1910's Science and Technology | Developments in Chemistry and Physics

The Genesis of Modern Plastics.

The decade from 1910 to 1919 was notable for many discoveries that would lead to startling technological advancements later in the century. One of the most notable developments was the beginning of the modern age of plastics, which originated with the work of the Belgian-born American chemist Leo Hendrik Baekeland. As is the case with many important breakthroughs, Baekeland's discovery was serendipitous. Chemists in 1909 often faced the difficult problem of removing chemical residues from their equipment, and Baekeland thought that he might be able to invent a solvent that could do the job. But first, because he did not have any chemical residue at hand, he set about creating some difficult residue to experiment on by combining phenol with formaldehyde. When he tried to dissolve the substance he created, no solvent worked. It then occurred to Baekeland that the substance he had created might itself...