Rubber Polymers

Rubber is elastomers, a polymer that can be stretched and shrink. Rubbers are generally natural but can also be synthetized.

Natural rubber is further classified as:

Natural Rubber: Natural Rubber are elastomers that are manufactured from rubber latex( bark of rubber tree), which is colloidal dispersion of rubber in water. Natural rubber is a linear polymer of isoprene (2-methyl-1, 3-butadiene) and is also called as cis - 1, 4 - polyisoprene.

Vulcanization of rubber: Vulcanization is the process of heating natural rubber with sulphur or sulphur compounds so that no. of sulphur linkage (cross links ) is established and polymer become more elastic. Vulcanization was introduced by Charles Goodyear. The reverse process of Vulcanization is called reclaiming of rubber. Highly vulcanized rubber contains 20-25 % of ebonite. The rubber becomes soft when it is heated to high temperature and becomes brittle when taken to low temperature. Rubber has high water absorption capability and is soluble in a non-polar solvent and is non-resistant to attack by the oxidizing agent. To improve these properties, it is heated with sulfur at 373 K to 415 K; This process is called the vulcanization of rubber.