[Polyreactions--mechanisms, taxonomy, relevance]

Polyreactions are the prerequisite of life and genetics and are also the basis of all processes for the production of plastics. In this article, an actualized classification of polyreactions based on the reaction mechanism is discussed with a differentiation in chain and step polyreactions. Besides the explanation of the mechanisms of radical, ionic, and coordination polyreactions, polyaddition and polycondensation reactions are covered. In addition, metathesis, polyelimination as well as photochemical and radiochemical polyreactions are considered. Finally, the influence of the reaction mechanism on the properties of materials and the relevance of polyreactions in biology are investigated.