Frans-l,4-Polyisoprene

An alternative source of the frans-l,4-polyisoprene is balata, obtained from Mimosups balata, occurring in Venezuela, Barbados and Guyana. The latex is thin and may be tapped in the same way as natural rubber. 

GENERAL INFORMATION Gutta percha from Malaysia (Palaquim gutta rmd Dichopsis gutta), balata from Brazil (Bolle tree) hard, crystalline thermoplastic material synthetic frans-l,4-polyisoprene (TP 301 Kuraray Co., Ltd., Japan). ... 

Conventional prefixes indicating cis and trans isomers are placed in front of the polymer name. An example is cZs-1,4-polybutadiene, or in frans-l,4-polyisoprene. 

The polymer industry traces its beginning to the early modifications of shellac, natural rubber (NR, an amorphous cis-l,4-polyisoprene), gutta-percha (GP, a semicrystalline fran -l,4-polyisoprene), and cellulose. In 1846, Parkes patented the first polymer blend NR with GP partially co-dissolved in carbon disulfide. Blending these two polyisoprene isomers resulted in partially cross-linked (co-vulcanized) materials whose rigidity was controllable by composition. The blends had many applications ranging from picture frames, tableware, ear trumpets, to sheathing the first submarine cables. 

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