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CH 1 Fibres and Plastics

Synthetic fibers and plastics were created to address drawbacks of natural fibers like wrinkling, expense, and vulnerability to damage. There are two main types of synthetic fibers - cellulosic fibers made from plant cellulose, and non-cellulosic fibers made from petrochemicals. Rayon was the first cellulosic synthetic while nylon was the first non-cellulosic synthetic. Synthetic fibers have advantages like lower cost, durability, and ease of care compared to natural fibers. However, they also have disadvantages such as melting when heated and reducing breathability. Plastics are polymers derived from petroleum and used widely in products but also cause environmental and health problems.

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Ridham Jain
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81 views6 pages

CH 1 Fibres and Plastics

Synthetic fibers and plastics were created to address drawbacks of natural fibers like wrinkling, expense, and vulnerability to damage. There are two main types of synthetic fibers - cellulosic fibers made from plant cellulose, and non-cellulosic fibers made from petrochemicals. Rayon was the first cellulosic synthetic while nylon was the first non-cellulosic synthetic. Synthetic fibers have advantages like lower cost, durability, and ease of care compared to natural fibers. However, they also have disadvantages such as melting when heated and reducing breathability. Plastics are polymers derived from petroleum and used widely in products but also cause environmental and health problems.

Uploaded by

Ridham Jain
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© © All Rights Reserved
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CHEMISTRY

CHAPTER 1
SYNTHETIC FIBRES AND PLASTIC
I. Clothes made of natural fibres are comfortable to wear, non-allergic to skin, and biodegradable.
II. Drawbacks of natural fibers.
1. Cotton clothes wrinkle easily.
2. Silk is expensive and requires delicate handling.
3. Wool shrinks and is eaten by moths.
4. Jute is hard and not durable
III. These drawbacks in natural fibres led to the creation of synthetic fibres.
IV. Advantages of synthetic fibres –
1. They are more affordable and durable than natural fibres.
2. They don’t soak in much water and hence dry faster.
3. They don’t get wrinkled easily and are therefore easy to maintain.
V. There are 2 main categories of artificial fibres –
1. Cellulosic fibres – made from cellulose; substance obtained from plants
2. Non-cellulosic (synthetic fibres) – made from chemical compounds.
VI. Synthetic fibres consist of repeating units of a chemical substance. The repeating units are called
monomers and they are joined to make polymers.
VII. Cellulose is a polymer that is found naturally in cell wall of plants. Its monomer is glucose.
VIII. Synthetics fibres are made from petrochemicals, which are materials derived from petroleum.
RAYON NYLON
Rayon was the first manmade fiber. It was the first non cellulosic polymer or
It is made from cellulose of wood pulp synthetic fiber ever made.
That is why it is cold a cellulosic polymer It was developed by DuPont Company in
It is not a pure synthetic fiber. the USA and first manufactures in 1939.
It was developed as a substitute of silk.
Silk is the strongest natural fiber, soft, Properties of nylon fiber
lustrous, beautiful texture.
It is very strong.
It exhibits same qualities as silk.
It is light and elastic
It is easy to wash and does not wrinkle
Properties of rayon fiber.
It dries out quickly
It is soft and shiny.
It is less expensive than milk Uses of rayon
It is comfortable to wear.
It can be easily dyed in different colors. Used in making
It absorbs moisture a. Swimwear, raincoats, umbrellas, hats,
leggings
b. Curtains, carpets and ropes
Uses of rayon
c. Packing material
Clothing – shirts, blouses, dresses, tie, socks, d. Toothbrushes and bath sponges
sportswear, scarves, jackets e. Tents, fishing nets, parachutes and tyres
Home furnishing – bedspreads, blankets,
upholstery
Industrial use – medical surgery products and
tyre cord.
POLYESTER ACRYLIC
It is a polymer of ester. This is made from polyacrylonitrile.
There are different varieties of it It has similar properties like wool.
It is soft, lightweight, and warm.
a. Ethylene
It is therefore used as an alternative to
b.Polyethylene terephthalate.
wool.
Acrylic sweaters, socks, blankets are widely
Properties of polyester used because it is cheaper than wool.
It is very strong It is resistant to weathering.
It is stretchable, durable, and does not
wrinkle
It is east to wash ADVANTAGES OF
It dries faster
SYNTHETIC FIBRES
Uses of polyester It absorbs less water.
It is less expensive
Used as a dress material
It is resistant to chemicals
It is combined with natural fibres –
It is durable and elastic
polyester + cotton = polycot, polyester +
wool = polywool They don’t wrinkle easily.
It is used in pillow stuffing They are resistant to insects
PET is used for making bottles and storage
containers.
It is derived from the Greek word
DISADVANTAGES OF “plastikos” meaning capable of being shaped
SYNTHETIC FIBRES or moulded.
It is used in tooth brushes, hairbrush,
They melt on heating. comb, toys, skates, pens, doors, pipes,
It does not absorb sweat, which makes it switches, machines, electrical devices,
uncomfortable to wear. medical equipment, aircraft, automobiles
It does not allow air to pass. and packaging various products.
It does not allow skin to breathe The building blocks for making plastics are

IDENTIFYING DIFFERENT small organic molecules. These molecules


contain carbon along with other substances.
TYPES OF FIBRE These molecules come from petroleum and
 When a fibre is put on fire – natural gas. They are formed by
polymerization of organic compounds.
1. Cotton smells like burning paper
There are 2 types of plastic.
2. Wool and silk smell like burning
feather or hair
THERMOPLASTIC
3. When a synthetic fibre is burn, a
darkish plume of smoke is produced They are the types of plastic that melt
and it smells like burning plastic, when heated and harden again when cooled.
meaning that the fibre is a polycot About 80% of the plastics produced are
thermoplastics.
PLASTICS Polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene,
polyvinyl chloride PVC are examples of
Plastic is a polymer.
thermoplastics.
When thermoplastic is heated, it gets plates and bowls. they are also used in
melted and then it can be transformed into glues and electric components of a circuit
a different shape and it will retain that board.
shape. Melamine and Bakelite are 2 examples of
Thermoplastic have long linear polymer thermosetting plastics
chains that are only weakly connected to Melamine tolerates heat and fire
each other. Bakelite is an insulator of heat and
When It is heated, these bonds are easily electricity.
broken.
It is used in making plastic wraps, food GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
containers, lighting panels, garden hoses,
OF PLASTICS
toys and plastic bags.
Plastics don’t react with chemicals.
THERMOSETTING PLASTIC Plastics are lightweight, strong, durable and
inexpensive.
They are the type of plastics which a
Plastics can be both thermal and electric
permanently set once moulded in a shape.
insulators
They don’t melt but crack on heating.
It has a crosslinked polymer chain and is
strongly bonded.
DANGER OF USING
So, heat doesn’t affect bonding. That is PLASTICS
why objects made from thermoplastics
cannot be melted. Environmental damage
They are used in making spatulas, handles Threat to animal life
of cookware, and other kitchenware like Suffocation
Pollution
Fumes

MANAGING PLASTIC
WASTE
REDUCE
REUSE
RECYCLE
RECOVER
REFUSE

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