In this article a brief review of the essential properties of plastics is provided, followed by a more detailed description of their processing into useful products and subsequent recycling. Carbon monoxide. If identical monomers are joined, it forms a homopolymer. This property of plasticity, often found in combination with other special properties such as low density, low electrical conductivity, transparency, and toughness, allows plastics to be made into a great variety of products. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a substance that is used in the industrial manufacture of polycarbonate plastic products. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Nearly all plastics display elongation when they are stressed that is not recovered after the stress is removed. Most are insulators with high dielectric strength. Thermoplastics, on the other hand, can be heated and remolded over and over again. In addition, several other phthalates have been restricted in certain toys and childcare articles. Phthalates are chemicals often used as softeners for PVC plastic. Among these products, there are often plastic toys that contain the endocrine disrupting phthalates DEHP, BBP and DBP. All the commodity plastics listed above fall into this category. Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. The EU has also set a limit on the amount of BPA that is allowed to leach out of toys for children up to the age of three years old and in any toys intended to be placed in a child’s mouth. Please upgrade your Internet Explorer to a newer version. Important engineering plastics, less familiar to consumers than the commodity plastics listed above, are polyacetal, polyamide (particularly those known by the trade name nylon), polytetrafluoroethylene (trademark Teflon), polycarbonate, polyphenylene sulfide, epoxy, and polyetheretherketone. These include common consumer goods such as re-usable plastic tableware and bottles for drinks, sports equipment, CDs and DVDs. . It is distilled from wood, coal, oil and even natural gas by chemicals such as hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and carbon. Epoxy resins containing BPA are used to coat the inside of water pipes and the inside of cans for food and drink to increase their shelf-life and avoid getting a metallic taste on the food or drink.

By using ThoughtCo, you accept our, Everything You Need to Know About Plastics, A Brief History of the Invention of Plastics, Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College. Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. Plastic Definition and Examples in Chemistry. The EU has banned the use of DEHP, BBP and DBP in all toys and childcare articles. Thermoplastics typically have a molecular weight between 20,000 to 500,000 amu (atomic mass unit). Another member of the specialty resins is thermoplastic elastomers, polymers that have the elastic properties of rubber yet can be molded repeatedly upon heating.
For a fuller understanding of the materials from which plastics are made, see chemistry of industrial polymers. Another third is used for siding and piping. These chemicals include bisphenol-A, or BPA, and phthalates, among others. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our websites. The structure of polypropylene can serve as an example; here attached to every other carbon atom is a pendant methyl group (CH3): The other category of plastics is made up of heterochain polymers. To make plastic more flexible, plasticisers are needed and they are in most cases phthalates. While plastics may be made from just about any organic polymer, most industrial plastic is made from petrochemicals. Plastic is an organic substance consisting of large molecules called polymers. These include tough and lightweight beverage bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), flexible garden hoses made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), insulating food containers made of foamed polystyrene, and shatterproof windows made of polymethyl methacrylate. Stephanie Kwolek, employed by the DuPont Company from the 1940s to the 1980s, helped to invent a revolutionary new synthetic fibre essential to which apparel?

Chemicals in plastic which give them their rigidity or flexibility (flame retardants, bisphenols, phthalates and other harmful chemicals) are oily poisons that repel water and stick to petroleum-based objects like plastic debris.