plastics

             In today's society life without plastic is nearly impossible, we depend on it for our basic needs. It contribute to our health, safety, peace of mind and many other luxuries taken for granted. In this essay we will explore many aspects of plastics and I hope to inform you on certain aspects you would have not none before.
             Natural plastic have been used for thousands of years throughout the world. An example of this were the early Egyptians who would soak there dead in natural resigns to preserve their dead.
             Alexander Parkes was the inventor of the first man made plastic. He unveiled this new material at the 1862 Great International Exhibition in London. This was an organic material derived from cellulose that once heated could be molded but that retained its shape when cooled. Once introduced in London it was given the named Parkesine. Mr. Parkes claimed that this new material could do anything that rubber was capable of, but at a much lower cost. But Parkesine soon lost its appeal and financial support when investors pulled the plug on the product due to the high cost of the raw materials needed in its production. The next year an American John W. Hyatt began working on a substitute for ivory billiard balls. He added camphor to nitrate cellulose and formed a modified natural plastic called celluloid. It was extremely fragile and had little success in its original purpose but became the basis of the early plastic industry. Some of the earlier plastics had many disadvantages, often the necessary natural material was in short supply, and were very difficult to mold or use. Batches were inconsistent from one to the other and also the quality of the product would diminish with age.
             Plastic is made up of large organic molecules that can be formed into a variety of products. They consist of building blocks called hydrocarbons, typically derived from petroleum or natural gas. It can flow or be molded, it is ductile or can
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