Today, plastic is considered one of the greatest inventions in our new generation. It signifies modernity and progress of humanity. Plastic has touched lives of people compared to other breakthroughs in technology. It has replaced old and usual things. Elegant heavy tables and desks have been transformed into lighter structures, with pastel color touches and made homes and offices change their theme. Indeed, plastic fits into the contemporary world. Aside from being light and strong it can be easily molded and it is durable. But have you ever asked yourself how plastics were invented? Everyday, plastics are scattered everywhere, which contributes to health, safety, and security, but have you ever tried searching the origins of plastic?
In 1862, Alexander Parkes made the first ever man made plastic for London's Great International Exhibition. This material, which was made from organic materials that came from cellulose, was first known as Parkisine. Once this material was exposed to heat it could be molded but when cooled, it would retain its shape. Alexander Parkes said that his discovery could do all that rubber can do but at a lower cost. He discovered a material that could be transparent and could also be carved into different shapes. However, it soon lost its limelight as investors had pulled out of the market because of the high value of raw materials used in producing it.
After the discovery of plastic many items were found to be more useful and efficient when made from it. Late 19th century there was a rush on finding a replacement for the ivory used in billiard balls - this was the time that Billiards was extremely popular and the elephant population was being decimated to obtain their ivory. Fortunately, an American inventor named John Wesley Hyatt found the solution using celluloid in 1869. He accidentally spilled a bottle of collodion in his workplace and he discovered that it formed a tough and flexible film. That was when he had the idea of making billiard balls using this new material named collodion, which substituted ivory. But since this material is brittle in nature, billiard balls made from collodion shattered once they hit one another. There was a solution to this problem, which came by adding camphor from laurel tree. Due to this addition, the celluloid was the first thermoplastic or substance that molds when under pressure or heat into shapes that can be retained even after being under heat or pressure.
In 1907, a man-made synthetic was first discovered by Leo Baekeland, a chemist from New York who developed Bakelite or a liquid resin. The Bakelizer, an apparatus made by Baekeland, enabled him to control volatile chemicals when heated and pressurized. This pot-like equipment used by Baekeland developed Bakelite, which hardens rapidly and takes the shape of a container. If hardened, the resin will form a replica of any container where it is placed. Bakelite can be added into any material such as softwood, to make it more effective and more durable. The United States government used Bakelite in its weaponry and war machinery where steel could not be used. It was also used for domestic use such as insulation. Through these uses Bakelite proved itself as a very effective building material. Moreover, Bakelite is resistant to electricity, chemically stable, shatter proof, resistant to heat and it does not discolor, fade or crack when exposed to sea salt or sunlight.
Plastic was later made into different varieties of usable materials like Cellophane, which was discovered by a Swiss engineer named Dr. Jacques Edwin Brandenberger. He came up with an idea for a protective and clear packaging layer during 1900. While sitting at a restaurant, he saw a customer who happened to spill a bottle of wine on the table cloth. A server removed the table cloth and replaced it with another disposing of the soiled one. The Swiss textile engineer swore to dedicate himself to discovering how to apply clear flexible films on the cloth that would keep it safe from such accidents and would make it easier to be cleaned with just a swipe of a towel. He then worked on resolving this issue by utilizing different kinds of materials in experiments up until 1913 when he hit pay dirt with Viscose - known today as Rayon. Brandenberger applied the Viscose to cloth, however the material became hardened and was to brittle for use. Despite his unsuccessful venture in applying his material to cloth he discovered another use for the Viscose. He developed new equipment that would create thin Viscose sheets which later became known as Cellophane. Minor improvements were made to Cellophane in years that followed that allowed it to be used as a clear layer for packaging of any product. Cellophane was the first completely flexible and water resistant wrap.
With the discovery of new plastics came the plastic craze in 1920 as the use of cellophane spread throughout the world. One of the largest companies known as Dupont became a pioneer in discovering other materials made of plastic. A young chemist from Harvard, Wallace Hume Carothers was then the head of Dupont lab. Carothers became responsible for the moisture proofing of Cellophane and during this process discovered a method for creating a new material - Fiber 66 - known commonly today as Nylon. The young chemist saw the promising value of the new discovered tough plastic. Since its discovery the material has been used in widespread fashion including use as a replacement for animal hairs in toothbrushes as well as silk stockings. Carothers demonstrated that by substitution and insertion of elements on the chemical chain, new, durable materials could be discovered and developed. By 1940, the world savored the use of materials like Nylon, Neoprene, Acrylic and other polymers which had taken the place of natural materials.
Another important innovation with plastics was the development of polyvinyl chloride or PVC or vinyl. While working for the B.F. Goodrich company an organic chemist by the name of Waldo Semon attempted to combine rubber and metal. Although its importance was not immediately recognized he later discovered the value of this material as it was inexpensive yet fire resistant, durable and could be molded easily. This material caught the attention of western families for it could last many years in an average living room.
Organic chemists at Imperial Chemical Industries Research Laboratory tested various chemicals in conditions with high pressure. In 1933, these researchers, R.O Gibson and E.W Fawcett discovered polyethylene that made a vast impact throughout the world. These researchers were attempting to discover the reaction of a benzaldehyde and ethylene mixture when suddenly the experiment's testing container leaked and the pressure inside escaped. Upon opening the tube they found a white and waxy substance that looked like a plastic. This was the discovery of polyethylene and soon after compressors were created for large scale production of the product. Since its discovery Polyethylene has been an important material in the history. During World War II, this material was used in cable coatings used underwater and for military applications like radar insulation. It can actually reduce weight of radars to only 600 pounds.
After the war, it was widely used by the general public. It was the first plastic to reach one billion pounds of production in a year in United States and is presently the largest production in the whole world. Nowadays, polyethylene is being used in making soda bottles, grocery bags and milk jugs.
Another plastic known as Silly Putty, was discovered by James Wright, an engineer working for General Electric, when he mixed boric acid and silicon oil. This rubber-like had the ability to bounce 25 percent higher compared to a normal ball made of rubber.
During roughly the same time, a Swiss engineer by the name of George de Mestral had a plastic discovery of his own. He found that when nylon was sewn under infrared light it formed very small yet tough hook-like patterns. These tiny hooks would then catch with soft material to form a very strong hold. Dubbing the new product Velcro, a cross between velour and crochet, he patented the product in 1955 and has developed it into a multi-million dollar industry today.
Since 1950's plastics have grown into a primary industry that made a huge impact in our lives providing us with improvements in packaging, creating many varieties of textiles and giving us the opportunity to produce wonderful new inventions and technologies like cars, television and computers. Since 1976, plastic was considered the most used material all over the world and was included in the best inventions of the century. Thanks to those pioneers who developed the material we are able to enjoy many luxuries of the modern era.
