Raymond F Boyer - Thermoplastic Pioneer

Neuman obtained styrene monomer by the distillation of storax (liquid amber) in the early 1800 s. Subsequently, in 1839, Simon repeated this experiment and obtained an elemental analysis of the distillate which he called styrol . Bl3rth and Hoffman heated styrol and produced a solid which they called metastyrol. 

Bl3d h and Hoffman noted the high refractive power of the metastyrol and suggested its use for optical purposes. In 1866, Erlenmeyer showed that styrene was actually vinylbenzene and in 1869 Berthelot produced this monomer by the pyrolysis of ethylbenzene which he obtained by the condensation of ethylene and benzene. 

In spite of its availability and the clarity of this brittle polymer, styrene monomer remained a laboratory curiosity for over a century. However, after Tschunker produced styrene-butadiene elastomeric copolymers (Buna-S), chemists at IG Farbenindustrie reinvestigated styrene homopoljrmers and several copolymers including st3n-ene-co-acrylonitrile. Polystyrene was produced commercially in Germany in 1925. 

Dow also became interested in the production of polystyrene and in addition to its cellulosic and vinylidene chloride projects, also supported a project on polystyrene. One of the polymer pioneers, who was responsible for the commercialization of polystyrene at Dow, was Raymond Boyer. Dow produced polystyrene commercially in the US in 1935. Both IG Farbenindustrie and Dow used the Berthelot synthesis for the production of the styrene monomer. 

Seymow (ed.). Pioneers in Polymer Science, 123-126. 1989 by Ktuwer Academic Publishers. 

---