1763 | Technology
Technology
A paper produced in February by François Fresneau describes the use of turpentine as a solvent for rubber (see 1751). It is the first scientific research paper on natural rubber, and an accompanying letter explains how dipping fabrics in a solution of rubber and turpentine can make them waterproof, but the substance continues to defy efforts to find practical uses for it besides erasing pencil marks (see Hancock, 1820).