Science Inventions
Science inventions of Bakelite a plastic
Important science inventions of the 20th century
Important science inventions of the 20th century. Bakelite was invented in 1907 by Leo Baekeland. It was the beginning of the modern plastics industry. Bakelite was inexpensive, nonflammable and versatile. It became a popular plastic with the slogan “the material with 1000 uses.”
Bakelite Radio
Looking for a way to produce shellac
Leo Baekeland and his assistant Thurlow who worked in the lab with him. They were looking for a way to produce shellac to cover wood using soluble resins. Natural shellac is made from resin secreted by the East Asian lac bug which is scraped off the bark of trees the bugs inhabited.
1907 Baekland looking way to strengthen wood
During the summer of 1907 Baekeland decided he wanted to create a product that would strengthen the wood instead of just coating the wood. He wanted to create a synthetic resin to soak into the wood that would make the wood stronger.
Bakelizer machine used heat and pressure
Baekeland created a machine he called a “Bakelizer” that subjected the materials he was working with to heat and pressure. Bakelite was the final product after the synthetic resins were subjected to the heat and pressure in the bakelizers. The final product could be created quickly and molded into a variety of shapes using mass production.
Bakelite most important synthetic plastic of the the 20th century
Bakelite also had some other features that turned it into the most important synthetic plastic of the 20th century. Once the material was molded it retained its shape even when heated or subjected to various solvents. It became a popular product for jewelry with plastic bracelets and other jewelry that has recently become popular with collectors.
Resistent to electricity, heat, and chemical actions in cars
Bakelite was popular in cars and electrical components because it was extraordinarily resistant to electricity, heat and chemical actions. It was soon used in all the non-conducting parts of radios and other electrical devices. Bases and sockets of light bulbs were made of Bakelite. Automobile distributor caps and other insulators were also made from Bakelite.
Slogan "The Material of a Thousand Uses"
The Bakelite Corporation adopted the mathematical symbol for infinity as its logo. They coined the phrase “The Material of a Thousand Uses,” for the company’s slogan.
More science News
Current Events in Science - Talks about the Antarctica ice sheet and how they are gathering water from subglacial lakes, how mud samples.
Current Events in Earth Science - Find out about ancient petroglyphs found above Pyramid Lake, a playa, in Nevada that are thought to be the oldest in North America.
Kids Current Events - Learn how people living in rural communities in India are using Solar Energy Carts so they can work in the evenings.
Science Articles for Kids - Find out about the honey bees that travel around the United States pollinating farmer’s crops.
Science Trivia – This page includes fun stuff about the world we live in including Early Maps, Sailing Ships, Arctic Circle, and Amphibians.
Science Inventions - Bakelite was the first modern plastic. Its slogan was the material with 1000 uses. Collectors love jewelry made from Bakelite.
Science Current Events - Find links to the latest current events in Earth Science and science news on this webpage.
Kids Fun sCIENCE bOOKSTORE
Check out Myrna Martin's award winning textbooks, e-books, videos and rock sets. The Kids Fun Science Bookstore covers a wide range of earth science topics. Click here to browse.
Sign up to our monthly newsletter and receive our FREE eBook containing 3 fun activities that don’t appear in any of our other books!
The Kids Fun Science monthly newsletter will include the following: current events, weird and fantastic facts, a question of the month, science trivia and the latest new content from our website.
We respect your privacy and you can be assured that we will never share your email address or use it for any other purpose than to send you our newsletter.
