These reactions are divided into six categories: transition metal-catalyzed coupling reactions, condensation reactions, pericyclic reactions, multi-component reactions, free radical reactions, and other reactions. This work methodically covers these six types of reactions, which are critical for polymer backbone synthesis, and presents the practice in teaching. It can assist students to learn polymer chemistry in conjunction with organic chemistry and provide some reference for students and teachers.

The disconnection approach, a widely utilized method of design synthesis route, has played crucial roles in contemporary organic chemistry for decades. Here, we provide an introduction to the construction of polymer main chains. The implementation of the strategy hinges on determining where to disconnect based on the successful polymerization reaction in order to infer a suitable monomer. By investigating specific covalent bonds and structures in polymers, several specific linkers are highlighted to demonstrate how to design and synthesize polymer main chains using reverse thinking, thus inspiring those in polymer synthesis.