Chapter 22, Problem 82A

Interpretation Introduction

Interpretation:

A short paragraph describing the life before the development of synthetic polymers needs to be written.

Concept introduction:

Synthetic polymers are man-made polymers. They are formed by arranging the repeating units of atoms forming the long chains. The strength of the polymer depends on the length of the chain and the patterns in which they are arranged.

Explanation of Solution

The discovery of synthetic polymers makes the manufacturing by human independent of the limited amount of natural materials. One can obtained wood, metal, stone etc from nature but after the discovery of synthetic polymers, humans can variety of new materials. The discovery of synthetic polymers helped people as well as environment. The use of synthetic polymers can protect the naturally existing polymers protected from humans’ destructive needs.

The scarcity of the natural resources cannot affect the needs of the people if new materials are created. Before the plastic was invented, only substance that could be molded was glass and clay. For the storage process, hardened glass and clay is used due to their heavy and brittle nature. Some of the natural substances are sticky and can be mold such as rubber, tree gums etc. Rubber cannot be used for storage because when it is heated, it becomes sticky. Also, it loses its ability to get back into its shape.