Early in the twentieth century the discovery of giants in the invisible world of molecules created excitement among scientists. These giant molecules are called polymers. They fascinate us not because they are scarce, but because they are everywhere about us.
In fact, people have been using polymers for thousands of years, as many of nature's most useful materials are polymers. Natural rubber, silk, and other proteins, cellulose (found in wood and cotton), and starch (potatoes) are a few examples. In fact, life itself would not be possible without polymers, since DNA and RNA, the messengers of heredity, are polymers as well. (The cartoon on the right sketches DNA chains. The one on the right has been stretched.)
To understand how natural polymers are formed and how they function was a challenge. Chemists and engineers have met that challenge. They have also found how to create synthetic polymers of unparalleled variety.
We recap here briefly the history of polymer science and of the people who shaped it.