Functional to Fanciful – The First Synthetic Plastic

CLiPS – the Center for Layered POLYMERIC Systems – is all about polymers, or plastic materials,  and CLiPS research is concerned with  pushing the boundaries of multi-layered polymers leading to the development and characterization of new materials.

This post is historical in nature and is about materials – namely the first completely synthetic polymer – Bakelite.

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, many technical advancements came together to influence the development of the first wholly synthetic polymer, such as the rise in demand for electricity for domestic and commercial uses, the scarcity of shellac to insulate the new electrical wiring, and the emerging automobile industry and its need for multiple, identical parts.

Leo Baekeland was an inventor and tinkerer who experienced technical and financial success with his development of a commercially successful photographic paper in 1899.  Baekeland and others conducted experiments aimed at creating a synthetic form of shellac. But it was Baekeland’s experiments with phenols and formaldehyde that led to over 400 patents for the material he called Bakelite, including the first patent for this completely synthetic plastic.

Baekeland’s original machine, called the Bakelizer, which he used to produce the new substance, has been designated a National Historic Chemical Landmark and is housed in the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC.  The American Chemical Society website includes a history of Leo Baekeland’s discovery and a wealth of information about Bakelite.

Bakelite was promoted as the material with a thousand uses.  In addition to the electrical and automotive applications, a readily recognizable use of Bakelite was for the iconic black telephones that were found in all homes, offices and businesses during the last century.

In the 21st century, Bakelite has enjoyed a resurgence through the popularity of vintage jewelry and molded accessories that fetch high prices from collectors.

I am a big fan of Bakelite and in doing the research on this post I discovered that I have more examples of Bakelite items in my collection than I realized.