Production of Substances - Rubber

Rubber is a flexible material that can be stretched and used to make various everyday items. It comes in two types:

1. Natural Rubber: It is obtained from the sap of rubber trees, known as latex. When collected, it appears sticky, white, and has a distinct smell.
2. Artificial Rubber: It is also known as synthetic rubber and is man-made through chemical processes. It is produced from petroleum-based compounds such as styrene-butadiene or neoprene. Artificial rubber is designed to mimic the properties of natural rubber while offering greater resistance to heat, chemicals, and wear.

Vulcanisation is a special process used to make natural rubber stronger and more useful.

Steps in Vulcanisation:

• Mixing Sulphur: Rubber is mixed with a chemical called sulphur.
• Heating: The mixture is then heated for three to four hours.

Sulphur helps to harden the rubber. The amount of sulphur added depends on how hard the rubber needs to be for its use. For example: erasers, rubber toys, and rubber bands.

A long time ago, a man named Charles Goodyear accidentally discovered the process of vulcanisation. He spilt a mixture of rubber and sulphur on a hot stove. When the fire went out, he noticed that the rubber had become much harder and less stretchy than before. He repeated his experiments more carefully and eventually created the vulcanisation process. This made it possible to make hard and durable rubber tyres, which greatly improved transportation.