Synthetic Fibres and Plastics - I

<span style="font-size:" 10pt;="" font-family:="" arial;="">Rayon, cotton and jute are obtained from the plants that have major component as cellulose. But, nylon is a synthetic fiber and therefore, does not contain cellulose.

Polymer is a compound having a high molecular mass and is made up of many small repeating units called monomers. Nylon, acrylic and silk  are polymers. However, amino acids are monomers of proteins.

Monomer is a small repeating unit which forms a large compound called polymer. Cellulose is also a polymer, which is made up of many repeating units of glucose. 

Natural fibres are the fibres, which are obtained from some natural source. It can either be a plant or an animal source. For example, cotton is a natural fibre, which is obtained from cotton plant whereas wool being again a natural fibre is obtained from sheep. 

 Synthetic fibers are the fibers, which do not occur naturally. They are prepared synthetically by man. Natural fibers are the fibers, which are prepared from a natural source. Polymer is a large single unit formed by the combination of many small natural and/or synthetic monomer units. Monomer is the small repeating unit, which forms polymer. 

Necklace is a collection of many small similar beads joined together to form a single big necklace. Synthetic fibres are polymers made up of many small repeating units called monomers. So, both possess a chain of small units that are combined together to form a polymer.

Rayon is also known as artificial silk because many of its properties are similar to that of natural silk fibre.

The word polymer is derived from two Greek words - poly and mer. 'Poly' means 'many' and 'mer' means 'part/unit'. A polymer is made of many small repeating units called monomers.

Rayon or artificial silk is used to make bed sheets and carpets by mixing it with another natural fibres; cotton and wool, respectively. Also, it can take up a variety of colours. Silk is a naturally obtained fibre and is not obtained by mixing rayon with silk.

Cotton, wool and silk fibres are obtained from cotton plant, sheep and silkworm, respectively. It means that they are obtained from natural resources. But, nylon is prepared by the use of chemicals. So, it is not a natural fibre.

 Rayon is a synthetic fiber, which shares its many properties with a natural fiber silk. That is why it is also known as artificial silk. 

 Rayon is a synthetic fiber, which is artificially synthesized. It resembles silk in many of its properties and therefore, it is also known as artificial silk. A natural fiber is the one, which is obtained and prepared from a plant or an animal source. As rayon is a synthetic fiber; natural fiber cannot be the correct name for rayon. 

When we study the history of development of silk then it is observed that silk was first made in China. The discovery of silk from silk worm was kept a secret for many years.

Rayon is a synthetic fibre but it uses cellulose as one of the raw materials for its formation. Polyester and acrylic are also the examples of synthetic fibres but nylon was the first one to be prepared synthetically without using any natural source as raw material. 

Rayon is prepared by treating cellulose with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and then with carbon disulphide (CS₂). This process is called regeneration of cellulose. That is why rayon is known as regenerated fibre.

The fiber used for making cloth should have certain characteristics like it should be light in weight, should not have dull surface i.e. should be shiny / lustrous, should be strong / durable and should posses some elasticity. Tensile strength, easy moulding and being a regenerated fiber has nothing to do with making clothes.

Swim wear has nothing to do with the strength of fibre and its tensile strength. Swim wear should have easy contact with water and it should also get dried up quickly. Nylon possesses this dip and dry property and therefore, it is used to make swim wear.

The prime quality of the material used for making parachutes and ropes should be its great strength. It means that the material should not break easily. Nylon fibre is even stronger than a steel wire. Therefore, it is used for the formation of parachutes and ropes. 

Umbrella is used to protect oneself from rainwater. It means that it should soak less water and should get dried up easily. Synthetic fibres possess the characteristic property of soaking less water and getting easily dried. Therefore, they are used for making umbrellas.

 Synthetic fibers are cheap and have a long life. It means that they are durable and are easily available, which make them popular. Catching fire easily certainly won't make them popular. 

Cotton, silk and wool are natural fibres, while polyester is a synthetic fibre. Natural fibres are costlier and need more maintenance. So, one should buy polyester. 

 Nylon, Rayon, Polyester are synthetic fibers, while cotton is a natural fiber. Natural fibers always soak more water than synthetic fibers. 

 Nylon is a fully synthetic fiber while cellulose is a plant product. So, it is the cellulose, which cannot be one of the raw materials for the formation of nylon. Therefore, raw materials used for preparing nylon are coal, water and air. 

Cotton, wool and silk while natural fibers and nylon is a synthetic fiber. Natural fibers soak more water and take more time to get dried up. Synthetics fibers soak less water and get dried up quickly. So, nylon is the one which takes less time to dry up.

Polyester is a synthetic fibre which does not wrinkle easily. Teflon is a strong synthetic polymer which can be used to make non-stick cookware. Nylon is stronger than steel wire. Therefore, it is used to make parachutes. Rayon is prepared using cellulose as raw material. So, it is not a fully synthetic fibre.