Goodyear, Charles Nelson
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Goodyear, C. N.
Biography
Charles Nelson Goodyear (1800–1860) was an American chemist, inventor, and industrialist. He is credited with discovering vulcanization for cross-linking rubber. In vulcanization, raw rubber is kneaded with 3 to 5 % sulfur and then heated to temperatures of approximately 140 °C. The term vulcanization is derived from volcanoes, where sulfur and heat play a dominant role.
The invention of vulcanization was not the result of systematic research involving a series of experiments, but rather a sheer coincidence. According to tradition, a sulfur–rubber mixture fell onto a hot stove top, and the result was a dry and permanently elastic substance. When heated, the rubber mixed with sulfur transformed into a new material, rubber.
The properties can be specifically adjusted by varying the amount of sulfur used (see: rubber elasticity). In 1850, the production of hard rubber began, which can contain up to 20% sulfur.
It was not until years later that the chemist Hermann Staudinger (1881–1965), who is considered the founder of macromolecular chemistry, succeeded in scientifically understanding the problem. Staudinger coined the term “macromolecule” in 1922. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1953 for his research in the field of polymer science.
See also
- Cross-linking elastomers
- Elastomers
- Vulcanization
- Rubber elasticity
- Degree of cross-linking elastomers
- Polymers & structure
References
- Heimlich, S.: Portraits in Plastik – Pioniere des polymeren Zeitalters. Hoppenstedt Publishing (1998), ISBN 978-3-935772-06-8
- Slack, Charles: Noble Obsession: Charles Goodyear, Thomas Hancock, and the Race to Unlock the Greatest Industrial Secret of the Nineteenth Century. Hyperion Press, 1st Edition (August 2002)
- Kausch-Blecken von Schmeling, H.-H.: Halle – Zürich – Freiburg: Hermann Staudinger und das Konzept der Makromoleküle. Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, GDCh-Vortragsreihe Jacob-Vollhard-Hörsaal (Experimentalhörsaal der Chemie), Dezember 19, 2012 Download as pdf
Weblinks
▪ Wikipedia – The Free Encyclopedia: Goodyear, Charles and rubber elasticity]