EPISODE · Nov 25, 2022 · 25 MIN
40: Chain Gang
from The History of Chemistry · host Steve Cohen
In this episode, we look at the rise of the Age of Plastics, with polymers from the 1920s and 1930s. We start with urea-formaldehyde resin from 1919, but before the true nature of polymers was clarified. We hear of Hermann Staudinger, who promoted the idea of macromolecules in the 1920s against significant resistance from European chemists. Thé Svedberg's ultracentrifuge gave credence to macromolecules. The rise of DuPont in the 1920s gave us the work of Wallace Carothers and his polymer group, which invented neoprene rubber, polyamide, the first polyester, and ultimately nylon. We learn of the simultaneous work by murderous firm I.G. Farben on synthetic rubbers to free Germany from dependence on latex: Buna, Buna-S, and Buna-N. We learn about hydrogen bonding, a discovery by an undergraduate, Maurice Huggins. Patreon subscribers have access to a supplemental sheet with molecular structures.Support the showSupport my podcast at https://www.patreon.com/thehistoryofchemistryTell me how your life relates to chemistry! E-mail me at [email protected] my book, O Mg! How Chemistry Came to Be, from World Scientific Publishing, https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/12670#t=aboutBook
What this episode covers
In this episode, we look at the rise of the Age of Plastics, with polymers from the 1920s and 1930s. We start with urea-formaldehyde resin from 1919, but before the true nature of polymers was clarified. We hear of Hermann Staudinger, who promoted the idea of macromolecules in the 1920s against significant resistance from European chemists. Thé Svedberg's ultracentrifuge gave credence to macromolecules. The rise of DuPont in the 1920s gave us the work of Wallace Carothers and his polymer grou...
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40: Chain Gang
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