Bakelite
Bakelite is a registered trademark synthetic resin invented in 1907 by Belgian-born American chemist Leo Hendrik Baekeland.
A hard, flexible, and chemically resistant plastic. Bakelite was based on the chemical combination of phenol and formaldehyde (resin of phenol formaldehyde) and was obtained at the time from coal tar and wood alcohol (methanol), respectively. This was the first true synthetic resin, a greater advancement than previous plastics that were modified from natural materials.
Because bakelite had excellent insulation properties, it became used in parts in the electricity industry and home appliances instead of shellac and hard rubber.
In the 1920s, it was widely used in knobs, dials, circuit panels, and even radio cabinets, and was also used in the electrical systems of automobiles.
In the 1930s, cast bakelite, along with many other competing phenolic resins, enjoyed fashion in colorful costume jewelry and novelties.
The modern plastics industry was often the first Baekland patent application in 1907 and the founding of General Bakelite in 1910. In 1872, German chemist Adolf von Baeyer conducted experiments on phenolic resins, but it was worthless to create viscous liquids and brittle solids. It was Bekelan who managed to control the condensation reaction of phenol and formaldehyde and successfully produced the first synthetic resin. Baekland was able to stop the reaction when the resin is still liquid, and this was called A stage. Resin A (resol) could be made into a usable plastic, or it could be taken to solid B (resitol). The resitol hardly dissolved, and was ground to powder, and softened with heat to form a final shape in a mold. Both stages A and B could be brought to a thermosetting C stage (bakelite C, or true bakelite) that was completely cured by heating under pressure.
In 1909, Baekland first publicly presented his invention in a speech at the New York chapter of the American Chemical Society. By 1910, Baekland had established a semi-commercial production system at his laboratory, and in 1911 General Bakelite had begun operations in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, USA. In a plastic market, dominated by celluloid, a highly flammable material that dissolves easily and softens by heat, bakelite has become readily accepted because it is insoluble and injectable. Furthermore, the resin can be improved by incorporating a variety of fillers as it allows for significant amounts of inactive ingredients. Wooden flour was preferred for common molded parts, but other fillers such as cotton flocs, asbestos, and chopped fabrics were used when heat resistance, impact strength, and electrical properties were required. To create a laminated structure, a sheet of paper or cloth was impregnated with an alcoholic solution and heated under pressure to form a strong, hard assembly. Bakelite products were almost always opaque and dark in color due to the inclusion of fillers and reinforcements.
In 1927, Bakelite's patent expired. In the consumer market that grew since the 1930s, Bakelite faced competition with other thermosetting resins such as urea formaldehyde and melamine formaldehyde, as well as new thermoplastic resins such as cellulose acetate, polyvinyl chloride, polymethylmethacrylate and polystyrene. These new plastics could be used to manufacture household items of virtually any shade and a variety of clarity. In 1939, Baekeland sold the Bakelite trademark to Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation (now Union Carbide Corporation). Union Carbide sold its trademark to Georgia Pacific in 1992, and the company used Bakelite as adhesive for plywood and particleboard. Bakelite is still commonly used today for dominoes, mahjong tiles, checkers, chess pieces, and more.
A hard, flexible, and chemically resistant plastic. Bakelite was based on the chemical combination of phenol and formaldehyde (resin of phenol formaldehyde) and was obtained at the time from coal tar and wood alcohol (methanol), respectively. This was the first true synthetic resin, a greater advancement than previous plastics that were modified from natural materials.
Because bakelite had excellent insulation properties, it became used in parts in the electricity industry and home appliances instead of shellac and hard rubber.
In the 1920s, it was widely used in knobs, dials, circuit panels, and even radio cabinets, and was also used in the electrical systems of automobiles.
In the 1930s, cast bakelite, along with many other competing phenolic resins, enjoyed fashion in colorful costume jewelry and novelties.
The modern plastics industry was often the first Baekland patent application in 1907 and the founding of General Bakelite in 1910. In 1872, German chemist Adolf von Baeyer conducted experiments on phenolic resins, but it was worthless to create viscous liquids and brittle solids. It was Bekelan who managed to control the condensation reaction of phenol and formaldehyde and successfully produced the first synthetic resin. Baekland was able to stop the reaction when the resin is still liquid, and this was called A stage. Resin A (resol) could be made into a usable plastic, or it could be taken to solid B (resitol). The resitol hardly dissolved, and was ground to powder, and softened with heat to form a final shape in a mold. Both stages A and B could be brought to a thermosetting C stage (bakelite C, or true bakelite) that was completely cured by heating under pressure.
In 1909, Baekland first publicly presented his invention in a speech at the New York chapter of the American Chemical Society. By 1910, Baekland had established a semi-commercial production system at his laboratory, and in 1911 General Bakelite had begun operations in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, USA. In a plastic market, dominated by celluloid, a highly flammable material that dissolves easily and softens by heat, bakelite has become readily accepted because it is insoluble and injectable. Furthermore, the resin can be improved by incorporating a variety of fillers as it allows for significant amounts of inactive ingredients. Wooden flour was preferred for common molded parts, but other fillers such as cotton flocs, asbestos, and chopped fabrics were used when heat resistance, impact strength, and electrical properties were required. To create a laminated structure, a sheet of paper or cloth was impregnated with an alcoholic solution and heated under pressure to form a strong, hard assembly. Bakelite products were almost always opaque and dark in color due to the inclusion of fillers and reinforcements.
In 1927, Bakelite's patent expired. In the consumer market that grew since the 1930s, Bakelite faced competition with other thermosetting resins such as urea formaldehyde and melamine formaldehyde, as well as new thermoplastic resins such as cellulose acetate, polyvinyl chloride, polymethylmethacrylate and polystyrene. These new plastics could be used to manufacture household items of virtually any shade and a variety of clarity. In 1939, Baekeland sold the Bakelite trademark to Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation (now Union Carbide Corporation). Union Carbide sold its trademark to Georgia Pacific in 1992, and the company used Bakelite as adhesive for plywood and particleboard. Bakelite is still commonly used today for dominoes, mahjong tiles, checkers, chess pieces, and more.