Your Name Here Material Plastic is one of the most important materials that is used in our society today. As a result, there are many uses of it because of its unique properties. Because of its versatility we can use it in almost everything. What are the general properties of plastic ---Easy mold/shape ---Low density ---Low electrical conductivity ---Toughness ---Transparency ---Light weight How are plastics they made? 1.Prepare raw materials and monomers 2.Carry out polymerization reaction 3.Process the polymer into final polymer resins. 4.Produce finished products In order to make plastic, it takes many different monomers like ethylene and propylene. These two monomers come from crude oil that contain hydrocarbons that make up a monomer. The cracking process allows them to take out the raw materials from the hydrocarbon. This is the same process used to refine oil and and natural gases. After different hydrocarbons are collected, they use them to make monomers like styrene. The next step changes depending on the type of plastic is being made. Then there is extrusion, injection molding, blow molding and rotational molding, these are the few techniques used to make different items. Also due to the many uses, it is one of the most abundant materials on created on earth. Which has caused societal issues that will be discussed in another section. Technological Historical Social ImpactsReferences: Plastics This is a picture of plastic sheets, tubing and rod being made into different shapes for different uses. Photo from: Olson and Distribution Inc. First known use of plastics ---Chewing gum ---Shellac ---Rubber ---Nitrocellulose What people groups were involved at the time of first use? In 1600BC Mesoamericans used natural rubber for balls, bands and figurines. That was the first group of people to use them. As of the first people to popularize rubber, it was during the industrial revolution by the industrial chemistry foundation in the 1800s. It was accelerated by Charles Goodyear's discovery of vulcanization to thermoset materials derived from natural rubber. It also grew when different monomers were discovered. After World War I, improvements in chemical technology led to an explosion in new forms of plastics, with mass production beginning in the 1940s and 1950s This is a picture of Shellac from Wikipedia This is a picture of my keypad, It is made with plastic This is a picture of rubber, It is one of the many uses of plastics. From: teachers.org What technology did plastics enable? Plastics have enabled many technological advances. Plastics are being used in computers and other electronic devices. Due to their properties, there are many uses for them. Plastics are used in tubing that make many construction projects as well. Even more fascinating is the use of plastics in greenhouses. It is used as a roof and a wall which are also environmentally safe. What current technologies enabled the development of the material? The process of making different types of plastics has increased because of the process has become really efficient and well know. This is a picture of my keyboard, which is made from plastic This is the process of making plastics from trees from: mindfully.org This is a picture of a turtle who is stuck in a plastic can holder. This photo is from Fieldpotential.wordpress.com In which realms of society did the materials development have an impact? plastics have had a big impact in terms of packaging for consumers. Plastics are often used to package water and after the water has been used, they are often thrown away. Overall plastics has have a big impact on the environment as most people know how much it effects sour society. A prime example of plastics hurting the environment is the turtle that is being choked by the plastic. What were the health implications of the development? In addition to creating safety problems during production, there are many chemicals that give plastic products desirable performance properties also have negative environmental and human health effects. People are exposed to many chemicals not only during manufacturing, but also in the packaging, because some chemicals migrate from the plastic packaging to the foods they contain. Examples of plastics contaminating food have been reported with most plastic types. The most common being the plastic we put our water in. In response, many companies and groups are trying to aware the consumers how they can help save the planet by reusing, reducing, and recycling plastics. This is a picture of a recycling sign. From dreamstime.com