Birch trees supplied the first plastic in human history: Birch tar.

1. Birch trees supplied the first plastic in human history: Birch tar. It is a substance derived from the dry distillation of the bark of a birch tree. Birch tar was used widely as an adhesive as early as the Middle Paleolithic to early Mesolithic era. It has also been used as a disinfectant, in leather dressing, in medicine and as chewing gum.

2. Polyethylene (PE) isthemostcommonplastic. Itsprimaryuseis in packaging (plasticbags, plasticfilms, geomembranes, containersincludingbottles, etc.). Polyethylene consistsofnonpolar, saturated, high molecularweighthydrocarbons. Polyethylene burnsslowlywith a blueflamehaving a yellowtip and gives off an odorofparaffin (similartocandleflame).

3. Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is also known as acrylic, acrylic glass or plexiglass among several other names. It is a transparent thermoplastic often used in sheet form as a lightweight or shatter-resistant alternative to glass. Being transparent and durable, PMMA is a versatile material and has been used in a wide range of fields and applications such as rear-lights and instrument clusters for vehicles, appliances and lenses for glasses. Colored PMMA varieties allow specific IR wavelengths to pass while blocking visible light (for remote control or heat sensor applications, for example).

4. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is the world's third-most widely produced synthetic plastic polymer. PVC incorporates chlorine atoms. The C-Cl bonds in the backbone are hydrophobic and resist oxidation. It is stiff, strong, heat and weather resistant. PVC is used for plumbing, gutters, house siding, enclosures for computers and other electronics gear. PVC can also be softened with chemical processing, and in this form it is used for shrink-wrap, food packaging and rain gear.

5. What is the most common plastic? Polyethylene (PE) Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)

6. You can imagine a plastic like a whole bunch of very long chains. The individual chain members are called monomers. They are repeated again and again. Therefore, plastics do not consist only of one of these members but of many. They are called polymers. Poly comes from the Greek and means 'much’. Here you can see the monomer of a very simple plastic: the propene. The polymer of propene is called polypropylene.

7. Polypropylene belongs to the class of thermoplastics. Thermoplasts have the great property that they become easily deformable when heated and maintain their new shape when cooling. This process is reversible: the plastic can be re-deformed by reheating. Thanks to this property, you can simply pour it into a mold, allow it to cool and then remove the finished plastic part from the mold. This makes the polypropylene ideal for the production of solid plastic parts. Polypropylene can be found in packaging, in toys, but also in fibrous form, such as sportswear or toothbrushes.

8. In the polymerization (chain-growth) of polypropylene, the double bond of propene folds and combines with the carbon of the next propene. This reaction takes place not only once, but very frequently, until a huge chain has emerged.

9. Celluloids are considered the first thermoplastic. Celluloid is easily molded and shaped, and it was first widely used as an ivory replacement. The main use was in movie and photography film industries, which used only celluloid film stock prior to the adoption of acetate safety film in the 1950s. Celluloid is highly flammable, difficult and expensive to produce. Today its most common uses are in table tennis balls, musical instruments and guitar picks.

10. Nylon was the first purely synthetic fiber. It is a thermoplastic silky material that can be melt-processed into fibers, films or shapes. Nylon was first used commercially in a nylon-bristled toothbrush, followed more famously in women's stockings or "nylons". In its bulk form it is very wear resistant, particularly if oil-impregnated and so is used to build gears, plain bearings, valve seats, seals and because of good heat-resistance, increasingly for under-the-hood applications in cars and other mechanical parts. Nylon 66 and Nylon 6 are the two most common for textile and plastics industries. 

11. Tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) is a colorless, odorless gas. It is a fluoromonomer and belongs to the family of fluorocarbons. TFE is prone to form explosive peroxides in contact with air. Polymerization of tetrafluoroethylene produces polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) polymers such as Teflon and Fluon. PTFE is a thermoplastic polymer. The major application of PTFE is for wiring in aerospace and computer applications (e.g. hookup wire, coaxial cables). PTFE is often used to coat non-stick pans as it is hydrophobic and possesses fairly high heat resistance.

12. How are the individual chain members of plastic called? Monomers Polymers

13. From the next monomer you've probably already heard something: the isoprene! Isoprene is only the retained name of the monomer. The correct name would be: 2-methylbuta-1,3-dien. The polymer of the isoprene is rubber. Rubber can be obtained by scribing the bark of the rubber tree. A milky juice emerges: latex. A large component of the latex is the coveted rubber.

14. Rubber belongs to the class of elastomers. Elastomers are, as the name may suggest elastic plastics. If an elastomer is reshaped, it returns to its original shape after a short time. Elastomers are also not, as opposed to thermoplasts, soft when they are heated. These two properties make the elastomers ideal for tires. Rubber can also be found in many other latex products. Examples would be in latex gloves, in latex clothing or even in condoms. 

15. You can imagine a plastic like a whole bunch of very long chains. The individual chain members are called monomers. Plastics do not consist only of one of these members but of many. They are called polymers. 

16. In 1839, Charles Goodyear invented vulcanization: a chemical process, used to harden rubber. Rubber is heated with sulfur, forming cross-links between polymer chains (vulcanization), improving elasticity and durability.

17. Thermosets have the great property that once they have adopted a form, they can no longer be molded back. The reason for this is the net-like structure of the thermosets. The many cross-links make it impossible for the molecule to deform even a little. Thermosets are somewhat more complicated than elastomers or thermoplastics, since they always consist of at least two different monomers. By using two monomers, a much higher cross-linking can be achieved. An example of a thermoset is the polyurethane. Polyurethane is used, for example, in bowling balls, cars or inline skates and consists of polyisocyanates and polyols.

18. Bakelite was the first plastic made from synthetic components. It was developed by the Belgian-American chemist Leo Baekeland in 1907. The creation of a synthetic plastic was revolutionary for its electrical nonconductivity and heat-resistant properties in electrical insulators, radio and telephone casings and such diverse products as kitchenware, jewelry, pipe stems, children's toys, and firearms.

19. To which class of plastic does rubber belong? Elastomers Thermosets

23. ABS's light weight and ability to be injection molded and extruded make it useful in manufacturing products such as drain-waste-vent pipe systems, musical instruments, golf club heads, Keyboard keycaps, enclosures for electrical and electronic assemblies, protective headgear, and toys, including Lego and Kre-O bricks, etc.

24. Can thermosets be molded back, after they once adopted a form?