MANS SYNTHETIC FUTURE — ADAMS 223 



poses at night. Even though inefficient in this process of absorption 

 and emission, the amount of the sun's available energy is so great that 

 this procedure is not beyond the realm of practical possibility. 



New sources of energy, however important they may be, are not an 

 immediate problem but one for future generations of chemists and en- 

 gineers. With our present adequate raw materials, let us explore 

 what discoveries may be expected. "Synthetic polymers" is a term 

 used by the chemist for the giant molecules he has learned how to 

 manufacture from very simple ones. Such polymers possess very 

 different physical properties and relatively inert chemical properties 

 compared to the substances from which they are derived. Synthetic 

 rubber, plastics, resins, and fibers fall into this category. 



Today's synthetic rubber is the equivalent of natural rubber when 

 fabricated into tires for passenger automobiles. Many improvements 

 in the processing of synthetic rubber for tires have been made in the 

 past decade, the most interesting of which has been recent — the in- 

 corporation of a substantial amount of petroleum in the mix. The 

 resulting tires are claimed to have no inferior qualities, and some 

 superior ones, to those that are oil-free. Moreover, they can be made 

 more cheaply, and a substantial amount of raw rubber is conserved. 

 A synthetic rubber suitable for heavy-duty tires on trucks, busses, 

 and other large vehicles has yet to be found. Present synthetic rub- 

 ber tires when used for this purpose are susceptible to a heat build-up 

 that leads to excessive degradation. The eventual discovery of a 

 synthetic rubber for this purpose is merely a matter of time. More- 

 over, special rubbers, capable of withstanding the cold of the Arctic 

 and the heat of the equatorial desert regions without losing the re- 

 quired elasticity, and those which are oil-resistant and suited for low- 

 temperature utilization, will be added to the list. 



Dozens of various kinds of plastics are now sold commercially. 

 These vary from the clear and transparent, especially suitable for 

 ornamental purposes or for airplane windshields, to very tough, chem- 

 ical- and heat-resistant plastics for use as gaskets in chemical opera- 

 tions involving corrosive materials. There are resins and plastics 

 for parts of chemical equipment; for coatings of wire to be used in 

 the construction of small motors operating at high temperatures to 

 produce the power of an ordinary larger motor ; for the waterproofing 

 of fabrics ; for finishes of wood, metals, and even stoneware. Plastics 

 are available for all types of bristles, and others are suitable for re- 

 placement of metals even where strength is a primary factor. The 

 future will see transparent plastics that will not discolor and with 

 surfaces that will not craze or scratch readily ; finishes for wood and 

 metals that will remain durable for long periods of time in the 

 presence of sunlight and salt air ; and flexible, waterproof and mois- 

 tureproof film of any desired strength. 



