CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION This chapter mainly explains the problem statement or identification. We also highlight the objectives and significance of the study, recovery of polymeric material from the peel of Leucaena leucocephala. According to the global perspective, some plants grow spontaneously in the forest. Each plant has its functions and its uniqueness. For the local scenario, some plants are also easy to grow and can produce abundantly. Productions can be worth huge profits. Plants normally constitute a source of chemical compounds potentially usable in many applications. Plants contain many active compounds such as alkaloids, steroids, tannins, glycosides, volatile oils, fixed oils, resins, phenols and flavonoids which are deposited in their specific parts such as leaves, flowers, bark, seeds, fruits, roots and others. 1.1 Polymeric compound A polymer is any of various chemical compounds made up of identical smaller molecules called monomers bonded together. Some polymers, such as cellulose, occur in nature. Polymers have extremely high molecular weights and are made up of many tissues of organisms and have various uses in industries. The process by which molecules are bonded together to form polymers is called polymerization (The American Heritage Science Dictionary, 2005). Polymeric compound is a compound made up of many smaller molecules such as cellulose, chitin, soy protein, casein and many others. Polymeric is a giant organic molecule and most of the compound is non-crystalline.1.2 Leucaena leucocephalaFigure 1.0: Image taken from the property of Majlis Bandaran Shah Alam (MBSA), 2014Leucaena leucocephala is a small tree native to Mexico and escaped as... .... middle of paper ......sa weed in temperate and tropical regions of other countries. Leucaena leucocephala is a medium-sized, fast-growing tree belonging to the Fabaceae family. It is native to southern Mexico and northern Central America and has now become naturalized in many tropical and subtropical locations. The specific name 'leucocephala' derives from 'leu' meaning white and 'cephala' meaning head, referring to the flowers. It is commonly known as white lead tree, white popinac, jumbay and wild tamarind. The seeds are dark brown with a hard, shiny coating. The tree has multiple uses such as firewood, timber, vegetables, fodder, green manure provides shade and controls soil erosion (Pendyala, Baburao and Chandrasekhar, 2010).2.5 Characterization of Chitin2.6 FTIR2.7 DSC2.8 Elemental analysis (CHNOS)2.9 TGA