Plastics and Polymers

1. What are plastics?

➢ Is made from polymer and organic materials
➢ Ex. Rubber, films, fiber, plates and etc
2. What is the difference between natural and synthetic plastics?
➢ Natural-made from natural substances; could be done by elementary
students grade 4-6
➢ Synthetic- oil-based plastic
3. What is the chemical and physical properties of plastics that make it a perfect
material substitute to other things?
➢ physical properties: transparency, permeability, flexibility, elasticity,
permeability, water absorption, electrical resistance, Specific Gravity
➢ chemical properties: solubility, chemical resistance, thermal stability,
reactivity with water, flammability, heat of combustion
4. What do different resin codes of plastics mean?
➢ indicate the type of plastic that an item is made from
5. Why are plastics economically important?
➢ Yes, it’s the artificial substance which is cheap reusable and recyclable
6. What are polymers?
➢ Is a substance that is often use for making plastics
7. Differentiate between synthetic and natural polymers
➢ Natural- includes RNA and DNA that are so important in genes and life
processes
➢ Synthetic- Industrially produced chemical substances consisting of a
number of molecules linked together with covalent bonds.
8. What are insulators can polymers be insulators?
➢ is a material that resists the flow of electric current
9. References
➢ http://www.americanchemistry.com/s_plastics/doc.asp?
CID=1102&DID=4644
➢ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymer
➢ http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_chemical_and_physical_prope
rties_of_plastic
➢ http://www.need.org/needpdf/IntNaturalPlastic.pdf
➢ http://pslc.ws/macrog/natupoly.htm
➢ http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/synthetic+polymers
➢ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulator_%28electrical%29