http://ford-life.

com/2012/01/07/ford-uses-plastic-bottles-for-seats/

Maikel Hanna
Summary
 Plastic is a material made out of polymers that have the
capability to be modeled or shaped, usually by applying
heat or pressure (Rodriguez 1).
 Plastics have the unique potential to be manufactured
to meet our specific needs.
 Plastics can be used for almost anything from the
bottles we
drink from, to the refrigerators they’re stored in.

http://www.american.edu/sis/sisabroad/green-study-abroad-initiatives.cfm
Summary
 The foundation for making plastics is small organic
molecules that contain carbon, along with other
different substances.
 Through a process called polymerization, each small
molecule is capable of joining with monomers to
form very long polymer chains (Plastic 1).
 Polymers can be so large, that together with their
physical state and structure, give plastics their
unique properties (Rodriguez 4).
Chemistry
 Plastics can be divided into two categories.
 They can be made of polymers that have linear carbon
atoms in their parent chains, or hetero-chain
polymers, which contain atoms such as oxygen,
nitrogen, or sulfur in their parent chains (Rodriguez
1).

http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2012/11/bpa-bisphenol
http://www.eng.buffalo.edu/Courses/ce435/2001/Plastic_Microw

ave/MicrowaveReport.htm
 Chemistry
 An example of a linear carbon atom is polyethylene, one of the most
used plastics. Polyethylene is found in milk bottles, frisbees, trash
bags, and many other products. An example of a hetero-chain
polymer is polycarbonate, which has two benzene rings.
 (Downey 5).

http://pslc.ws/macrog/pc.htm

http://www.ndt-
ed.org/EducationResources/CommunityCollege/Materials/Structure/polymer.htm
Chemistry
Polymers can be broken down even further into two areas:
thermoplastics and thermosets. Thermoplastics have the ability to be
remolded, then harden again when cooled. Thermosets, however, are
permanent when formed, and they cannot be melted to be reformed.
The linear chains in a thermoset are cross-linked and have very strong
chemical bonds, preventing it from melting (Plastic 2).

http://www.recycledplastic.com/plastics/thermoplastics-vs-thermosetting-plastics/
Chemistry
 Plasticizers are used to make plastic more
flexible.
 The plasticizers get in between the polymer
chains to weaken the forces of attraction
(Rodriguez 2).

http://www.gcsescience.com/o59.htm
Works Cited
 Downey, Charles. "Biodegradeable Bags." Chem Matter
Oct. 1991: 4-6. Print.
 "Plastics and Polymers." Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media
AB 2014, 28 Aug. 2007. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.
<http://ww
w.nobelprize.org/educational/chemistry/p
lastics/readmore.html>.
 Rodriguez, Ferdinand. "Plastic." Encyclopædia
Britannica Online Academic Edition. N.p.:
Encyclopædia Britannica, 2014. Britannica.com.
Web. 7 Apr. 2014.
<http://ww
w.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/46368
4/plastic>.