Organic and Physical Chemistry of Polymers
Chapter One
INTRODUCTION
1.1. HISTORY
The term polymer is quite old and has been used since 1866 after Berthelot
mentioned that "When styrolene (now called styrene) is heated up to 200ºC for
several hours, it is converted into a resinous polymer...." Is it the first synthetic
polymer recognized as such? Probably, yes. However, the concept of polymeric
chain as we understand it today had to wait for the work of Staudinger (Nobel
Prize laureate in 1953) before being fully accepted. It is only from that time
onward-approximately the 1920s-that the "macromolecular" theory ultimately
prevailed over the opposite "micellar" theory.
Meanwhile, artificial and synthetic polymers had acquired due acceptance and
began to be utilized as substitutes for rare substances (celluloid in lieu of ivory,
artificial silk, etc.) or in novel applications (bakelite, etc.) due to their peculiar
properties.
The variety of synthetic polymers discovered by Staudinger is impressive ... read full excerpt from Organic and Physical Chemistry of Polymers ebook
