Polymer history of synthetic

The history of synthetic polymers is incredibly short. The term polymer was introduced in 1832. The first synthetic polymer (phenol-formaldehyde) was commercialized as Bakelite in 1909, while the first thermoplastic (polystyrene, Trolitul ), 6 years later. The early polymer industry was developed by entrepreneurs that had little if any technical background. The commercial successes (and... 

THE USE OF SYNTHETIC POLYMERS to accumulate organic components from water for analytical and bioassay purposes is reviewed in this chapter. This review is given perspective by including a brief history of adsorption chromatography, the use of activated carbons in water research, and the recent introduction of bonded phases for aqueous sample preparations. 

Smart materials such as these illustrate an important technological direction for materials science the design of materials with sophisticated properties that behave more like biological systems. Let s briefly recap our history. In Chapter 4 we noted a significant period of discovery when people modified natural polymers to improve their properties. We can call this period, roughly before 1900, Stage 1, and it asked the question, How can I improve upon nature This was followed by a century of synthetic polymer science in which... 

Chapter 4, The History of Polymers, offers a chance to do an interdisciplinary activity with a social studies teacher. Students can learn how the development of polymers is an integral part of the economic development of the twentieth century. Students can gain an appreciation of how conflicts were often the reason for the development of synthetic polymers to replace natural ones or ones that required monomers that were no longer accessible. In the chemistry course, students can learn more about the companies discussed in the history of polymers and what products they market in the twenty-first century. 

Peter J. T. Morris, Head of Research for the National Museum of Science Industry, London and Editor of Ambix, has written on many aspects of modem chemistry. He has published books on the history of synthetic mbber and polymers, modem chemical instrumentation and the work of Robert Bums Woodward. He has also published popular articles about the history of chemistry in... 

The book covers a wide range of topics within the field of polymer physics, beginning with a brief history of the development of synthetic polymers and an overview of the methods of polymerisation and processing. In the following chapter, David Bower describes important experimental techniques used in the study of polymers. The main part of the book, however, is devoted to the structure and properties of solid polymers, including blends, copolymers and liquid-crystal polymers. 

What is a polymer This was a controversial question just before synthetic polymers were prepared for the first time, not to speak of "conducting polymers." The character of macromolecules was the topic of fimdamental discussions in the first half of the 20th century—one of the most fascinating scientific debates in the history of chemistry. After Hermann Staudinger s concept of covalent bonds between the building blocks of macromolecules was accepted by the scientific community, the tremendous scientific and industrial development of synthetic polymers got a new and even more expansive dimension. 

Although nylon was far from being the first synthetic polymer, the way it was marketed constitutes part of an important development that binds the history of chemistry to the history of our modern consumer society. Thanks to the history of these polymers, which continues right into the twenty-first century, we can trace a series of complex yet highly significant... 

Our purpose in this introduction is not to trace the history of polymer chemistry beyond the sketchy version above, instead, the objective is to introduce the concept of polymer chains which is the cornerstone of all polymer chemistry. In the next few sections we shall introduce some of the categories of chains, some of the reactions that produce them, and some aspects of isomerism which multiply their possibilities. A common feature of all of the synthetic polymerization reactions is the random nature of the polymerization steps. Likewise, the twists and turns the molecule can undergo along the backbone of the chain produce shapes which are only describable as averages. As a consequence of these considerations, another important part of this chapter is an introduction to some of the statistical concepts which also play a central role in polymer chemistry. 

Modem synthetic polymers are the subject of increasing research by conservation scientists. Not only does their frequent use in conservation treatments require a better understanding of their long term stabiUty, but also many objects, including those in collections of contemporary art and in history and technology museums, are made out of these new materials. 

Some representative backbone stmctures of PQs and PPQs and their T data are given in Table 1. As in other amorphous polymers, the Ts of PQs and PPQs are controlled essentially by the chemical stmcture, molecular weight, and thermal history. Several synthetic routes have been investigated to increase the T and also to improve the processibiUty of PPQ (71). Some properties of PPQ based on 2,3-di(3,4-diaminophenyl)quinoxaline and those of l,l-dichloro-2,2-bis(3,4-diaminophenyl)ethylene are summarized in Table 2. 

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