ORGANIC CHEMICAL INDUSTRY — STINE 185 



The production of nylon yarn on a limited scale was started early 

 this month, and small commercial shipments will be made in Febru- 

 ary 1940. It is anticipated that within the next few months full- 

 fashioned nylon hosiery will be on general sale. 



Nylon is now on the market in the form of bristles for tooth- 

 brushes and other toilet brushes, and also for certain types of indus- 

 trial brushes. It is also on the market in the form of sewing thread, 

 fishing lines and leaders, and surgical sutures. It is said to offer nu- 

 merous advantages over natural gut sutures. Perhaps other lines of 

 manufacture wholly new are still cradled in this chemical nursery. 



I am sure that all of you are more or less familiar with the role 

 of organic chemicals in the automobile industry. The story has been 

 told many times, and I shall accordingly not dwell on it at great 

 length. Nitrocellulose lacquers, developed around 1921, probably 

 represent one of the greatest chemical contributions to the automobile 

 industry. By cutting down the finishing time from 4 to 9 days to as 

 many hours, mass production was greatly facilitated. In an attempt 

 to reduce finishing time with the old orthodox enamels, durability 

 had been sacrificed, but the nitrocellulose lacquers are both quick- 

 drying and durable. 



The development of synthetic rubberlike materials was previously 

 mentioned. Automobile motors are frequently mounted on blocks of 

 neoprene or other "chemical rubber," to minimize chassis vibration. 

 Natural rubber used for this purpose deteriorates rapidly under the 

 influence of grease and oils with which it may come in contact. Be- 

 cause of its resistance to grease and oils, neoprene does not undergo 

 this deterioration, and is accordingly well suited for the mounting 

 of motors and some 50 other special uses about the car. 



The recent development of polyvinyl acetal plastics has a very 

 direct bearing on the automobile industry. For many years safety 

 glass for the windows and windshields was made with an interliner 

 of nitrocellulose or cellulose acetate plastic, but last year it was found 

 that an interliner of a certain type of polyvinyl acetal plastic has 

 definite advantages over the cellulosic plastics. This new plastic is 

 not only extremely tough and elastic at ordinary temperatures, but 

 retains its toughness and elasticity at very low temperatures. It is 

 for this reason that the polyvinyl acetals — products of the organic 

 chemical industry — make possible the safest safety glass ever made. 



Organic plastics find other applications in the automobile industry. 

 Plastics are used in the distributor head, on the instrument board, and 

 constitute various articles of internal decoration and utility such as the 

 knob of the gear-shift lever and the steering wheel. It is of interest 

 that these plastics are not only organic products themselves, but fre- 

 quently demand other organic chemicals to modify their inherent 



