condensation polymers such as polyesters and polyamides.
In 1934 Corothers started working with
polyamides,
which were more stable than polyesters,
with the hope of producing a synthetic silk.
In 1935 Gerard Berchet on Corother’s staff
produced a small amount of polyamide 6-6,
which became known as Nylon.
Parachutes and nylons
Before World War II,
parachutes were made with Asian silk and hemp,
tents and ropes were made of hemp or cotton,
fishing line was made of silk or horsehair,
toothbrush bristles were plucked from horse or boar,
and guitar strings were made of catgut.
DuPont introduced nylon stockings
at the 1939 New York World’s Fair,
and, during the forties, stockings and pantyhose
came to be known as nylons.
Before the war, most nylon fibers
were made into stockings.
During the war, women donated their nylons
to be melted down and respun
to make parachutes for the war effort.
Polymers
cellulose
shellac
amber
wool
silk
rubber
Bakelite
Lucite®
Butacite®
Corian®
Rayon
Freon®
Nylon
Dacron®
Orlon®
Teflon®
Zylon®
Spandex®
Kevlar®
Tyvek®
Neoprene
Newon☺
Bestiff☺
Funnable☺
Joyite☺
Hopelar☺
Loveine☺
Carothers evaluated over eighty polyamides before chosing
nylon 6-6, so named because diamine and diacid each contribute 6
carbons to the polymer chain. DuPont chose not to register
“Nylon” as a trademark.
The names in the first list above are natural polymers, in
the second, commercial, and, in the third, names for imaginary
polymers that I invented.
Carothers evaluated over eighty polyamides before chosing nylon 6-6, so named because diamine and diacid each contribute 6 carbons to the polymer chain. DuPont chose not to register “Nylon” as a trademark.
The names in the first list above are natural polymers, in the second, commercial, and, in the third, names for imaginary polymers that I invented.
See also in The book of science:
Readings on wikipedia: