PVC is made of a long chain of vinyl chloride molecules. These molecules consist of carbon, hydrogen and chlorine in the chemical formula C2H3Cl.

Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) (CAS number 9002-86-2) is a synthetic resin made from vinyl chloride and is a member of a large family of polymers broadly referred to as “vinyls.” The chemical formula for vinyl chloride is H2C=CHCl, and the formula for PVC is (H2C–CHCl)n, where n is the degree of polymerization.

Phthalates. The most common class of plasticizers used in PVC is phthalates, which are diesters of phthalic acid. Phthalates can be categorized as high and low, depending on their molecular weight.

The equation for the formation of poly(chloroethene) or PVC involves the polymerisation of the monomer chloroethene, under the influence of a polymerization initiator. It is written as: n CH2=CHCl -> -(CH2-CHCl)-n, where n signifies the number of monomer units. where n represents the number of monomer units.