Auggie Bautista

If plastiko, also known as plastic, had never been invented, life in the world today would be a struggle because the natural resources would have vanished and packaging products would break easily. In the 21st century, one sees plastic as a daily necessity. In a recent poll for the USA Today, the invention of plastic ranked 46th in the top one hundred events of the century. Before today one would have known plastic as an item which can be molded into a different shape and not known as the universal product for packaging. Because the electronic industry demanded a product which could be shaped when heated, a chemist named Leo Baekeland invented the first ever synthetic plastic and changed the world forever. (Minners 1)
In the early 20th century, people worldwide realized the natural sources seem to be running low, one needed to make an artificial product to fit the people’s need. In 1843, a rubber-like material had been discovered in Malaysia. The natives called the substance gutta-percha. (Galas 15) The founders decided to ship gutta-percha to the world. At first many bought the material, but after awhile the material became brittle and easily broke. A Southeast Asian bug produced a resin, or syrup which can be molded into a shape, called Shellac. The product worked well because Shellac became a waterproof covering and an electric insulator. But, since the mass production of electronics, Shellac would soon be replaced. (Parshall __ ) When the world noticed their Shellac would soon be gone, scientists quickly began experiments to replace the product. However, in the late eighteen hundreds and the early nineteen hundreds the scientists failed in producing an artificial material. The public needed a new, unique and more reliable product which can take the molded shape.

As time flew by up, producing an artificial product continued to baffle scientists until Dr. Leo Baekeland invented the first synthetic plastic. A Belgium-born chemist, Baekeland went to Ghent University. Born in 1863, he majored in chemistry, his first invention became known as the Velox photographic paper. He sold the paper to Kodak and made a decent amount of money. With the money Baekeland built his own little laboratory in Yonkers, New York. Dr. Baekeland heard a replacement for Shellac would be needed right when his laboratory finished. (Minners 1) He quickly started experimenting with materials, which could be molded to make a shape. Like other scientists, Baekeland experimented with organic materials but became unsuccessful. Finally, the time had come for Dr. Leo Baekeland to succeed. In 1907, Baekeland decides to speed up the reaction of the two chemicals, phenol and formaldehyde. The reaction is shown on visual two. With the two chemicals in a high-pressurized stove, Baekeland just increased the heat by using another chemical, ammonia. When he took the two chemicals out the resin had taken the molded shape. Dr. Baekeland had done what no other human had done before. In 1909, he brought his invention to a New York convention, the product became known as Baekelite. The artificial resins inside the invention came from petroleum or coal, which made Baekelite the first ever synthetic plastic. The product became stiff and resisted chemicals after being heated. Still today, the basic chemical equation, heat with pressure plus the resins, equals a thermosetting or everlasting plastic.

Right after Baekeland invented the world’s first ever man-made plastic, other scientists use his formula to both improve his invention and look for more possible uses. Scientists created new plastics based on Baekeland’s formula. In the 1930’s, the thermoplastic polys became popular in the commercial industry. The polys consisted of polyesters, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride and many more. Found in home appliances, they resist chemicals and have waterproof material.(Dornoff __ ) Also created in the 1930’s, thermoplastic items nylon and acrylics. Acrylics became useful for airplane windows because of their clear and strong properties. Nylon could be found in wheel bearings and part of clothing. Thermoplastics can all be reshaped when heated which differs from Baekeland’s thermosetting plastic. However, none of these products could have been invented if Baekelite had not been thought up.

Even though plastic had been invented about a hundred years ago, humans still used it frequently. In 1953, the Corvette became known as the car with the first ever plastic body. Now the main product for car bodies, plastics will soon be the replacement for many materials. Still more types of plastics have been invented, transparent, high impact, waxy, flexible, lightweight and many other kinds to name some of the new and improved types of plastic. Plastics play a very important role nowadays, replacing such items as metals, fibers, paper, wood, stone and glass. (See visual 1) Even some sturdy plastics can be used to back up buildings. Also, ships, airplanes and submarines have been practicality made up of plastics. In the medical industry, plastics help patients stay healthy. Hearing aides, x-ray film, syringes, contact lenses and modern dentures are some of the current items made from plastic. Plastic surgery, one of the biggest jumps in technology for the plastic era has changed both the medical and cosmetic world. Surgeons can actually put plastic organs in one’s body replacing a dysfunctional one. (Galas 72) Also, using flesh colored plastic, surgeons can repair disfigured bodies and faces. Cellular implants, another surgical process, which includes plastic. An injection of healthy cells in a tiny plastic capsule goes into the body. This procedure has not been used on humans yet because the operation has not been completely tested. Cellular implants will surely help mankind in the future. In the coming years, plastics will still be used daily, probably a more sufficient plastic will be invented to fit one’s needs. Plastic will be a great artificial product when all else fails.

From Leo Baekeland’s first synthetic plastic to the modern plastics of today, plastics have changed the way of life for humans worldwide. The 1907 event, which replaced many types of materials, changed the commercial industry, and had an effect on humans in their daily lives. Today, new and improved plastics have been invented by scientists for many different roles. Plastic, live with them because you can not live without them.