Polypropylene Lab

Polypropylene is a widely used commodity plastic with high chemical resistance. Being used widely due to its properties such as good tensile strength, fatigue and heat resistance besides having very high chemical resistance and used in food industry, also have very low water absorption.

Based off of my data I have concluded that the green unknown plastic is PETE, the clear unknown plastic is also PETE, the blue unknown plastic is PP, the white unknown plastic is PS, and the cloudy white unknown plastic is HDPE. Figuring out the known plastics’ densities benefitted our lab by confirming us the densities of the plastics, PETE, HDPE, PP, and PS. Then, by being given the densities of 30% (5 M) sodium chloride, water, and ethanol, we were able to use these solutions to help differentiate the unknown plastics. Placing all 5 of the unknown substances in 20mL of water, we observed that the green, white, and clear unknown plastics sunk, and the blue and cloudy white unknown plastics floated. Therefore, the green, white, and clear unknown

Polypropylene inherent properties of high firmness, great elasticity and inactivity toward acids, antacids and solvents has secured its position in an extensive variety of shopper and mechanical items (Kawasumi et al., 1997). The density of PP is between 0.895 and 0.92 g/cm³. Therefore, PP is the commodity plastic with the lowest density. With lower density, moldings parts with lower weight and more parts of a certain mass of plastic can be produced. Unlike polyethylene, crystalline and amorphous regions differ only slightly in their density. However, the density of polyethylene can significantly change with fillers (Tripathi, 2001). Polypropylene are likewise adaptable and can have high stretching before breaking. Polypropylene is also the

There would be some justification for calling the 20th century the Age of Plastics”( Strom and Rasmussen, p. ix). Many years ago, plastics changed the world and our lives. Bakelite plastic is made from carbolic acid (phenol) and formaldehyde, which are mixed, heated, and then either molded or extruded into the desired shape (Strom & Rasmussen,2011, p.22). People around the world use about 260 million tons of plastic each year. Plastic consumes 8 percent of world oil production each year. Plastics are amazing materials. They are cheap, lightweight, strong, lasting, corrosion resistant, and have high thermal and electrical insulation properties. For that reason, plastics are used in products such as cups and saucers, and components for cars and airplanes. Furthermore, there are many things made from plastic, like pens, windows, etc. Plastics come in a variety of different colors. In today’s world, people would have difficulties living without plastic because it is considered more inexpensive than cloth, leather, and metal. (Thompson, R., Swan, S., Moore, C., & Saal, F, 2009, P. 1973). Plastics can be manufactured into soft, hard and liquid materials. Plastics enter into every aspect of our lives ( Yoshioka, 1964, p. 42). According to Strom and Rasmussen in 2011, Baekeland said, ”if I had my life to life over again ……I would not hesitate to devote my best endeavors to biochemical research. The future of mankind depends on this subject” (p

Although heavy and brittle, hardened clay and glass were used for storage. Some natural substances were sticky and moldable. Rubber wasn't very useful for storage because it eventually lost its ability to leap back into shape and became sticky when heated. The way plastics are manufactured has evolved from the use of natural plastic materials to the use of chemically modified, natural materials and finally to completely synthetic molecules. Early plastics were bio-derived materials, which are organic polymers. In 1600 BC, Mesoamericans used natural rubber for balls, bands, and figurines. In 1839, Charles Goodyear discovered a process in which sulfur reacted with crude rubber when heated and then cooled. The rubber became resilient upon cooling, it could stretch, but it snapped back to its original shape. It also retained its flexibility when heated. We now know that the sulfur forms chemical bonds between adjacent rubber polymer strands. The bonds cross-link the polymer strands, allowing them to go back to normal when stretched. Goodyear had discovered the process now known as vulcanization, which made rubber more

In the world of polymers, there are numerous types of plastics. We have discovered many of them through different means such as experiments, and processes, but mostly we have discovered a lot of them through pure luck and coincidence, and the list continues to grow. But to focus more on the experimentation aspect, the world as we know it would be very different if a one Chemours employee, Dr. Roy J. Plunkett hadn’t stumbled upon the wonderful polymer call polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), more commonly called by its trade name, Teflon (Chemous.com, “History of Teflon,” n.d.). It was this new found polymer that was the contributing factor for the creation of GORE-TEX.

When Fawcett and Gibson were experimenting with gasses that were under large amounts of pressure, they noticed a wax-like material that formed at the bottom of their test tube. This was very similar to Pechmann’s observation made in 1899. This time, however, Fawcett and Gibson noticed that this wax-like material could be formed into any shape that one could make. This property is what made polyethylene so unique from all other substances. Since this property of polyethylene was rediscovered in 1933, the number of uses of the material has only been increasing. Only two years after its “molding” property was discovered, the material began to be used for industrial purposes (Sharp 18). One of the first uses of polyethylene was in “the first round-the-world telephone cable” (Sharp 18). Some of the other materials that were made with polyethylene shortly after it was rediscovered included the following: “soda bottles [1933], milk jugs [1933], shopping bags [1933], children’s toys, particularly ‘Silly Putty’ [1949], and Velcro [1957]” (Bell

In this laboratory report, we will investigate the tensile properties of the above two materials.

Plastics are an important aspect of modern life. Plastics are used to manufacture everyday items from electrical appliances to children’s toys and so much more. Plastic products greatly enhance the quality of life for many people. Products such as electronic devices and surgical instruments are made from plastic and many items we all take for granted would not be possible without the use of the many different types of plastic available

The combined challenge thus consists in developing effective and environmentally friendly flame retardant systems for polymer materials. The development of flame retardant materials and understanding the phenomena that take place during combustion often require close collaboration between several fields of scientific expertise (macromolecular and physical chemistry, physics of mass and heat transfer, rheology etc.). Fire retardants are combined with polymer resins to reduce their flammability, decrease production of volatiles and inhibit

Figure1. Class 4.3-Combustible solids when in contact with water. From ADR Danger Labels, by United Nations, 2008. Retrieved December 15, 2010 from HYPERLINK "http://www.ericards.net/psp/ericonline.psp_adrdangerlabels?p_lang=3" http://www.ericards.net/psp/ericonline.psp_adrdangerlabels?p_lang=3

Figure 2 The pan balance method for measuring the buoyant force and specific density. METHOD III. (Graduated Cylinder Method) Determine the mass of the empty graduated cylinder and an average mass for the washers. Place about 10 washers in the graduated cylinder, and carefully place the cylinder in the beaker which is about 2/3 full of water. This initial loading with washers should insure that the cylinder floats upright, if not add more washers. Be careful not to have air bubbles under the base of the cylinder. Record the number of washers and volume markings on the graduated cylinder at the waterline as the cylinder floats. Add a washer, and record these values again. Repeat this process of adding washer and recording up to the point of sinking the cylinder. Plot volume marking vs number of washers

Since the beginning Polymers have been with us; they form the very basis of life. Until the middle of the 20thcentury we were unaware but slowly and gradually we began to understand the true nature of polymers. This understanding came with the development of plastics, which are materials truly mady by man that are the ultimate tribute to man’s creativity and ingenuity. The use of polymeric materials has permeated in every facet of our lives. It is hard to visualize today’s world with all its luxury and comfort without man-made polymeric materials.

Plastic is a man made chemical that has been invented in 1907. Back then, plastic did not

From the response of the general public to the plastic pellet incident, we can see that most of us may have some common misconceptions towards the plastic pellets or PP.