The First Man-Made Plastic - Parkesine

The first artificial (i.e. synthetic) plastic was made by Alexander Parkes who openly demonstrated it at the 1862 Great International Exhibition in London. The material known as Parkesine was an organic material came from cellulose that once heated could be molded, and kept hold of its shape when cooled.

Celluloid:

Celluloid is came from cellulose and alcoholized camphor. John Wesley Hyatt invented celluloid as a replacement for the ivory in billiard balls in 1868. He first endeavored using collodion a natural matter, after spilling a bottle of it and finding that the material dried into a tough and flexible film. On the other hand, the material was not strong enough to be used as a billiard ball, until the addition of camphor, a plagiaristic of the laurel tree. The novel celluloid could be molded with heat and pressure into a durable shape.

Features of Plastic >