The Development of Plastics

A The first plastics were developed as a substitute for natural rubber. Chemically, rubber is a polymer - a compound containing large molecules that are formed by the bonding of many smaller, simpler units, repeated over and over again. The same bonding principle polymerization - is the basis of the creation of a huge range of plastics by the chemical industry. B The first plastic was developed as a result of a competition in the USA. In the 1860s, $10,000 was offered to anybody w...