POLYMERS
AND PEOPLE:
An Informal History
Modified for the Web by Tracy
Sullivan
Based on the exhibit book by Eric Elliott
PREFACE
"I am inclined to think that the development of polymerization is perhaps the biggest thing chemistry has done, where it has had the biggest impact on everyday life."
-Lord Todd (b. 1907), president of the Royal Society of London
The achievements of polymer chemistry and engineering are among the most familiar, yet the least understood in modern science and industry. Polymers and People: An Informal History addresses this issue through an historical review of our developing knowledge of these molecular giants. It seeks to show how polymers and people are the closest of partners in everyday life. These plastics, rubbers, and resins, whether natural or synthetic, share common features that many fail to recognize. The public sees the panoply of industrial polymer products without understanding the underlying unity of their structures.
Polymers and People will introduce you to those who first discovered the long-chain structure of polymer molecules, the building blocks that give polymers their special properties and utility. You will learn of the first syntheses of those special products of human ingenuity, plastics, and of the simple, artful devices through which scientists only later understood their formation. The discussion next focuses on a turning point in the development of polymer science: the challenge of creating synthetic rubber during World War II. But Polymers and People is not just a history lesson. It illustrates how today's plastics are fashioned and how polymers will shape our future.
We thank Eric Elliott for his enthusiastic and dedicated work on Polymers and People. Jeffrey L. Sturchio managed the project and critically reviewed the text. Our appreciation also to Peter Morris and Gordon L. Nelson for editorial help, to Thelma McCarthy for advice on design, and to Sylvia Barkan for design and layout of the printed versions of the text. The Center's Publications Manager Frances Kohler provided her usual efficient and indispensable help.
ARNOLD THACKRAY, President, Chemical Heritage Foundation
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