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Heat-resistant and nonconductive
of electricity, Bakelite was an ideal
material to use for the casings of
electrical goods such as telephones
and radios.See also: Friedrich Wöhler 124–25 ■ August Kekulé 160–65 ■
Linus Pauling 254–59 ■ Harry Kroto 320–21A CENTURY OF PROGRESS
Although the molecules of natural
polymers were far too complex
to figure out in the 1800s, some
scientists began to explore ways
of making them synthetically
from chemical reactions. In 1862,
British chemist Alexander Parkes
created a synthetic form of cellulose,
which he called Parkesine. A few
years later, American John Hyatt
developed another, which became
known as celluloid.Imitating nature
After developing the world’s first
photographic paper in the 1890s,
Baekeland sold the idea to Kodak
and used the money to buy a house
equipped with its own laboratory.
Here, he experimented with ways
of creating synthetic shellac.
Shellac is a resin secreted by the
female lac beetle. It is a natural
polymer that was used to give
furniture and other objects a tough,
shiny coat. Baekeland found that
by treating phenol resin made from
coal tar with formaldehyde, hecould make a kind of shellac. In
1907, he added various kinds of
powder to this resin and found
that he could create a remarkable
hard, moldable plastic.
Chemically this plastic is known
as polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolan-
hydride, but Baekeland called it
simply Bakelite. Bakelite was a
“thermoset” plastic—plastic that
holds its shape after being heated.
Due to its properties of electrical
insulation and heat resistance,
Bakelite was soon being used to
make radios, telephones, and
electrical insulators. Many more
uses were quickly found for it.
Today, there are thousands
of synthetic plastics, including
Plexiglass, polythene, low-density
polyethylene, and cellophane,
each with its own properties and
uses. The majority are based
on hydrocarbons (chemicals
made from hydrogen and carbon)
derived from oil or natural gas.
However, in recent decades,
carbon fibers, nanotubes and
other materials have been added
to create superlight, superstrong
plastic materials such as Kevlar. ■Leo Baekeland
Leo Baekeland was born in
Ghent in Belgium and studied
at the university there. In
1889, he became associate
professor of chemistry and
married Celine Swarts.
While the young couple
were on honeymoon in
New York, Baekeland met
Richard Anthony, head of a
well-known photographic
company. Anthony was so
impressed by Baekeland’s
work with photographic
processes that he hired him
as a consulting chemist.
Baekeland moved to the
US and was soon in
business for himself.
Baekeland invented the
first photographic papers,
known as Velox, before
developing Bakelite, which
made him rich. He is credited
with many inventions besides
plastic, registering more than
50 patents in total. In later
life, he became an eccentric
recluse, eating food only from
tin cans. He died in 1944 and
is buried in Sleepy Hollow
Cemetery, New York.Key work1909 Paper on Bakelite
read to the American
Chemical SocietyI was trying to make
something really hard, but
then I thought I should make
something really soft instead,
that could be moulded into
different shapes. That was how
I came up with the first plastic.
Leo Baekeland