Chemistry in the Industries 295
acetate. Cellulose acetate is made so clear that it is widely
used in the manufacture of shatterproof glass. Research led
to a new group, the vinyl plastics. First were the esters of
vinyl alcohol—vinyl acetate and vinyl chloride. The casein
plastics—the base material being milk—appeared over
twenty years ago.
Among the thermosetting plastics are urea formaldehyde
condensation products like Beetleware; others of melamine
formaldehyde like Melamac and some like Bakelite and
casein. Among the thermoplastic types are Pliofilm, which is
so freely used as a protective covering in sheet form and is
made by adding hydrochloric acid to the unsaturated linkage
in rubber; Neoprene and Koroseal which have already been
discussed; the cellulose acetate as Celanese; the safety film,
used in projection lanterns, called Lumarith; the metha-
crylate resins used in the aviation industry as Plexiglas and
Lucite; Rayon and Cellophane, which are merely reprecipi-
tated cellulose; and finally, Nylon.
In 1928 chemical research developed a material with far-
reaching implications, both in the scientific and commercial
worlds. This material was called Nylon—the first truly syn-
thetic fiber. The so-called “66” polymer, made by the reac-
tion between hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid, was
developed. In 1938 du Pont announced the development of
this Nylon from which could be spun textile fibers surpassing,
in strength and elasticity, any previously known textile fiber
either natural or synthetic. It is remarkable that Nylon can
be made from such abundant raw materials as coal, air, and
water, and that it can be fashioned into material as fine as a
spider web or as thick as a man’s arm. The first commercial
plant went into operation in 1940. Today the entire produc-
tion facilities of du Pont’s two Nylon plants are being de-
voted to the manufacture of products for use in connection